Chapter One #2
A small smile crossed Oliver’s lips as he found a thick letter from Teresa Galvan that was addressed to both of them.
They hadn’t seen her since she returned to the Philadelphia School of Design for Women for the fall term a few weeks earlier, but she wrote often about her classes and sent along any sketches or news she thought they might enjoy.
The rest of the mail contained advertisements for things neither of them would ever buy, but tucked at the very bottom of the stack, there was a letter addressed to Felipe.
Oliver stared at it for a long moment. The envelope had been creased and stained by dust as if it had traveled across the country or been lost in the mail for some time.
There was no return address, and the handwriting didn’t look like Louisa’s or Agatha’s or anyone’s he recognized.
Then again, Oliver knew Felipe had numerous acquaintances and contacts all across the country, so he shouldn’t have been surprised that one of them would write to him.
Flipping the letter over, Oliver found it sealed with vermillion wax.
Imprinted into the seal was a sword with an eagle perched atop its guard, and pinned beneath the blade’s tip was a banner that read, Sanguine Nostro Tenebrae Vincuntur.
As Oliver repeated the phrase under his breath, a spike of anxiety flashed across the tether half a second before Felipe snatched the letter out of his hand.
Shame heated Oliver’s cheeks as Felipe released a ragged breath.
For a long moment, they merely stared at each other, neither moving nor saying a word until the silence and discomfort hanging between them grew so thick Oliver couldn’t stand it.
“I— I was only trying to figure out who it was from. I wasn’t going to open it without your permission,” Oliver whispered.
Deflating, Felipe scrubbed a hand across his face.
“No, I know. I know you weren’t. I’m sorry, it isn’t that.
I just didn’t realize it was there and..
. It’s from my family.” When Oliver stared at him uncomprehendingly, Felipe sighed and added, “Sanguine Nostro Tenebrae Vincuntur. ‘By our blood, the darkness is conquered’; that’s the Galvan motto. The letter’s from my parents.”
Oliver’s mind reeled. He had a tendency to assume everyone’s parents were dead since he grew up without his, but even after wracking his brain, he couldn’t remember Felipe ever mentioning them.
No, he was certain he had never mentioned his parents.
He would have remembered and asked questions about them.
My family had always meant Louisa, Agatha, and Teresa.
“Your parents? I assumed they were dead.”
Meeting Oliver’s gaze again, Felipe’s features slipped into the impassive mask he often used during interrogations.
As he shrugged on his jacket and stuffed the letter into his pocket, a rumble of unease passed through the tether.
Try as he might, he couldn’t hide the tension slowing his fingers as he fiddled with his cufflinks or the tightness at the corner of his mouth. Oliver knew him too well.
“There isn’t much to tell. They live in California. I live here. Occasionally, they write.”
In the entire nine months they had been together, Oliver had never seen a letter arrive with that seal.
He doubted Felipe had hidden them away the moment they arrived as he usually let the mail languish on the sideboard for days unless Oliver intervened.
The letter didn’t seem particularly thick, but if they only wrote infrequently, then it had to be important.
A hundred panicked thoughts raced through Oliver’s mind.
What if one of Felipe’s parents was sick?
Or what if another family member was writing to tell him his mother or father had died, and they had to go to California?
Even worse, what if they wanted to visit them?
A myriad of disasters lurked inside that envelope.
“Shouldn’t you read it?”
A mirthless laugh escaped Felipe’s lips. “Not if I want to have a good evening.”
“But what if they’re writing because something bad happened?”
“Then, it already happened, and there’s nothing I can do about it, Oliver. Their letters aren’t like Teresa’s; they can wait.” Drawing in a calming breath, Felipe shook his head and gathered his spare hat and gloves. “Can we just let this go for now?”
Oliver gave him a tight nod, though he didn’t fully understand.
His experience with families was limited, but any time a note from Teresa or Louisa appeared, Felipe made a point to read them promptly or have Oliver remind him to do so.
He wanted to understand why this was different, but if the way Felipe yanked on his gloves was any indication, that conversation wasn’t going to go the way Oliver hoped.
When he reached for the tether, spikes of emotions he couldn’t parse out flicked along it like a cat’s tail.
No, letting it go for now was the best option.
As Oliver started to shake out his hands but caught himself, Felipe’s fingers slowly closed around his shoulder.
Oliver turned to find his partner regarding him with a regretful frown.
The circles of fatigue were already darkening into bruises beneath Felipe’s eyes, but his gaze was far more gentle than it had been.
“I’m sorry for snapping at you. None of this is about you, and you didn’t do anything wrong.
” Resting his hand on Oliver’s cheek, Felipe held his grey eyes, and the knot in Oliver’s chest loosened a fraction.
“I need you to know I’m not mad at you. It’s just been a long day, and the letter didn’t help. ”
“Do you still want to go out?” Oliver asked softly, leaning into Felipe’s gloved palm.
“Absolutely. I love you, and there’s nothing that I would rather do than spend time with you.
” Felipe kissed him and ran his hands down Oliver’s arms in firm strokes until the lingering tension left his body.
When he pulled back, he gave Oliver a half smile and a wink.
“Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m eager to see what you’ve planned. ”
A smile spread across Oliver’s lips as he grabbed his coat and hat from the stand by the door. “Did you see there was also a letter from Teresa for us? It seems quite thick.”
At that, Felipe’s face brightened, but when Oliver felt along the tether to make certain he was truly all right, there was a strange tightness, as if the tether had caught on a snarl beneath Felipe’s heart.