Silver
After that amazing morning in bed, I figured I needed to figure out what I wanted to do about Christian. Xari and Niam had visited Sutiner and had dealt with their unfinished business there; I however, was still stuck on what to do.
“We don’t have to do it this week,” Wilston reminded me again. We’d taken a walk through the forest in our backyard. It had been his idea since he figured some fresh air and sunlight might help me make up my mind.
“I know,” I sighed. “But we don’t know when we’ll get the chance again.
I just can’t decide with myself if I want to see everyone, only to leave again and not return, or return every five years, but with that profession, they likely wouldn’t all still be there in five years.
Only Christian, and it would hurt to keep seeing him only for a few hours every five years like this.
And why five years exactly? Why not two or one for that matter.
Plus, how many friendships can last on only a few hours with so many years in between.
” I was ranting, I knew it, but I could finally voice my thoughts out loud, and I wanted Wilston to know exactly what had me stuck on making a decision.
“If I told you the portals to Sutiner weren’t working anymore and you’d never be able to return, what would you feel?” Huh, I had no idea how to feel about that, relieved, which I shouldn’t feel, those people were my friends… but then why was I so relieved.
I sighed. “I feel relieved,” I admitted, knowing I could tell him the truth, even though it painted me as a really bad friend.
“Then you shouldn’t go.” He shrugged, like it was such an easy decision.
“You never know if visiting will ruin the memories in your mind. And when you left, you never intended on ever seeing them again; you said you hoped to one day. But I know as well as you do, that you didn’t believe it would ever happen when you quit.
” He was right. I had said goodbye and meant it as forever.
Was that why I was so reluctant on returning?
Because I’d somehow let them go mentally.
“Would you judge me if we didn’t go?” I asked, already knowing he wouldn’t. But I still needed to hear him say it.
“Never,” he replied instantly. “I’m not chasing down Emma’s location either.
I knew before you came into the restaurant that Emma and I likely wouldn’t be seeing each other again, knowing she was moving away and was serious with her man.
It wouldn’t do me any good tracking her down just for a few hours of chatting.
It would only hurt much more letting her go after that. ”
“I hadn’t thought about that.” The biggest reason I’d wanted to see Christian, had been for me to repay him.
When Niam had told us about Xari’s earthquake move, I knew instantly that I wanted to do something similar for Christian, just without the earthquake.
“I want to leave some gold bars with Christian,” I finally decided.
“We can go but not be seen. And since gathering money takes too much work and time, gold bars will have to do.”
“Okay. When do you want to leave?”
Wilston
We decided to travel at night, not because it wouldn’t be hectic at that time, but for darkness to help conceal us more, like leaving gold bars for a strip club owner was considered illegal.
“Did you at least write him a note?” I asked, looking at the box we’d filled with gold bars.
“Of course,” he sniffed. “And you’ll make sure he gets them.”
“Um. I will?”
“Yes. He doesn’t know you, so you’ll simply walk in there and ask for Christian and then show him the box and tell him it’s from me.”
“And you’re sure you don’t want to come with?”
“I am. Like you said, it’ll only be harder to say goodbye after and I need closure. This will give me closure.”
I guess I had a strip club to visit, then.
While Silver hid in a diner across the street, I entered the humid air inside the club.
It was rather easy finding Christian. After I’d located the bar, I’d simply asked the woman behind the counter where I could find him.
She seemed to believe I was there to hook up with him, if her gaze that ran over my body and her wink was any indication.
She’d called a bouncer over who’d escorted me into the back where a few rooms were located, Christian’s office being one of them.
The quiet bouncer left me just as I knocked on the door.
Christian opened a few seconds later, looking pleased as he pulled me inside, quickly locking the door behind me. Fucking hell.
Before his lips could crash down on mine, I sidestepped him and rushed out, “Silver sent me!” That had him pausing his advances on me.
“So, you’re not Steve?” I shook my head fast.
“Just a delivery man for Silver.”
He seemed disappointed by that and even pouted. I could see why Silver and him had been friends.
“So,” I said, getting back on topic. “The package was heavy so I left it outside. Silver said you usually got alcohol delivered back there, so I simply left it. Do you want my help carrying it in?”
“What’s inside it?” I could tell he was curious now that he knew I wasn’t here for a quickie.
“I don’t know,” I lied. “He just said he used to work for you and wanted to pay you back somehow. Said he’d gotten lucky one day and that was it.”
Christian followed me out the back door, and together we carried the heavy box inside his office. I didn’t want to be there when he opened it, so I left, walking as fast as possible through the club and outside into the fresh night air.
I hurried inside the diner, praying that Christian hadn’t followed me. Silver rushed over to me and pulled me into the booth he’d sat in while I was busy with Christian. I smiled as I saw two plates filled with food. His with a burger and fries and mine with a club sandwich. My man knew me so well.
“How’d it go?”
“Good, I think. He thought I was a guy called Steve at first. And that I was there for a hook up.” That had him dropping his fork on the table.
“Excuse me?”
I laughed, then quickly explained. “He tried to kiss me but I escaped it, then blurted out why I was there. He seemed curious and together we carried the box inside. I think he was happy with it. I left just as he opened the box.”
“Oh. Thank you for doing it. And sorry that he almost kissed you. To think just how close we were to me committing murder tonight.” I grinned at him. It was hard not to love Silver when he was so damn protective of me, and apparently, bloodthirsty, too.
“Do you want to stay here for a few hours before we return home?” I had no idea if we could do much seeing as it was around ten p.m. but I let it be up to him.
While I waited for him to decide on what to do, I took a bite of my sandwich, moaning a little as I realized there was bacon inside.
Bacon wasn’t for everyone in the Realm of Mages—something about it being too salty— so we didn’t get it as often as I would like.
I guess it would be a Sutiner thing, something I would always associate with my time here.
“I want to finish eating, and then take you to the beach.” I froze mid bite.
Silver had said he’d never even get close to the ocean again, no matter which world we were on.
Him almost drowning, getting eaten by sharks, and then the hypothermia incident, had left him with a fear of the ocean, not water, thankfully, but definitely the ocean.
“Are you sure?” I knew he was; he wouldn’t have said it if he weren’t, and I also knew he wanted it to be here.
“I need to face my fears before leaving.”
“But it’ll be too dark for you to truly see anything,” I argued, hoping we could at least stay in a hotel until tomorrow.
We’d taken some money with us that we had from our time on Sutiner and it was enough for one night and another meal.
We still hadn’t figured out how the old leaders had made money, we asked those that were left working at the castle, but they weren’t close enough to them to know.
Leah hadn’t known either. We believed they’d made coins and just kept making enough before adding them to those coin machines and getting bills out for us.
It would seem easier than trying to create bills, but what did I know?
Xarius had tried creating some of their bills, but even after trying several times, he just couldn’t make them out identical enough for us to use without fearing jail for using fake money.
Gold was much easier to make, which was why we’d given Christian gold instead of a mountain of coins.
The poor man would’ve drowned in all those coins anyway.
“I was there at night time,” he replied, like that answered it enough, and I guess it did.
“Then eat up, beautiful. We’ve got a beach date coming up next.”
Silver
With Wilston’s hand in mine, we walked outside and turned to the back of the diner, where I would make the portal leading us to the beach.
It wasn’t far from here, but a portal was quicker than a car.
Besides, I didn’t want to get cold feet.
When we left Sutiner today, I had no idea if we’d ever return.
Both Niam and Xarius liked being here, and I had too for a while, but now that I had Wilston and our home in the Realm of Mages, I found myself longing for home, even if we’d only been here for a few hours.
I really doubted I’d ever return after today. So, this was necessary.
Stepping through the portal and immediately smelling the salty ocean air was almost enough for me to make an escape portal on the spot. But I’d come this far. Plus, Wilston was with me. His hand was in mine. His warmth, a comfort, even in this terrifying situation.
“We can leave any minute. Just say the word and I’ll have us back home.” I smiled at that. He truly was perfect.
“Thank you,” I whispered, then dared to look at our surroundings.
It was dark, but the full moon created enough light to see some of the waves as they moved.
I shivered remembering how cold it was. I had originally planned on touching the water with my toes, feeling it again. But just being here would have to do.
Seeing as we were alone, Wilston created a torch and then lit it, holding it away from us so we could see more.
I found myself over it already. I’d faced my fears and I didn’t need to waste another minute staring at the vastness of the ocean.
I was… free now. Not that my trauma was healed, but just facing the same beach again, had me hoping I could visit one of the beaches near our home soon.
I took out the letter from my grandma. The letter I’d kept in my back pocket for this exact reason.
It was the one Nujik had handed me when I was told she’d died.
She’d basically told me how she was sorry she’d kept my future hidden, and how she only wanted me to feel like a regular boy growing up.
I was thankful for everything she’d done for me.
I never got to give her that thanks. But she made a point in the end of the letter, to face my fears, to let go of past hurts.
And I knew she was also referring to herself when she’d written it.
I let the letter touch Wilston’s torch, burning it and then letting it fall to the sand. Letting go of the past. Saying goodbye.
“I’m ready to go home.”