Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Aknock sounds at my door and I’m not surprised to see Ami’s head once I open it. “Are you hungry?” I wasn’t really paying attention to the time, but now that she mentions it, my stomach growls. Loud. Ami laughs. “That is answer enough, come on, let’s head downstairs.”
I quickly grab my sweater and let her pull me out of my room. She is strong, but that’s nothing new. I can’t help but wonder what other powers she might have, and since she is my best friend… “What powers do you have?”
If my question surprises her, she doesn’t let it show. “The powers I wield are air, snow and ice. That’s why I always worked outside. Shoveling snow was how I got close to my nature.”
What does that even mean?
My expression must be showing the same thing, because with a wave of her fingers, a lazy breeze rustles through my hair and a very detailed snowflake floats in the palm of her hand.
“Huh, that’s pretty cool. I suppose we’re opposites?”
“Yes, sort of. But that won’t stop me from being your friend. The more you burn, the more I’ll freeze.”
Now I’m the one who’s laughing. It’s such an Ami thing to say. We enter the restaurant and wait in line.
“And there is something else I can do.”
I look at her, full of anticipation, but someone taps on her shoulder and they dive into a conversation I can’t participate in. I take the opportunity to take a look at the lunch options. I’ve never heard of mushroom risotto, but based on what the chef tells me, it sounds pretty damn delicious.
Ami pauses her conversation to order another dish I’ve never heard of and continues talking. When we pick up our trays, the fae she was talking to, has left.
“Sorry about that, it’s been a while since I’ve been here and a lot of friends wondered where I was.” Of course they do, not surprised that she’s popular at all. “Aramis saved us a spot. You don’t mind, do you?” She quickly glances over her shoulder and smirks. “Of course you don’t.”
I stand there, unsure of what to say.
So what, we nearly kissed twice.
So what, we were interrupted both of those times.
It happens, right?
Deciding it might be wiser to ignore it, I try to return to our previous conversation. “What were you saying?”
“Oh, we can also —”
“Ami, over here!”
Ami walks in the direction of the voice and it takes me a couple of seconds to reorient.
She reaches the table first and the only familiar face I see is her brother’s.
But watching him brings up all the burning memories and feelings I try to temper.
Instead, I look at the others at the table, trying to see if I recognise anyone.
I’ve seen the guy with the messy black haircut streaked with rebellious pink before, I believe his name is Enver. His skin, like burnished mahogany, suits him well and so do his brilliant eyes, which resemble the colour of a molten rosy gold.
A smirk tugs at his lips and something tells me that it is his standard expression. The silver that adorns his ear flickers in the light as he turns his head to whisper something in the ear of the male next to him.
The other fae pushes him away and introduces himself as Zale. His upturned silver eyes hold an intense glare as if he can see right into my soul. Long braids frame his deep cool-toned bronze skin and a small septum ring adorns his nose.
Ami mingles in the conversation with Enver and Zale, but Aramis only has eyes for me.
I look up at the ceiling, avoiding his gaze at all cost and notice something different about that too.
What I thought where basic hanging lights have actually turned into flying orbs that cast a warm, golden hue over the dining area.
Realising staring at the ceiling might look a little odd, I turn my gaze down to the plate in front of me. The food looks and smells delicious, but so does the dessert in front of me.
It is a challenge not to look at him, the round glasses make him even hotter. And although I’ve never kissed before, I long for his lips on mine. And to think there had been an opportunity not once but twice? Please fucking save me.
“You know,” Ami drawls, popping her chin on her hand and breaking my dangerous line of thought. “For someone so punctual, you do have terrible timing.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Oh, nothing,” she smirks, popping a small potato in her mouth. “Just making an observation.”
Aramis leans back in his chair, his fingers idly trace patterns into the condense of his glass. The same expression as his sister now rests upon his face. And when our eyes lock, the air between us crackles with things left unspoken.
His eyes lower, only for a second, but I know his attention is not on the plate in front of him. Before I can even think about it, I mirror the movement. It’s like a thread connects us and no matter how hard I pull, it won’t snap.
Aramis leans in, my fingers tighten around my fork while my other hand digs into the chair I’m sitting on. I try to think about something else, anything really. But it feels like I’m brainwashed or an addict, the only thought that consumes my head is —
“Ahem.”
The deliberate throat-clearing shatters the moment.
Amira’s aquamarine eyes shimmer with barely restrained amusement. “You know you’re not alone, right?” She waves a hand, holding a honeyed fig between her fingers. “But by all means, continue with whatever that was. It is very…entertaining.”
Heat floods my face so quickly I’m certain I’m glowing. I even see a few sparks flying around. I quickly take my napkin and wipe my mouth clean, trying to hide my embarrassment. But based on Ami's wink and Aramis trying his very best not to smile, I’m pretty sure they saw either way.
Deciding it might be wiser to draw my attention anywhere else, I listen to the conversation of the boys, who talk about some sort of game. I try to make sense of it, but I’m not familiar with sports and the only thing that I recognise is that it’s played with a ball.
“It's called Gleamrush,” Ami explains, who saw my confused expression. “It’s like football, but with a moving dynamic field, the ball is more like a magical unstable core and the players can also use magic to avoid the obstacles.”
“So nothing like football at all?”
She laughs. “No, not really. They have a game soon, we should watch together.”
“Sure, why not.”
“You’ll love it, my dearest brother is a very important — and very skilled — player, if I do say so myself. Aren’t you, Ari?”
“If you say so, sis.”
Watching Aramis get sweaty is a sight I’d love to see on repeat. And when I throw a quick, subtle glance at him, I notice he’s already watching, his lips curved in a sensual smirk.
Oh, I am in so much trouble. But maybe it is the good kind of trouble, the one that I desperately need.
We finish our meals, clean up our plates and leave the restaurant. I decide to go back to my room to read a little or maybe visit the library to do some research on anything I can find about fae, when a hand on my arm halts me, the little zip of energy I’m used to travels up my arm.
“Do you want to come with us? We’re going to Brugamere Village,” Ami asks, the rest of the group already making their way to the door that leads outside.
“Is that allowed?”
She gives me a soft smile that tells me she understands the question. “You don’t have to worry about those things around here, Mai, we can go wherever we want. Of course, there are some areas where you shouldn’t walk through alone, but other than that, you’re free.”
Freedom, such a fragile thing. Something I never had before. Or at least not since my stay at Anima. It’s why I’m not surprised there’s a lump in my throat and my eyes sting.
Ami gives my hand a squeeze and I quickly blink away the tears. “Come on, let’s go.”
She wraps an arm around my shoulder and guides me to the doors where Aramis waits for us. I see his coat and realise I don’t have mine with me. I’m about to say so, when he hands me over the coat that was definitely in my room. “How did you…?”
He smirks. “Magic, of course.”
Right. I feel like everything that will happen from this point on will somehow be blamed on or explained by magic. I put on the coat and walk with the two siblings out the warm embrace of the building.
To my surprise, Siri joins us and Neoma, the girl I saw earlier too. Along with Aramis’ friends, we form a nice little group and I didn’t know I needed this.
We walk for a little while, following a path I haven’t yet walked on before, until we are suddenly surrounded by cosy wooden houses, some big, others small where the centre snow free path leads to a now frozen fountain.
Ami suggests we go window shopping, since there are many little shops in every street. Unsure of where to go, I follow the girls and see that the men are walking in the opposite direction.
“We’ll catch up with them later, they’re going to grab a drink.”
I’ve never drank alcoholic beverages before, it’s not something they had at Anima and even if they did, the patients weren’t allowed to drink them. Although I could’ve used it many times before, I’m sure.
As I let myself get pulled in the shops, browse through everything they have to offer and see things I would love to have, I realise I’m actually having fun.
And when I’m convinced we’ve seen every shop there is, my feet start to ache and night has fallen, night stalls pop up around every corner with even more things to admire.
They have stalls where you can buy food. I opt for something that’s called tartiflette, a dish with potatoes that smells like old feet but tastes divine.
And although most of these people — fae — are strangers to me, they are kind and genuine and show interest, trying to pull me into a conversation which I’m so grateful for.