Chapter 16 #2
What do you want to do on our date? I sent the message before I could rethink it. I didn’t want to talk about dating him. I hurried to add, Unless you’re voted off the show, naturally.
If you don’t vote the werewolf off after that gross assault, then he’s going to have a series of unfortunate accidents.
I snorted. I’m contractually forbidden from discussing my voting intentions.
He responded immediately, Then I won’t mention it.
For our date, I want to do the classic dinner and dancing.
Then star gazing. Then dueling. Does that sound romantic enough?
Of course not. We’ll end the evening in the kitchen, and I’ll make you something practically edible while you enchant the universe with your spellbinding charm.
I snickered. Only if you let me snuggle Stew while I wait. It’s boring to enchant the universe unless I have a fluffy friend with me.
Stew will be there. Whether I cook him or not will be left to fate.
Isn’t Fate the name of an angel?
Several. And they would all cook a cute bunny without a second thought. Speaking of second thoughts, let’s not leave it up to Fate after all. ;)
I smiled at his winky face and then forced myself to close the messages and go to bed. I had our duet tomorrow, and it had to be as good as I could make it. And hopefully it would also be a little bit of fun.
The next morning I dressed carefully in the prettiest pink dress with pale gold trim that shimmered beautifully and took my time with my makeup using a gold shimmer eye shadow I’d never used before.
All morning we’d just be rehearsing the song, so I didn’t need to dress up, but I couldn’t help myself.
When I got into the library where we’d rehearse, Mirabel was yelling at Richard.
“Where’s the angsty romance? This sounds like a best friends song.
Do you seriously want it to look like she has more chemistry with the werewolf than the angel?
How is this you representing? Come on! Give me something raw and anguished!
I know you can come up with a complex duet about eternal love because you did it when you were twelve between a spider and a fly.
It was epic! Give me some of that! Or I will.
” She glared at her brother who wrinkled his nose and then glanced at me.
“She wants us to play star-crossed lovers because it’ll be good for ratings. What do you think?”
Me? What was I supposed to say? I licked my lips. Mm. Strawberry gloss. “I mean, we’re best friends forever, but I don’t want the werewolf to become an audience favorite so I can’t vote him off. Not that I’m definitely voting him anywhere because fine print.”
He grinned. That dimple was so adorable. “So we’ll play the angel and the vampire who are agonized by the chasm between our natures filled with unmitigated yearning. You’ll have to wear something less adorable for the music video. And I’ll wear my armor!”
I beamed at him. He was so adorable. “Sounds perfect! Can you really come up with an angsty duet in five minutes?”
“No. Since my sister started talking I’ve composed three possibilities in my head.” He winked at me. “It drives her crazy, but she started out crazy, so no one notices.”
Mirabel punched his arm hard. “You are so annoying. The most annoying. You don’t do anything with that musical brain. Just hoard it selfishly.”
“I sing to Vesper and compose battle songs for the troops.”
She shuddered. “I’ve heard some of those songs. Mockeries of music.”
“Which is why it’s so good that you’re the musician and I’m the meat head warrior. Also convenient that I just polished my armor.”
She threw her hands in the air and stomped off. “Teach her what you need while I go hit my head against a wall.”
“Sure thing.” He turned to me, cocked his head and studied me while I tried not to shift or stare at him like a stalker. “Are you sure you’re okay feeding the romance angle? I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, and if we do it, we should do it well.”
I shrugged. “What about you? I mean, yearning for a vampire isn’t going to do your reputation much good.”
He grinned and wiggled his brows. “Happily for me, there is literally nothing that wouldn’t improve my reputation. Prepare to be adored and worshipped like the goddess you are.”
I gasped and covered his mouth, pulling back when I felt his lips. “That’s like heresy, right?”
“Idolatry. Happily, it’s only a matter of speech. Let me text some people.” He pulled out his phone, typed for five seconds then put it away and held out his arm. “Shall we?” I slowly slid my hand over his strong forearm, trying not to feel like a princess to his prince. I failed.
It was difficult to focus when Richard looked at me like I was his true love, but then he’d break out of it and explain how to use my breath and stance to really capture the emotion.
Everything was so calculated. He really could manufacture the feel of romance without actually losing himself to it.
Not like that was a risk. We were best friends forever.
But I was supposed to pretend to be this yearning sun-born perfect vampire.
He really knew how to play the part, and my heart kept thumping faster and faster through the song.
It was shockingly romantic, but the weirdest thing was the way he painted me as a ‘sun-born perfect vampire,’ and himself as a shadowed fallen prince of night who needed my light to save him from the darkness that bound him.
Weird. Also, he didn’t sing like an opera singer, but had this voice that sounded like summer afternoons, smooth as sunshine and relaxing as a nap on a gently rocking boat.
I’d heard his duet with his sister at Libby’s wedding, and his voice hadn’t been anything like this.
I felt like he was there to support me, and found myself leaning against him, holding his arm while we worked through lyrics and harmonies until I had confidence that I could deliver according to his specs.
“Lunch?” he murmured, raising his brows while I stayed leaning on him, caught up in the glow of those last sweet words about the dawn of our love rising.
Right. Lunch. Time to get back to reality. I straightened and nodded briskly. “Lunch would be good.”
“Can I make you something? Any requests?”
“I shouldn’t. You made me lunch yesterday.”
He leaned down so his forehead was against mine and he could stare into my eyes creepily.
“So silly of me. It’s not like you have to eat several times a day, particularly when everyone’s bullying you into singing with them.
” He bumped our noses together and straightened.
“I’m thinking something with avocado and mango. Does that sound too weird?”
“Or figs and pomegranates like in the song.”
“Mm. Peaches and pomegranates, but that sounds like a cake, not a sandwich.”
“Can’t we eat cake for lunch?”
He grinned. “I do love the way you think. But no cake until the music video or it will mess up your voice. Do I have time to bake a cake between now and then? Maybe while you’re doing wardrobe. I already polished my armor.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’ve mentioned it a few times.”
“I’m very proud of my armor.”
“Clearly.”
He nudged me as we walked towards the kitchen. “You fixed it for me. That makes it precious. Usually after I wear armor it’s trashed, but now I have a favorite. You’ll have to teach me those restoration spells for the next time I try to take down a mountain troll man to man.”
I elbowed him. “I’ll fix it. You shouldn’t have to do those kinds of spells when you’re injured. You’ll mess them up and end up with it fused to your body.”
“Perfect. You restore my armor and I’ll make you lunch. Not a fair trade, but you already agreed, so you’re stuck.”
I giggled, beaming up at him happily. “You’re an idiot.”
“You love it.”
“Probably, but I’m genetically predisposed to insanity.”
“And I work to achieve levels of insanity that others envy.”
“Levels of insanity in the people around you, yes, I know. Good thing you’re so adorable.”
He grinned broadly. “Yep. It’s my adorableness that keeps me alive. Seriously, mango and avocado. You don’t have to eat it, but it’s stuck in my head.”
I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “I’m sure it’ll be perfect.”
He studied me for a long moment before he smiled and squeezed my hand back. “Maybe so. I hope so. At least acceptable to my princess.”