Chapter 18
JUNE
Idon’t even know why I came. It’s the town cookout, and I’m sulking in a folding chair on the corner of the makeshift dance floor, pretending to sip some kind of alcoholic juice from a cup that’s been empty for about an hour.
Greshenia and I chatted for a bit before she snuck off to play sattuvyee at the recreation center.
I exchanged a polite nod with the chancellor, but that’s it.
That’s all the people I know. All the people I wish to talk to, anyway.
I have no interest in attempting small talk again with the local mean girls.
I’d rather take a cheese grater to my vulva.
The sun starts to dip low in the sky, casting the park in a rich blend of oranges and pinks, and I visually chart my exit before I get to my feet.
As I weave through the crowd, a flash of purple catches my eye, and I spot Ziv off to the left.
He’s surrounded by people, with Akkal tucked to his side, holding his hand.
My sweet boy’s long wavy hair is styled and pushed off his face.
He’s wearing a fitted black jacket and a holey white T-shirt underneath.
But those closest to Ziv are, of course, Mean Girls One through Three.
Mean Girl Number One has her hand on his forearm, tracing the triangles down to his wrist with one slender finger that ends in a sharp manicured nail.
I duck behind a tall female with wide shoulders and frizzy white hair as I eavesdrop.
“You should come dance with me,” Mean Girl Number One purrs as she presses her cheek to his.
I want to laugh. As if Ziv would ever dance in public.
“I’ve seen the way you look at me,” she says, moving her hand to his chest. “We could have so much fun together.”
Damn, this bitch is shameless. Practically humping his leg right in front of his son? That’s certainly a choice.
Ziv wraps his fingers around her wrist and removes her hand from his chest, dropping it as if her skin is covered in fire ants. “Do you mind?” he asks, features twisting in disgust as he looks at her. “I have no interest in dancing with you, and I certainly don’t want you touching me.”
She makes a choked sound. Baffled. Embarrassed.
Her shame fills me with so much joy I feel like I could do a backflip right now.
Ziv steps back, putting some distance between him and Mean Girl Number One. “What is your name again? Jamishorie? Something like that?”
Oh god. Please let that hideous jumble of letters be her name. It sounds like someone trying to speak with a mouthful of mashed potatoes.
She crosses her arms and raises a brow. “It’s Hameeria.”
An unhinged cackle shoots out of me, and I have to cover my mouth to avoid being caught. He got her name wrong. So very wrong. The two names aren’t even close.
After that, the mean girls disperse, and I have a feeling Hameeria has officially lost interest in my purple fire-fighting mate.
I sigh as I watch him and Akkal walk around the dance floor, looking for something…
or someone. Likely me. I’m not sure why I continue to hide behind the big lady with the frizz.
After a show like that, humiliating my top tormentor in public, I should be leaping into his arms and covering his face with kisses, shouldn’t I?
I don’t know.
Maybe I need something more. Just a little bit more to prove he’s really in this. That he trusts me.
I vow to go over to his house first thing in the morning to talk things out. I miss him, and being away from him and Akkal has been sheer torture.
As I’m stepping off the grass and onto the brick road, I feel a tap on my arm. I turn to find Akkal. He holds out his hand and bows. “May I dance with you?”
From a nearby bush, I hear someone whisper, “My lady.”
“My lady,” Akkal adds with an eager grin.
I cover my mouth with one hand, trying to cover the smile I know is forming. “Don’t you look dapper tonight.” I give him my hand and let him lead me in a dance, which isn’t so much a dance as it is us standing next to each other, holding hands, and shifting our bodies from side to side.
A throat clears from the bush. “Thank you for that compliment. You look more radiant than the sun.”
Akkal gives me a blank look as he stills. “Thank you for the sun. More radiest.”
I curtsey as a giggle rumbles through my chest as how he butchered that line.
I hear an “Ow!” from the bush that’s now shaking and a moment later, Zivren tumbles out, leaves and twigs finding themselves stuck in his clothes and hair.
He tugs on the lapels of his matching black jacket, trying to straighten his attire.
It’s no use. He’s rumpled and dirty and never looked hotter.
He bows before me. “May I have this dance, sweet June?”
I chew on the inside of my cheek as I mull it over. He broke my heart, thoroughly, and I was convinced irreparably, but seeing him deeply uncomfortable in a social setting, even if we’re on the street and mostly hidden from the crowd on the grass, satisfies me enough to put my hand in his.
When I feel his hands settle on my lower back, I melt into his touch. It’s so familiar, so warm, so safe. Like coming home.
“June,” he says. I notice the dark circles beneath his eyes, a stark contrast to the bright teal of his irises. Even those aren’t glowing like they usually do. He looks worn down, like he’s aged a decade in the short time we’ve been apart.
I’m not sure if I look the same on the outside, but boy do I feel it on the inside.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the things I said. All of them. I should’ve trusted you. I do trust you.”
“You do?” I ask. “What changed?”
“Well, I spoke to the wives you cared for at the castle. Nacarya and Rivarry?”
“What?” I shriek. “How? How did you find them?”
“I didn’t. They found me. Well, us.”
He shares their entire conversation, how they’ve been tracking me, the credits they sent as a gift, and that they told him what really happened at the castle before we escaped.
“But that wasn’t what changed my mind. I knew I’d messed up before they called.” He grits his teeth, a muscle in his jaw ticking. “I knew as soon as I said…what I said. It was stupid, and I regretted it instantly. I’ve always trusted you, I…don’t know.”
I need him to articulate this for me. I need to know what just happened won’t happen during the next argument we have. “You don’t know?”
His shoulders slump. “I had everything I’d ever wanted, and in that moment, it felt as if you were slipping away. You were going to leave me.”
I run my fingers through his white curls, reveling in the way he leans into my touch, desperate for the contact that only I can provide. “Ziv, you have me. I’m not going anywhere.” I press a kiss to his chin. “Just be careful with me.”
He nods. “I will. I won’t let you down again. I swear it.” I hear the promise in his voice, and I believe him.
“I overheard you with the mean girls earlier. When you got her name wrong.” I laugh at the memory.
He scoffs. “That female. I looked inside her head, and do you know what I found?”
“What?”
“Nothing. Just air.” He sighs as his gaze darts between my eyes, dipping to my lips. “I will never be friendly with those who have wronged you. Never.”
My stomach swoops at his declaration. I can’t believe I was worried he’d dump me for her. Ziv is the most loyal person I’ve ever met, and being the target of his devotion might be the greatest feeling in the world.
We continue dancing, Akkal racing around our legs as Ziv twirls and dips and holds me so close I can feel the beat of his heart against my ear.
Eventually, we end up on the shore. Back home.
We kick our shoes off and continue to dance in the glow of the moonlight.
The rest of the universe could slip away and we’d never know. We are all we need.