Let them bloom sincerely pt3

We had reached Asanor Manor too quickly and I hadn't had time to calm my anxious heart, so while I waited for the bathroom to clear, I decided to escape into the universe I had been indulging in for the past few days.

As the great men have said, “Literature is the most pleasant way to ignore life”. What's true is true.

Riate had just solved a cipher made up of the names of curses, Lucky had become a ‘flea dragon’ and Yurao had ‘kidnapped’ Deya for another investigation. I reached out my hand and caressed the cover of the book with my palm. No matter what marvels of technology mankind had invented, no matter what magic they had devised, nothing created an atmosphere of calm and fairytale reality like an ordinary paper book that smelled of printing ink, that my hands were tired of holding, but that was so pleasant to leaf through and play with the corners of the pages with my fingers.

Ardam was preparing for the celebration of the Death of Winter, fluffy snow falling from the sky, white flakes decorating the capital of the Borderlands. It smelled of freshly baked goods and blackberry jam, and the anticipation of wonder wafted along with the sweet aromas. A messenger knocked on the window, and Deya opened the window sash, picked up the envelope, and smiled at the ghostly wings. The girl ran her eyes over the lines, closed her eyelids for a moment, took a deep breath and made a very difficult decision.

“Rian,” she turned around and collected her thoughts for a while before she looked into the black sparkling eyes and said confidently...

“Siri, have you seen the new shampoo?”

I rolled my eyes and exhaled grudgingly: “It's on the third shelf in the second cabinet to the right of the sink.”

“What? I didn't hear you very well.”

“On the third shelf!” I shouted and returned to the fictional world, taking the fifth volume of my favourite fantasy series from the bedside table.

“A glance is your mistake. One single glance. You gave yourself away, Deya...”

These words set butterflies in my stomach. They fluttered into the sky and tickled my chest.

“Where are the towels?”

“In the hamper.”

“But they're dirty!” said Circul in an offended tone.

I raised my eyes to the ceiling, sighed, and got up to grab a towel from the wardrobe. Hung it on the handle of the ajar bathroom door and returned to the book.

Grant emerged from the steamy bathroom a few minutes later, ruffling his wet hair to make it dry faster. The young man poured water into a glass and drank.

“I'm bored,” he broke the silence of the bedroom.

He was so annoying! As soon as I sat down to read a book, Grant was there to distract me. I wished he'd just stumble in the middle of nowhere and get heartburn from his constant nagging. I was tired of him pacing from one corner to the next, not knowing what to do.

“How about a game of cards?” Circul asked hopefully.

I realised that Kai had decided to play on the phone himself tonight. The president's secretaries were quick to confiscate our gadgets when they saw we were getting them back with the help of the Asanor brothers and sometimes even grandfather Gisborne. The Rizor Circul’s maximum security prison worked well.

“Well, do you want to play?” asked the guy.

I completely ignored his question.

A disgruntled Circul sat in his chair for a few minutes, looking up at the moon.

“I'm turning off the lights,” Grant clapped his hands, and the room went dark.

I held my breath and covered my eyes to keep from bursting. My patience was wearing thin after an exhausting evening, and the last of my energy was spent on ‘cool and calm, just calm’.

Hmm, looks like I'll never finish this book.

The young man walked towards the bed, but in the darkness he caught his foot on the banquette. I hoped it was his little toe. The guy groaned and cursed in two non-literal languages, one native and one foreign.

Yes, I think it was the little finger.

Retribution retaliated. It was almost instant karma. I imperceptibly exhaled happily, thanking the heavens for such a gift.

But then I couldn't stand it anymore and I laughed all through the house. Accompanied by my sobs of laughter, Grant made it to the bed, climbed under the covers and turned away, his nose buried in the pillow.

“You're such a child sometimes, you know?” I asked.

It was true, wasn't it?

He sniffled angrily for a few minutes and then actually fell asleep.

My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I easily found the top of this naughty guy's head, whose bouts of adulthood were punctuated by frequent trips back to childhood.

He was so elegant at the party, he spoke fancy words, people listened to him, some were even afraid of him, he looked so good in that black tailored suit with the waistcoat under the jacket, his hair styled, the sparkle in his black eyes, his lips curved in a perpetual grin on his pale face, but now...

My hands were itching to cuddle this mischievous kitten.

For about five minutes I held back as best I could, but the last vestiges of self-control fell away, discreetly, barely touching, I stroked his damp, post-shower hair.

If Circul Junior had purred now, I would have been less frightened, but the boy laughed softly in his sleep, making my heart sink – I had never heard him laugh with such sincerity before. Perhaps it was his first real emotion since the displeasure and arrogant curiosity he'd shown beside me.

And that made my heart bitter. I also laughed with him sometimes, although I cried more often, but that was not the important thing.

I too let my emotions bloom sincerely next to him.