“BecausemaybeI’ve grown to like your company. With or without the kissing.”
She regards me for a moment longer, then she releases a sigh, walking to the wide railing and leaning against it. I follow her, then leap over the rail to sit atop it, legs dangling.
While sitting, I get lost in the view of the sky, the headquarters palace, and all the realm’s glimmering buildings.
“You know, for someone who doesn’t have wings, you aren’t afraid to fall,” she notes, using her wings to rise over the railing gracefully to join me.
“What’s there to be afraid of? I’m already dead. I doubt I’d even feel it.”
“Let’s not be hasty and test that theory.”
I chuckle, craning my neck to face the stars. Just beyond the dome, I can see a subtle sheen of nearly blinding golden light spreading across the sky, highlighting the Golden Realm beyond this realm.
“Do you ever wonder what the Golden Realm is really like?”
“Not particularly, no.” She answers far too quickly for my comfort.
“Why not? Don’t you want to ascend eventually? I think about the Golden Realm all the time. I think of life in the land of the living a lot, too. Honestly, I think I hate it here.”
“I’m so sorry you’re having a hard time here." She pauses before continuing, eyes bouncing from one building to another. "I actually have no intention of ascending anytime soon, if ever. I’m perfectly content with the routine I’ve cultivated—minus our current predicament, of course.” She suppresses a smile and lifts her gaze from the buildings surrounding our new spot to stare blankly at the stars. “Because you’re not fond of this place, I don’t expect you to understand. That's okay.”
“You’ve got that right,” I affirm, gazing at her and breaking into a grin. “You know, I may not understand why you’d want to stay here, but I can respect it.”
“And I can respect you wanting to leave.”
My traitorous eyes drift down to her gem-speckled silver dress. This short gown molds to her figure a little too well, accentuating her undeniablyperfectbreasts, waist, and legs.
I’ve had a difficult time keeping my eyes off her all damn night. Especially during our dance.
She entranced me while we danced together. Entirely immersed in the way she glided across the dance floor, I nearly bound myself to her right then. With a hundred sets of eyes on her, she could’ve easily tanked under their watchful gazes.
Instead, she didn’t give a single damn and illuminated brightly under the starry night sky.
All I could think about when I watched her was the stars. Couldn’t get them off my mind, actually.
Cleo doesn’t simply remind me of the stars.
The stars remind me of her.
She’s an enigma. I’m far too invested now not to see this through.
Pretend or not, I’m in.
“Thank you for listening.” She disrupts my inner thoughts.I’ve got to get a handle on those. Never know when she’s listening in…“So, tell me. Why do you miss the land below so much? This realm is much more peaceful than that one. We still get to experience day and night. We can see the sun, the moon, the stars, and the clouds. We don’t have to worry about familial obligations.”
It almost sounds like she’s trying to convince herself that this realm is better. I scoff and shake my head. “Yeah, sure, this realm is peaceful. But it’sboringme to death. If I knew I would be working in a damn library in my afterlife, I would’ve ascendedimmediatelyupon waking up here.”
“No. You wouldn’t have,” she says matter-of-factly. “You would’ve never left her to fend for herself.”
I click my tongue and nod in defeat. “You got me there.”
“It’s admirable—the way you care for her. One of the strongest guardianships I’ve ever watched,” she admits.
“Is that why you let me get away with it?”
She glances away from the stars, peering into my eyes. She shrugs a little. “I don’t know why I didn’t intervene.”
“Of course you do,” I say nonchalantly. “You’re a big softie, and we both know it. No use in hiding it.”
