My stomach drops in discomfort.
There it is—my first lie to Kai Greene.
He glances down at me, his eyes widening, before breaking out in the biggest grin I’ve ever seen. “Get outta town, are you serious?”
I nod. “I can hardly believe it myself.”
His cheeks flush, and he begins to blush.
This doesn’t feel as satisfying as I anticipated.
“I’ve had a lot of questions recently. I think you coming down here answered a big one for me. Let’s have fun, shall we?” He grabs my shoulders with both of his hands and navigates me toward the bookshop’s entrance, opening the door for us. The lighting is dim but warm and inviting.
My stomach is twisting in knots. I push the sensation aside and remember how much his departure hurt me. Now that I’m here, I can only assume he had no plans to return to Eloras.
We became friends, and he abandoned me up there anyway.
I was beginning to believe our friendship meant something to him. Now I’m wondering if all this is part of an elaborate lie onhis part to take advantage of me. Without my ability to unlock his ring, we’d be working in the Library of the Sky as we speak.
He promised me he’d come back. Instead, I was his one-way ticket to the land below.
Reminding myself of the betrayal, I raise my chin.
I’d be lying if I said the line between pretending and reality isn’t hard to decipher at this point. But I can do this. I can pretend for a little longer.
It’s still relatively early in the day, so there aren’t other customers in the shop. In fact, it seems like the booksellers have stepped out or aren’t here yet, because they’re nowhere to be seen. While browsing the inventory, we go our separate ways. He sifts through the fiction books, whereas I sort through the romance section.
Eventually, I grab two different books I haven’t heard of—one about a land of fairies and political intrigue, and another about childhood lovers who find their way back to each other. I lift my heels off the ground to see if I can spot him over the worn wooden shelves. He’s so tall that he’s hard to miss, and yet, I can’t seem to find him—
“Cleo.” His voice startles me from behind, and I nearly drop the books in my hand. “I have a big problem.”
“I’m listening,” I whisper coyly, turning toward him and lifting an eyebrow in curiosity.
“I’m stuck between a fantasy about wizards or one about dragons. How do I choose?”
“Dragons. The answer is always dragons.”
“This is exactly why I need you in my life,” he says casually, as if those mere words don’t mean anything. “You fill in all my gaps.”
You fill in all my gaps.
My heart skips a beat upon hearing these words.
“Well, as cool as it is to be unseen and all, I’m not a thief, so I don’t feel comfortable walking out with these. What do you say we walk upstairs to the second floor and find a cozy couch to lounge on?”
“Uh, sure. Let’s do it. But wait,” I say, holding up my options. “Help me pick. Fairies and grumpy princes or childhood lovers with a second chance?”
“Grumpy princes. Duh.”
I smile unabashedly and lead him up the stairs, selecting a small, vacant, forest-green velvet sofa in the corner, which sits underneath a string of multicolored Christmas lights. Some largeMonsteraplants rest on either side of the love seat, and the wall behind is a moody shade of black.
Before sitting, I can’t help but notice how small this spot is. I bite my lip and glance around in search of an alternative reading nook. Suddenly, his strong arms wrap around me and bring me down to the seat with him. I land sideways in his lap, both of my legs draping over one side, while my back leans against the sofa’s soft armrest. His back rests on the cushioned backrest.
“Are you sure this is comfortable?” I wiggle around, settling in his lap.
“‘Comfortable’ would be an understatement,” he murmurs, sinking deeper into the sofa, pushing himself against the couch’s backrest. The curve of my body is aligned with his, my hips sinking against the firmness beneath me.
I blush—ugh—and nod. I open my book at the same time as he opens his with his free hand.
