“Yep. I like his necklace.”
Xile is quiet for a minute. I think maybe they fell asleep, but then they answer. “I don’t think I noticed. What is it?”
“Just some pearls. They look good on him.”
“Ah. I love a man in pearls. He just got at least thirty percent hotter.”
I laugh. “Good night, Xile.”
“Good night, Brevan.”
I’m asleep as soon as I close my eyes.
Again,the unfamiliar beeping wakes me, and I snap upright. I slept like a damn log. I’m not sure I moved at all. Now that I’m sitting up, though, it’s freaking cold.
“Ugh,” Corwin mutters from below. “I think the fire went out.”
“When do we need to meet everyone?” I ask.
“Hour. I didn’t take either of you as the kind of person who needs to primp for a long time.”
“Does it make sense to start a fire now?” I ask.
“Yes,” Xile says groggily. “The longer it’s out and the cold from outside has to settle in, the longer it’ll take to get warm later. Start a fire.”
“Someone knows woodstoves,” Corwin muses.
I roll onto my stomach and scooch forward so I can see over the edge of the loft as Corwin climbs out of bed. He’s in a tee and underwear. I shiver just looking at him.
“For the record, I regret accepting the bed down here if I have woodstove duties,” Corwin says as he looks up at me. “The bigger bed might not be worth it.”
I grin. My attention snags on the mountains outside, and my breath catches. I’ve never seen a more stunning view. The sun coming in from the east casts long shadows over the peaks. The sky is clear, but there are some clouds or mist, or something hovering around the mountains. Not a lot. Just enough to make it look like a painting.
“You think we’ll get to see the northern lights?” Xile asks.
“I looked online before we left, and it said it’s possible,” Corwin answers as he begins stuffing wood and kindling into the stove. “Though the sites I looked at said it was possible because the nights are still longer, so I think we just didn’t stay out long enough.”
“What time did you get back?” I ask.
“Eight, maybe,” Corwin says. “You? I didn’t even hear you come in last night.”
“I think it was close to ten,” I answer.
“How did you stay up that late? Where did you even go?”
“Katai—Miss Ito—said that there was trivia in town, so we all went to trivia. Xile is a madm… uh… mad person at trivia.”
Xile laughs. “Madman is fine, dude. I’m not overly sensitive. Ipreferthey/them when given a choice. But sometimes, it makes more sense to use he/him pronouns. Madperson doesn’t really have the same ring to it as madman.”
“I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable or upset you,” I say.
Xile peeks their head out of the blankets. “You’re not, Brev. I appreciate your respect in the matter, though.”
Silence fills the space between us except for the sound of Corwin getting the fire going. Is it weird? Did I make it weird?
“Trivia, huh?” Corwin asks after another minute. “With the provost and them?”
“Yep. It was a lot of fun,” I say, and remember all the times Kendrick looked at me. The way he met my eyes, and we shared a smile. It felt good. The time we talked before everyone joined us for dinner made it feel like we’re now… friends. His presence last night was comforting.
