I sighed, the pain growing stronger in my chest until it felt like it might split me in two.
“I don’t know,” Erik whispered. “I wish we’d never come down here.”
A single stray tear fell down his porcelain cheek. And I was beginning to think maybe we wouldn’t find a way out of this.
I sat at the bar atMurphy’s, next to Charlotte, as she flicked through a large binder of wedding details. This woman was efficient, to say the least, and I was impressed by the way she’d organised things.
“I need to get the dress sorted,” Charlie muttered.
“Isn’t it a little soon?”
With just under a year left, I was amazed at how much she’d managed to arrange already. I guess that was what happened when you truly intended to get married.
“Not really,” Charlie said. “You’ll come with me, right?”
“Of course.”
There was a vague memory in my head that tried to push itself forward from when I went searching for a dress. No bridal party, just me brushing my fingers across rails of white dresses, trying to decide what I wanted to look like on my big day. Lace and satin and organza. The whites were too blinding and the choices too overwhelming. I’d left without trying on a single thing.
“You’re a star.” Charlie leaned over and kissed my cheek, no doubt leaving behind a lipstick stain.
“Ready to go, babe?” Tyler asked her.
“You’re not working close?” I asked in return.
“Nope,” Charlie answered. “He’s promised me a date night and Gray said he’d close up, which is sweet of him.”
I glanced across the bar to see Gray serving. He was more at ease around mortals than when he first arrived. I could almost imagine him doing this for a living if he wasn’t divine. Looking at him now, it would be easy to see how you could frequent the bar because of the sexy bartender with bright blue eyes and a brighter smile.
The way things had deteriorated between us hurt me deeply. Most nights, I struggled to sleep, missing his body beside mine. The house was quiet as we avoided each other. More than once, I wanted to find him and have the colossal argument I felt was simmering under the surface. But more than that, I wanted to tell him I missed him.
“Did you hear me?” Charlie asked, drawing me out of my thoughts.
“Huh?”
“I said, have you noticed anything weird about Gray? He seems a little more closed off again, but I can’t put my finger on it, and he won’t tell me anything.”
“I don’t think so,” I lied, ignoring the guilt. “I mean, it’s Gray. He’s always closed off.”
“No. No, he isn’t. For the last month or so, he seemed happy to talk. He came back from the gifting ceremony, and he was like a different person than the past few weeks.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I feel like something’s upset him.”
My heart clenched as I wondered if it had anything to do with the way we’d been. Did he feel it too? The emptiness that devoured every moment we were apart. That would be giving myself too much credit.
“Anyway, if you find anything out, let me know. See you soon, Scotty!” Charlie said. She hopped off the chair and left with Tyler, binder securely under her arm.
I sighed and turned to look back at Gray, but my view was obscured by Archer.
“What are you doing all alone at the bar?” he asked.
“I was with Charlie.”
Between Gray and Archer, I didn’t know who to believe. I wished I could talk to someone on neutral ground to understand things better. It was making me uncomfortable not knowing who to trust. Life had been a lot simpler when I lived on my own, worked with cells that couldn’t talk back, and refused to acknowledge the Gods.
“I’m sorry for the outburst in your lab,” Archer apologised softly.
I was surprised at the apology. “Can you not make it a habit? Actually, I’d prefer it remains a one-time thing.”
“Understood.”
