“I thought you were watching Jack.”
“I am. He’s over there flirting” he gestured somewhere behind himself .
“Why aren’tyouover there flirting?” I smirked “guys not into you?”
He stiffened “drop it, Danes” he snapped “you can’t just go around saying that shit about people, it’s dangerous-”
“But” I cut him off, another shot going down. I noted that I was beginning to lean against the bar.
“If I dothis,” I inclined my body towards him, placing a hand on his bicep and the other on his side, the alcohol fuzzing my brain.
“Danes, stop tha-”
I stepped closer still, and Matthew stared into my icy blue eyes, frozen.
My lips quirked up slightly. “It makes you nervous.”
“Danes-”
I leant ever closer “you want me to kiss you, don’t you, Matt?” I whispered, eyes glinting. My lips brushed his ear as I spoke “you like this. You can’t wait-”
Matthew stepped away from me hastily “stop it. It’s not- that's not something you can just joke about-”
I laughed loudly “who’s joking?”I wasn't. I totally wanted to kiss him.
“Quit it.” Matthew growled “and stop drinking.”
My grin just widened “who knows?”
“Danes, I'm not-”
“Come on, Matthew. You’re blushing left right and centre-”
Matthew ran a hand through his hair “think what you want” he muttered “but don’t go around blabbering about things you don’t have proof of.” And with that he left, disappearing into the crowd. I watched him leave with a funny feeling that was a lot like disappointment in my chest.
CHAPTER 4
Matthew
The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows as the soldiers marched through the narrow, cobblestone streets leading to the port. The sound of our boots echoed against the buildings.
I walked in the middle of the formation, flanked by other soldiers who moved with a confidence I couldn't bring myself to emulate.
The air was thick with the scent of salt and smoke, mingling with the aroma of freshly baked bread from a nearby bakery. Merchants shouted from their stalls, their voices rising above the din of the market.
As we neared the familiar port, the streets became busier, filled with fishermen hauling their nets and dockworkers loading heavy crates onto waiting ships.
I felt nauseous just by catching sight of the silhouettes of vessels against the horizon, their sails billowing like the wings of great birds ready to take flight.
“Keep in step!” barked commander Roberts as he marched ahead. Each stride felt heavy with the weight of my armour, and I could feel my palms growing clammy as I thought of the vast ocean that awaited us. That awaitedme.
As we reached the port, the sight felt overwhelming. The docks were alive with activity, as per usual—ships bobbing gently in the harbour, sailors shouting orders, and the unmistakable creak of wood against wood.
I paused for a brief moment, taking in the scene. The sun glinted off the water, casting a shimmering path toward the horizon. Other units had arrived too, but I failed to spot Theo or Stryker amongst them.
Theo. I hadn't been able to stop thinking about the boy since the first time I'd met him and he'd done that odd shotgunning thing on me. It had definitely taken me by surprise, and then Jack had cornered me about the sharp smell of weed, which he had been oddly delighted about and that frustrated me more than anything.
He was beautiful, though. He had those blue eyes that I'd always found kind of creepy on other people because they always seemed like they were looking straight into your soul, but Theo's did that in agoodway, in a way that made me yearn for more, yearn for him to look even harder, to keep looking for as long as he wanted to. He was tall- standing a few feet shorter than myself- had curly hair, sharp features, a tiny birthmark on his cheek and I could have sworn I'd seen freckles.
