This conversation is on the precipice of not only derailing, but going up in flames.
“The marriage market isn’t somethingwe”—I gesture around the collective space, hoping he’ll take the hint—“are concerned about right now, considering there’s a lot of freedom in what we, uh—can do on our own.”
It feels as though I’m staring a hole straight into his soul, but finally he seems to get it. “Of course, forgive me.”
Analiese leans back in her seat, her hands balling her paper napkin into a crumpled wad. Careful observation flashes behind her eyes. It’s that journalistic glow she gets when she’s trying to analyze something.
This was a terrible idea.
“Hey, Enzo,” Lionel holds up his Switch. “Wanna play sometime?”
“I would love to,” William says as he goes in for another spoonful.
“Rad,” Lionel says, the word hushed and excited under his breath.
William reaches for the can of whipped cream and sprays a heaping tower onto a breakfast biscuit. I move my eggs aroundwith my fork and try not to focus on Analiese’s eagle-eyed concentration on William. A second later, Sabine and Inessa enter the dining hall and start grabbing trays. I wave when they glance in my direction, which they return enthusiastically. Sabine points to the back of William’s head, then pretends to fan herself.
I blush. No one else notices.
“So that’s what you want?” Analiese presses. “To marry and take over your family’s real estate business?”
He frowns. “Not exactly,” he says warily. “I enjoy my studies. I had an excellent professor back at my old school.”
“What are you interested in?”
“Natural sciences.” He takes a beat to consider this. “Physics, mathematics. I’m fascinated by so much. Here I’ve come to realize I can freely pursue what I want.”
I know thatheredoesn’t just mean Ivernia, but an entirely new century.
Without all the initial confusion casting doubt and uncertainty, William seems more upbeat. Less uptight, more relaxed—except his posture, which remains graceful in a way that comes with practice. I don’t know if happy is the right way to describe it, but maybe curious. Intrigued.
“Okay, so dream big,” I say, reaching for my coffee. “Whatdoyou want?”
William doesn’t hesitate. “If I could, I would become a professor myself. I admired my prior instructors, but I wish to learn asmuch as I can about all subjects under the sun first. Not just mathematics and science, but our history.”
“You can teach,” Analiese says blithely as she studies something on her phone. “If you really want to.”
William seems to consider this. His brows soften, lips parting. “Perhaps,” he says, the word faint.
It must weigh heavy in his soul. Because this isn’t William’s true reality, and he knows it. The facade crumbles when talk of the future begins to seep in. We both know this is not meant to last.
I wonder if he’s thought about his family—or if he triesnotto think about them. He must realize they’re gone, lost to the passage of time. It’s a feeling I relate to, though I wish I didn’t. If I were him, I’d also want to return to the people I love most in the world. And if an impossible occurrence can happen once, who’s to say it can’t happen again? We have to figure out how to help him return where he belongs.
When Lionel and William get up to rid their dishes and trays, Analiese whirls toward me.
“I got it,” she says in a hushed whisper. “My story.”
A sinking feeling spreads across my ribs. “Do you?”
“It’shim.” Her eyes flit to William. “There’s something off, isn’t there?”
“What?” I blurt.
“There is,” she decides as she organizes our dishes on my trayand the trash on hers, then stands. “You know me, Delaney. I trust my gut. My gut is telling me to follow this.”
“Analiese.” I round the table so I’m standing beside her. My pulse skips. Yesterday Sumner and I agreed to keep William’s secret between us, but I’ve never hidden anything from her before. “Enzo—he’s having a weird time right now.” I suppose that’s one way to explain it. “Maybe cut him some slack? Because he’s new? And probably homesick?”
She studies me for a long moment. “You have a crush on him.”
