"Of course. It's for you."
Smiling, he handed over my phone once he was done, and as I slid it back into my pocket, I realized Zephyr was watching me.
"What? You wanna tease me too?" I asked with a smile, and he shook his head.
"That was really sweet of you," he murmured, and that made me blush way harder than Khush's teasing had.
I shrugged and glanced away, only to meet Zamir's eyes. He gave me a knowing look, and I sighed. I had a feeling he'd figured out our connection too. It wasn't like I wanted to keep it a secret, but I didn't know if Zephyr did. I hadn't been able to bring myself to ask, but maybe it was time. I had a feeling everyone would know soon either way, but we could keep rumors to a minimum if we announced it ourselves. Plus, I wanted my age to be clear first. I did not want anyone thinking badly of Zephyr.
Zephyr
After lunch, Keoni followed me to the office, and I paused outside the door, turning to face him.
"Back to work?" he asked with a furrow between his brows, and I shook my head.
"I thought I might take a nap first," I said, and his brows shot up in surprise before he shook it off and smiled widely.
"Yeah? That's a good idea."
I sighed. "I feel like an old man," I grumbled, and he chuckled.
"If you're an old man, what does that make Nolan?" he joked. "Which you aren't, for the record. You've just been running on fumes for a long time, and now that your biggest stressor is finally gone, all that is catching up to you."
"When did you get so smart?"
Keoni smirked. "I've always been smart. I'm just good at acting like an airhead."
"I've never thought of you as an airhead," I said with a snort, and he smiled.
"Yeah, I know. You always see the best in me," he murmured, then shook his head. "Anyway, now go. Get some sleep. I'll see you later."
I was tempted to ask him to stick around like he had yesterday, but I kept my mouth shut. He'd be bored out of his mind just sitting there while I slept. He'd be better off going back and hanging out with the others.
"See you later," I replied, watching as he made his way back to the Forest before going into the office. Touya was still in the Dining Room, so his desk was empty. I left him a note asking him to wake me in an hour if I wasn't up, then went into my bedroom, locked the door, and removed my arm before climbing into bed.
I fell asleep quickly, and when I woke up an hour later, I felt ready to tackle the rest of the day, which passed by swiftly.
At dinner time, Keoni showed up, and I joined him without protest. We ate with the others, and I enjoyed being surrounded by everyone. These people were my family, and I'd missed them quite a bit over the last year, even though they'd always been around.
After dinner, Keoni and I stayed for a while longer, chatting with the others. I even spent some time talking to Nolan, and I had a feeling that now that I'd put the past where it belonged, we might even become friends someday. I would like that.
"Come on, I wanna show you something," Keoni said as he took my hand, and I got up. We bade everyone goodnight, and he led me to the Forest. Instead of taking the path that led deeper into the area, Keoni led me into the trees, though it was clear he had a destination.
A minute later, we arrived in a clearing surrounded by trees, and Keoni came to a stop. He turned to me with a smile on his face, and waved around. "This is my favorite spot. Give me a minute, okay?"
As I watched, he pressed his palm on the spot where the cart was attached to his back, and it separated from him with a click. With practiced moves, he lowered his front half as his back half went down without the cart's support, and in a move faster than I could follow, he flipped over so he was on his back, his centaur half leaning against the tree trunk so he wouldn't tumble to the other side because of the weight.
He glanced up at me, his eyes bright as usual but with an edge of vulnerability, and he patted the spot beside him.
I was in awe of him. Here I was, still afraid to take my arm off in front of him, and yet he'd bared his most vulnerable side to me.
"Don't do that," he murmured as I lay down beside him, and I glanced over.
"Do what?"
"Compare us. My legs, they're always visible. I've never been able to hide them, but I probably would've if I could. Still. I can be this way because I've always done it, not because I'm braver or any less afraid of what you think. I want you to find me attractive, and I know this," he waved to his lower half, "isn'tattractive. But it's what I am, and you've already seen me at my worst, so." He shrugged, and I realized that while Keoni acted confident about everything, including our bond, it was just that. An act.
Reaching for him, I cupped his cheek, then leaned forward and pressed a kiss on his nose, making it scrunch up delightfully. "I do find you attractive, Keoni. You're sweet, kind, and you don't let me get away with anything. I really, really like that about you."
