I whirled around and kissed him before reaching for my clothes and putting them on. We pretended not to watch each other while we got dressed, but that didn’t work and, in the end, it took far longer than it might have before I actually walked out the door and shut it behind me. Effort, indeed.
“Get a grip, girl,” I whispered to myself and then, with my shoulders squared and my resolve in place, I made a beeline for my dorm room to take a shower and then actually attend one class before the day was over. Not to mention, I was starving.
“Oof!” I said as I ran into a wall. I knew who it was without seeing his face just by the black shirt and tight dark jeans. The one person I really wanted to avoid for a little while.
“Endymion, are you okay?” He put his hands on my shoulders to steady me and while I appreciated the gesture, I was embarrassed as fuck. I mean, I was a female with needs. Zephyr and I hadn’t made any promises or even gone on a date, but for some reason, it felt like I’d betrayed him.
“I’m fine. I was just at Bain’s.”
He looked behind me, presumably to see if Bain was there. “Endymion, it’s okay. Nothing you do can come between us. I’ve already told you that I don’t mind sharing. I’ve known for a while that…”
I put my hand up. While I knew that whatever he was going to say would comfort me, his comfort about me sleeping with someone else actually wrecked my brain even more.
“Zephyr, I don’t know what to say.”
He chuckled and embraced me. “There’s nothing to say, Endy. What you and I have is separate from what you have with Bain or anyone else. But there’s no reason to feel guilty or ashamed. I can feel it coming off you in waves.”
I stepped back. “Wait, how did you know?”
He looked down at the ground while he ran his hand through his black hair, pushing it back even though he always had one unruly piece that refused to cooperate. “I sensed it on you. Also, you smell like another male. I figured it was Bain.”
For some reason, that slapped me in the face. “And you just hug me and accept it? If you were a human guy, you would be marching over to Bain’s dorm to beat the shit out of him or at least call me a horrible name.”
He put his arm around my shoulders. “You were raised in the human world but we are not humans, Endy. We are fairies. We make the rules about love and relationships and how to deal with those things. I know you’ve heard the stories. Our ways are definitely not human.”
“Yeah. Um, I need to shower and get to class. I’ll see you later, okay?”
He kissed my forehead. “Sounds good, and, Endy?”
I had only taken a few steps. “What?”
“Don’t let your head mess you up. Everything is well. We’re good.”
Shit, that just screwed me up even more.
Chapter Twenty
“Hurry or you’ll miss it all!” Alara found me standing alone in the hallway, staring out a window, hours after Zephyr had wandered off to do whatever responsible things were on his agenda for the day. I wasn’t in the same place because in fact, I’d done some wandering myself.
The morning after my very first time making love with a man, after encountering the other man who occupied my mind and heart, I lacked the energy or mind-power to go to class, much less the “let’s try to make the failure sprout wings” session in the headmistress’ office. It so sucked to feel this way the morning after such an important moment in my life.
“Endy?” Alara grasped my shoulder and turned me to face her. “What did you do? Or should I say, who did you do?”
My face burned so hot, I knew it had to be crimson. “Alara! Hush.”
“I thought you just came in late, but it was actually early wasn’t it? Or not at all...that’s what you wore yesterday!”
I cast my glance in all directions. “Does everyone have to know about Bain…”Oh shit.
Alara’s eyes went wide. “Ohhh.”
“Yeah, so if you can keep your voice down, I’d rather not have my sex life broadcast to the entire school.”
“Sure.” Alara’s eyes danced, and she grabbed my hand. “And I want every detail, but first we have a committee meeting to get to.”
I tried to hang back. “Alara, I didn’t even go to class today. I just need peace and...committee? I haven’t signed up for any committees.”
She gave a sharp tug and got me moving. It’s for the party. You know ,Samhain? October 31st? When the veils are thinnest?”