Sybil sighs, as if they already knew this was going to be my answer.“I will not tell Essos if you promise to tell me if you feel this kind of pain again.”
Not likely, after their reaction to the dreams. “Done. Just please,pleasedon’t tell Essos. I don’t want him to worry. He seems like a worrier, and I have to guess that he’s preoccupied with whatever or whoever drew him away today.”
Sybil’s eyes narrow at my mention of the mystery guest. “No, we wouldn’t want that.” With a heavy sigh, they give in. “Fine, but you should start getting ready now if you want to even pretend you’re going to be on time.” They take their leave of us.
Cat looks at me and takes a breath, and I hold up a hand, stopping her. “It’s not that late. We should get ready—I know I need a shower after rolling around in the sand.”
Cat bows dramatically to me, worry still radiating off her. “As you wish.”
As she goes to leave, I get up and throw my arms around her. I pull her close in a hug, surprised that my strength is back. “I’m sorry if I didn’t say it before, but thank you for everything today. It’s days like these that I don’t deserve you as my friend.”
Cat hugs me back tighter. “I hate when you say shit like that. I love you. I’m worried about you. That was scary earlier—I didn’t know what was happening, and honestly, things have been weird since we got here. You keep having those dreams, and I don’t want to crowd you with my concern. I know that you're not big on that, but Iamworried.”
“Crowd me whenever. Your burdens are mine, no matter how small you think they are. I want to share them with you—that’s what best friends are for, right? Never feel like you need to tiptoe around shit with me. You’re my ride or die.”
“You fight, I fight,” she says back. “Go shower—you smell. Hell, I smell!”
I listen to her advice and take a long shower, catching sight of a few bruises and scrapes on my knees from when I hit the ground earlier. The bruise on my face isn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.
I listen to Dave again, picking a blue gown with metallic gold and silver threads through the bodice. He insists on heels, but I choose a different pair that is a little lower and hopefully more stable. I make my way downstairs, not wanting to admit that I’m still a little shaky. I’m surprised to find no one except Essos waiting at the foot of the stairs. There are fresh worry lines creased between his brows, and I want to smooth them out with my thumb. I give him my brightest smile, and he responds in kind.
“Were you borrowing against how early you were this morning?” he asks, holding his arm out to me.
I slide mine through his, letting him lead me. “I’m not that late,” I protest.
“Everyone is already in the dining room. I heard there was some sort of incident—I wanted to check on you.”
I scowl, making a note that Sybil can’t be trusted. “I’m fine. I think all the activity just got to me.” While not an explicit lie, it’s enough of one to make me feel guilty.
“I’m glad. Zara made it sound like you collapsed in protest of me giving her attention and then rudely running off.”
I mentally apologize to Sybil for so quickly assuming that it was them. We pause before entering the dining room.
“I waited for you because I want you to sit next to me. I feel as though I’ve been neglecting you, and I don’t wantyouto feel that way.” Essos reaches forward and brushes a tendril of hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear. His fingertips linger a moment longer than necessary, grazing my neck the way mine did his this morning. He’s not as neglectful as he claims, though today is the only day that I’ve been early enough to snag a seat next to him at breakfast. This will be the first time I sit beside him at dinner.
I smile. “Hardly. I stumbled backward, and Cat caught me and helped me sit. I think the constant all-night parties got to me. College didn't prepare me for having to dance all night and entertain people. Now, pong on the other hand—college prepared me well for that, and binge drinking, of course.”
He laughs, and I could live the rest of my life hearing only that sound. “Pong?”
“Seriously? You’re an immortal and don’t know what pong is? Like beer pong?”At his raised brows, I continue, “Okay, tonight after the dance, me, you, Finn, and Cat—is that okay? Can we do that?” I’m hopeful. I think about how much fun it would be, especially with the people I am closest with.
“I’ll see what I can do. Shall we?” He gestures to the dining room, and we stroll in side by side.
Sitting next to him at dinner and being on the other end of the eye daggers people are hurling my way is a different experience. Essos is magnetic, and everyone has their attention turned toward him, but I’m the one he’s focused on. With each laugh and smile, I find myself leaning closer and closer to him like I’m a budding flower and he’s the sun I need to bring me to life. When he’s done eating, he slips his hand under the table and rests it on my knee, his thumb stroking my thigh.
“Will you show me the gardens?” I ask him abruptly. I don’t know what it is about him that has me wanting to lay myself bare to him. I want to tell him about the foster mother who demanded that my Mother’s Day gift from school be for her and when it wasn’t, she destroyed it. I want to tell him about how nervous I was to believe I was actually being adopted, and how I cried into Waffles’s fur the first night we got him and he actually stayed in my bed. I want to tell him how ticklish my sides are, and that I have stubby toenails on my baby toes.
Essos squeezes my knee gently. “I’ll have Sybil make time for it,” he promises.
He summons Sybil and whispers in their ear. I catch them glancing at me, one delicate eyebrow raised. I smile at Cat, who gives me a broad grin, but I can see apprehension in the wrinkle of her brow.Sybil’s words to us earlier have certainly made Cat more wary of Essos’s assistant.
The meal seems to fly by, and when we move on to the dancing portion of the evening, Finn gives me a pout when he doesn’t get the first dance. I feel like I’m floating in Essos’s arms as I let him lead me around the floor. I don’t fight it the way I do with Finn, and I can see how much better it is. My hand is loose on the back of his neck, my head bowed close to him as we move as one. I take a deep breath, knowing that the song is almost over. He smells of sandalwood and cinnamon, a hint of vanilla intermingling. More than ever, the smell of him is so familiar, and it feels safe and like home.
The song ends, and we stand there for a moment, his breath tickling the hairs on my temple. Essos seems to have to remind himself that it’s not just us. I feel bereft when he steps away from me with a deep bow.
“Thank you for the dance,” he says, his gaze staying on me before he forces himself to turn away. Finn is right behind me, ready to sweep me off my feet, and I let him lead me away. Finn and I are quiet for our first dance, my focus on not stepping on his toes.
“You seem to be improving,” Finn teases. I look up at him, my concentration broken. I step on his foot, and he doesn’t hide the wince. “Well, you were.”