Chapter Twenty
The official first day of spring was hopelessly bleak, which matched Aelyx’s mood. He shifted in bed and stared out the window, where freezing rain pelted the glass. This afternoon he would have to stand by Cara’s side at the alliance ceremony and pretend he didn’t feel gutted—scooped out of any happiness he’d once known. At least tomorrow he’d leave this godsforsaken planet and return home, where ice never rained from the sky. If nothing else, he had that to look forward to.
With heavy limbs, he shuffled into the kitchen, hoping Syrine had made her customary pot of tea. Aelyx didn’t want to foster a caffeine dependency, but lately he’d moved as if underwater. He’d take any boost he could get. After pouring himself a steaming mug of minty-scented brew, he dragged into the living room and lowered onto the ambassador’s favorite chair, simply because it was closest. Gods, he was tired. He’d just awoken and already he wanted to go back to bed.
David and Syrine were situated near him on the sofa, but instead of saying hello, they stared at each other in what appeared to be a standoff. Syrine’s hands clenched into fists while David’s chin tipped up in determination. Several seconds of charged silence ticked by before Aelyx asked what was wrong.
When David spoke, he kept his eyes fixed on Syrine. “I just told your friend I’m in love with her.”
“Oh,” Aelyx said, wishing he’d taken his tea back to his bedroom. Awkward.
“And,” David continued, “that I won’t ever stop. That I’m not like the other guys she’s known, and if she’ll trust me for once, I can make her happy.”
Aelyx wasn’t sure how to reply. Obviously David wasn’t talking to him anymore. “What did she say?”
“Nothing yet.” David held up his deck of cards. “But I was just about to propose another wager.”
Syrine found her voice, but it barely carried in the open room. “For what?”
“If I win,” David said, “we go to the colony together. Really together, as a couple. No more hiding.”
She swallowed hard enough to make her throat shift. “And if you lose?”
“Then I stay here.” David’s expression fell, his voice darkening to a deadly seriousness Aelyx had never heard from the boy. “But I’ve never felt this way about anyone. You’re it for me.”
All the color drained from Syrine’s cheeks, and although she didn’t agree to the bet, David began shuffling the deck. His hands trembled with the motion, something Aelyx would have attributed to anxiety if he hadn’t noticed the same thing happening all weekend. David’s fine motor skills were weakening. Aelyx knew the likely cause, but he refused to dwell on it. He had to believe the experimental drug would save his friend.
David fanned out the deck and held it toward Syrine. “Pick a card.”
Syrine extended her hand and pulled it back three times before she drew a card from the deck. Aelyx took a sip of his tea and leaned to the side, noting she’d picked the seven of diamonds.
“You know what to do,” David told her. “Hold it close and stare at it. Really focus so I can read your mind.”
While Syrine peered at the red diamonds, David studied the symbols drawn on the other side. As many times as he’d practiced this trick, he couldn’t fail. He parted the deck and instructed Syrine to replace the card, then reshuffled the pack. Turning the deck over, he riffled through his options, feigning deep thought, until he held up the queen of spades.
“Is this your card?” David asked, eyeing Syrine while tremors shook his hand.
At first, Aelyx couldn’t comprehend why David had chosen incorrectly. He’d long ago mastered this game. But then understanding dawned, and Aelyx saw that David had forced Syrine to choose. It was his way of ensuring she truly wanted him, refusing to allow something as trivial as a wager to determine their future.
With her mouth forming a perfect O, Syrine stared at David as the seconds passed in near-painful silence. Aelyx found himself leaning forward in his seat as if he could force the answer out of her. Finally, when the wait had become nearly unbearable, she licked her lips and whispered, “Yes, you’re right. That’s the one.”
A grateful smile split David’s face while his eyes watered. He released a shaky sigh that sounded more like a sob and threw down his cards to take Syrine into his arms. The pair held each other, exchanging kisses and whispers that made Aelyx feel like an intruder. Careful not to spill his tea, he quietly returned to his bedroom to give the couple their privacy.
Aelyx was happy for Syrine—David, too. He cared for them and knew the colony would be a brighter place for their presence, but that didn’t stop a lump from rising in his throat. He continued sipping his tea, but nothing would push it down.
For months, he’d been forced to watch the romance blossom between his friends, reminding himself to be patient, that his turn would come when he was reunited with Cara. But things were different now. All the patience in the world wouldn’t resurrect what he’d lost. Aelyx didn’t know how he was going to stand the presence of two perfectly paired lovers and still maintain his sanity.
He’d just finished his tea when Syrine knocked on the door and stepped inside, her gaze both giddy and repentant. He could tell she empathized with him.
“You made the right choice,” Aelyx said, setting his cup on the dresser.
Syrine gave a noncommittal grunt, though the glow illuminating her skin showed that she agreed. “Time will tell. He may disappoint me, but I believe it’s a worthy risk.”
Aelyx laughed. “Practical to a fault, as usual.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” She closed the distance between them and rested a hand on his forearm, then peered into his face, softening her focus to connect with his mind. Let me help you.
Quickly, he turned his head aside. “No.”
“This is what I’m trained for,” she insisted. “I can’t erase your pain, but I can lighten the burden.”
Aelyx knew full well what Syrine could do. Emotional healers were sacred on L’eihr because of their rarity. But he also knew how the session would affect her. She’d take on his suffering by proxy, feeling his heartbreak as if it were her own, and he wouldn’t allow it. She was entitled to her joy. “It’s just a breakup.” He faced her with a manufactured smile. “I’m fairly certain I’ll survive it.”
“Wouldn’t you do the same for me?”
“You know I would.” Touched by her compassion, Aelyx took her cheek in one hand and bent to kiss the top of her head, where he paused and added, “But you wouldn’t let me.”
“No,” she admitted. “I wouldn’t.”
David appeared in the doorway. His expression darkened as he jerked his head toward the foyer and mouthed, Cara’s here.
Like a bolt of blistering electricity, painful tingles shot down the length of Aelyx’s spine. His flesh chilled and his pulse lurched. The visceral reaction proved what he already knew—he wasn’t ready to face her. He glanced at David in a silent plea for advice.
David seemed to understand. “Grab your coat,” he whispered. “I need to make a quick call, then we’ll get out of here.”
“I’ll come, too,” Syrine said.
“No.” David’s curt tone surprised them all, and he compensated with an apologetic smile. “You stay and talk some sense into her.”
“Her mind’s made up,” Aelyx told them.
Syrine patted his shoulder, slipping a hurried thought into his mind before she flitted out the door. You underestimate me.