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"I need her to tell me how she feels first."
I crinkle my brow. "Wait, why?"
"Eris told me she shared her story with you in Bava. So, you know I helped her escape from Hydra."
"Right."
"Well, if I express how I feel about her, I don't want her to feel obligated to reciprocate those feelings because she believes she owes me. We live together, work together, travel together, and she's my best friend. I don't want my love for her to ruin what we have built together. I never want to wonder, if she actually loves me of her own free will, or if she played the part to avoid losing everything she now has." He shrugs, pushing his frames up the bridge of his narrow nose, and reclines in his seat, finished with his explanation. "So, I'll wait for her."
I bite my bottom lip, but force myself to ask, "What if she never tells you how she feels?"
"Then I will still have her as my friend, and that's enough for me."
A bell rings above the door and we stare down the aisle that leads directly to the front of the store and see Eris slip inside with two white boxes presumably filled with her and Finn's lunch orders.
"I'm back," she sings out.
"We're on the couch," Finn responds. The expression on his face is different than it was a second ago. Talking about Eris, he bore a sweet smile. Now that Eris is within the vicinity, his muscles tense, as if he's restraining himself from rushing over to her and giving her a kiss like seasoned lovers do.
"We?" Eris pokes her head around the corner and when she sees me, she grins widely. "Shaye!" Her eyes dart to the two boxes of food. "I'm so sorry. Had I known you were coming, I would have gotten you something, too."
I wave a dismissive hand in the air. "It's ok! I'm not even hungry. I just wanted to drop by after class."
Eris peeps the clock over the register and I know what she's going to say before she opens her mouth. "Did class release early?"
"Something like that."
The door rings again when a customer walks in spurring Finn to hop up, offering Eris his seat. "I'll be right back."
Eris unceremoniously plops down and opens her container of food. Sliced pastrami and gouda cheese are perfectly lined in the container with salted crackers. She points at the plate in her lap. "Did you want some? I'm more than happy to share."
"That's alright. I'm really not hungry."
"Why are you lying?" she purses her lips and scoots next to me. "There's plenty of food for both of us."
"Eris -"
"Shaye, if you don't just take half of this, I'm going to scream."
"Alright, alright!" I throw my hands up in surrender and smile. "You'll make an excellent mother one day."
"I'm sure I will. I'll force feed my children food they say they don't want even though I know they're lying." She narrows her eyes at me. "Speaking of children. Where's Nyx?"
"Still asleep in bed, I imagine. He woke up sick this morning."
"You've been walking around the city by yourself?" Her tone is higher pitched than normal, and I can't tell if she's worried or impressed.
I bob my head and sink my teeth into a slice of cheese. "It's actually freeing. I was never allowed to go anywhere alone in Midori."
"For good reason," she says through a mouthful of food.
I pat her upper thigh. "I'm perfectly safe. I might not be a master of my magic yet, but I'm not the same girl you kidnapped."
Eris' face softens. "You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't smother you. What are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?
Shrugging, I say, "I don't really have any, and after what happened at school tod -"
"I knew it!" she squeals, pointing a finger at me. "I knew you were out of class early for a reason. What happened today?" Her eyes widen. "Are you in trouble?" When I don't answer immediately, her mouth drops. "Wait." She inches closer, looking over at the counter where Finn is checking out a customer and whispers, "Did something happen with Atlas?"
