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"Wait!" Nyx's voice slices through my thoughts. "That's still a thing?"
Eris swats his chest with the back of her hand and scoffs.
"What?" He furrows his brow.
"Leave her alone," she chastises.
"Listen, if my fiancé was hell bent on releasing an ancient demon king and sent Soul Eaters after me, I might reconsider tying myself to them for the rest of my life."
"You're one to talk." Eris rolls her eyes. "You've had one night stands act just as rashly."
"And did I marry any of them? No. Thanks for proving my point." Nyx shakes his head before turning his focus back to me.
"I know you both mean well," I speak before Nyx has a chance, "but even if everything you say about Bas is true, I won't stop caring about him overnight. He's the only man I've ever loved. Giving him up is like giving up my home. I'm not sure I can yet. At least, not until I've had a chance to talk to him; to hear his side of the story."
"What about Atlas?" Eris' question feels like a slap to the face. "You're at the very least attracted to him."
I bob my head, sitting up straight, abandoning the rest of my dessert. "I suppose there's no denying that, but I don't know what I'm doing or what I want. Atlas and I are becoming… friends."
"Your eyes light up when you hear his name. It's gross." Nyx smirks.
"We aren't saying you should forget about Bastian and be with Atlas but – "
"That's exactly what we're saying," Nyx cuts Eris off, and she shoots him a menacing glare.
"You're not helping."
Ignoring the Sea Elf, Nyx places his hand on my ankle to garner my undivided attention. "When you close your eyes and picture yourself in the future. Who do you see by your side? Bastian?" He frowns and says with obvious disgust. "Or Atlas?" He smiles with a cheerful tone.
"Wow, Nyx." Eris shakes her head. "Way to be impartial."
He slaps a hand to his chest before hopping up off the bed. "I thought I showed great impartiality. If I were you, Kitarni, I'd take a chance on the unfamiliar, and I'm not just saying that because Atlas is my brother. You both deserve to be happy."
"And you think Atlas would make me happy?" I ask, truly curious to hear his answer.
Nyx ponders a moment before bobbing his head. "I think you'd make him happy, too." Snatching one more pastry on his way out, he tips his head and says, "Good night, ladies. Thanks for the midnight snack." With one final wink, he slips out of my bedroom, and we don't speak again until we hear his door close at the opposite end of the hall.
"I suppose I should head to bed, too." Eris stretches her back, before slipping off my mattress. "I've got to get back to work tomorrow."
I knew once we came to Tronovia, the Harland brothers and Eris would go back to their regular routines, but I never gave much thought to what they all did during the day as an average citizen.
"Where do you work?" I ask.
She smiles, "At Finn's apothecary shop. I'm his assistant."
I don't know what I was expecting her to say, but being Finn's assistant wasn't it. "Really?"
She picks up the almost empty box of pastries and offers it to me once more, but I decline. I couldn't possibly fit another bite in my stomach.
"I thought about finding a job where we wouldn't be together all the time," she explains with a shrug. "I figured Finn would grow tired of me. Working together, living together, going on the occasional mission together, but so far, so good. We just seem to enjoy one another's company."
"Can I ask you something?" My heart beats rapidly just thinking of asking her such a personal question, but my curiosity gets the better of me.
"You can feel free to ask me anything! That's what friends do." She sits back down on the bed.
Once I've gathered the courage, I ask, "Do you have feelings for Finn?"
Her eyes widen slightly, as if she's been caught, but she recovers quickly, masking whatever feelings she harbors behind a sweet smile. "We're just really good friends."
