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I really need to get back to my room and have a shower. A long one.
“It all looks fine enough for something that’s been unused for so long. I mean, everything basically needs replacing, but it’ll be an easy fix.” He pats the white sink affectionately. “I can help with the big things. I’ll fit you in around work, but it’s all easily done. If I show you how to do the small things, you can get cracking.” His wink in my direction teases an irritated huff from Roan. The cheeky flash in Seff’s eye makes me think it was entirely deliberate.
“Right, are we done here then?” Roan’s voice is deeper, gruffer. It’s hot. Seff wipes his hands together, trying to brush off some of the dirt.
“Sure are. Why don’t you buy me a beer, and we can all discuss logistics.” Roan is the first to leave, and I immediately miss the irritating hand steer.
“Sounds amazing—let’s go.” He’s already out the hall and halfway down the stairs. Seff bumps my shoulder with his arm as he passes, scooping me up under my arm to take me along with him.
The walk back to the Tavern manages to cool me off a little, which is weird considering it’s roughly a million degrees out. Once inside, we head to the bar to get a drink from Woodsy, the sometimes bartender. The mid-afternoon crowd has gathered out on the patio and gardens to enjoy the sun, and they are feeling rowdy today, so we decide to stay inside. I’m not really feeling up to all that right now.
My nightly trips down to the tavern have gotten me a little more used to being around people again, but large crowds are still overwhelming. But I’m getting there.
Can’t say the same about the nightmares though. Every night—okay, morning, daytime, whenever my messed up body clock decides it’s naptime and I fall asleep—I find myself back in the Woods, running from voices calling for me.
Sometimes it’s Marieth. Other times it’s Darius. Mostly, it is indiscernible shadows lurking in the darkness all chasing me, reaching for me, screeching for me to come back to them while I run uselessly to escape them. It is, to be honest, exhausting, and I've found myself avoiding sleep wherever I can. Doesn’t take a genius to know that’s a terrible idea.
“Theo, my baby!” Clutching my freshly poured, ice-cold lemonade, the cry is the only warning before I am attacked by a flurry of herbs, stale wine, lace, and velvet. Edith’s bony armswrap around me tightly as she rocks me side to side. I can’t see anything past her frizzy white hair but submit to her embrace, only relishing in the motherly affection just a little.
I can hear the others snickering around me, but we ignore them. She finally pulls back, moving her hands to grip my biceps so she can look me over. There is worry in her violet eyes, but she knows me well enough now to not mention how tired I look. It’s a rare moment of tact from our resident mother-hen-slash-wine-loving witch.
“You’re out of your room. I’m soglad.” A small whisper of magic dances around me, her maniacal red smile beaming. I roll my eyes, trying to squash my smile. Praise from mother figures always gets me. Maybe because my mother barely remembered I existed, except for when she needed to trot us out for social events.
“I even went outside and everything.” I whisper to Edith conspiratorially. She rewards me with a chuckle and a slap on the arm before slipping her arm through mine to lead us over to the table in the middle of the tavern where Mauvy and Seldon are having a break. A pitcher of beer and a jug of water sit on the table with a myriad of glasses. Seff wraps his arm around my shoulder, but he’s so big he manages to hug Edith under it, too, pulling us close.
“Yup, sunlight and fresh air. He’s doing good. We were looking at Inigo’s old cottage out the back.”
We settle ourselves around the table, Seff and Edith snagging the seats on either side of me, leaving Roan to huff about where to sit for half a moment too long and for everyone to notice. I didn’t know you could slide a chair out with atone, but Mauvy manages it, shoving the chair next to her in Roan’s direction, leaving him sitting opposite me.
As his legs settle under the table, I can feel his calf brush mine. For just a moment I feel it press harder against me,and everything inside of me hones in on that singular point of contact. I don’t move, just in case I spook him into withdrawing his leg from mine, but he relaxes, leaving his leg there.
The heat is back from the cottage, singing through me from that point on my leg, making me squirm in my seat to diffuse the tension. By some type of miracle, I manage to hold myself still though, too scared that he’ll stop touching me.
“So, how’s the cottage?” Seldon asks from the head of the table, busying himself with pouring drinks into the glasses and sliding them around the table. I catch the hint of the highlighter on his cheeks as it catches in the light.
Judging from the painfully basic jeans, tees, and sweater combos he’d lent me, and the sheer black cropped tee shirt that shows his tanned and toned stomach complete with a shiny belly piercing, Seldon has gone through a bit of a transformation in recent times. I hadn’t really noticed as he’d fluttered around my room, but now that I’m coming out of the fog, my curiosity is piqued.
Roan grunts and takes a long sip of the water Seldon passes him, and I do everything to not stare as his throat bobs. Seldon, on the other hand, has exactly zero qualms eye-fucking his boss. It would be wrong to jump across the table and scratch his eyes out to keep them off Roan, but it is tempting. Extremely tempting.
“Dude, at least try to be subtle.” Seff nudges my shoulder with his elbow, and I realise that I have done a terrible job hiding the venom I’m shooting at Seldon. Just when I was hoping we could be friends.
Seff mutters something under his breath, but I’m not paying attention. Seldon had unfortunately caught the look I’d thrown his way before I could rearrange my face into something less bitchy. Rather than lowering himself to my level though, he laughs instead, pulling a silly face and smiling. He doesn’t seemto take my ridiculousness seriously, thank the Gods. A tentative smile creeps over my face, followed by a heated blush over my cheeks.
“—but besides the roof, everything is pretty manageable. I reckon it won’t take too long to get it all cleaned up. Not in any rush are we, Theo?” Shit. I wasn’t paying attentionat all. Roan’s foot taps mine under the table as I scramble to catch up to the conversation.
“Uh, yeah. It’ll be fine.” I reach for my lemonade and take an overly large gulp. It ends up going down wrong making me choke and gasp. For a moment there is an incredibly embarrassing fuss while Edith rubs my back, and Mauvy mops up the liquid I manage to spill.
Seldon and Seff, the absolute dicks, just laugh at my awkwardness as, once I regain my ability to breathe, I reassure Edith that I am fine. Roan just watches with a dark look in his eyes.
“You okay?” His gruff voice comes out in another grunt, and I cannot help my eye roll. There is something about his concern that brings out the brat in me. Hence the nickname, I guess.
“Yeah, fine, carry on with whatever.” He stares me down for a beat longer, until I pull another face, making Mauvy snort. With a shake of his head that makes his hair fall out of that ever-present bun, he turns back to the others.
“Well, sounds like you’ve got a big job. Let me know if you need a hand with anything. And by that I mean, anything that isn’t heavy lifting or cleaning. Theo, you need to eat. I’ll make you a plate.” Mauvy slaps the table and stands to leave before I can argue that I already had lunch. Not that her leaving stops Seff.
“What about me? I’m a growing boy. I need food.”
“Pfft, you get what you pay for. Go order from the boys at the bar if you're hungry.” Seff huffs and mumbles something aboutfavourites, so I poke my tongue out at him like the mature adult I am now.
