Page 71 of A Whisper of Cinders

As expected, there isn’t a sign with his name on, yet, when I pass the second to last door on my left, something tugs near my heart and I halt. This door belongs to him. This is Aramis’ room. I’m certain.

When I take a closer look, I notice some carved leaves and snowflakes along the edge of the door. I trace the little figures with my finger and I can’t contain a smile.

I knock and wait.

The door remains closed.

“Aramis?” I knock again, a little harder this time, just in case he didn’t hear me. It’s possible he isn’t even here, or the other more painful option is that he’s ignoring me. Which would be fair since I was the one who previously walked out on him.

Knocking a third time makes me a little desperate, so I turn around, ready to return to my room when I hear a soft click.

The door is open. Seeing it as an invitation, I push it open a little more, wondering if Aramis is actually here.

If I wouldn’t have been fully aware of the fact that I am standing inside the main building and just entered a bedroom, I would’ve mistaken it for entering a rainforest. His room is full of lush green plants and exotic flowers. It even smells like rain here. His enormous bed is neatly made and looks very inviting.

“Aramis?”

I take a few hesitant steps forward, not wanting to intrude, but too curious to not take a closer look. He’s not here. I should leave, or…maybe I should wait a couple of minutes before I leave. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.

I sit down on the corner of the bed, looking around in wonder. My eyes land on the nightstand, seeing his glasses and a frame with a photo in it. Whoever is on it must be very important if it is set next to his bed. Again, too curious for my own good, I pick up the frame.

Aramis must be thirteen or so, the two people behind him are probably his parents, and the girl standing next to him has to be his sister. The resemblance is impossible to ignore and I can’t help but feel a little sad as I see what a beautiful family they form.

The colour and wavy hair texture Aramis has, comes from his mother who has more of a tighter curl, but the green eyes and face structure are without a doubt his fathers. His sister looks like the perfect combination of her parents, with hair as dark as the night and blue eyes that seem to pierce straight through my soul.

I’ve only seen eyes like this once before and those belonged to —

Muffled voices sound from the hall, the volume going louder the closer they get. One voice I recognise immediately, the other is less of a rumble. I put down the frame and wait for him to open the door.

“…shouldn’t be here right now.”

“I can’t delay…Aramis…hurts…too…had to come back.”

The other voice is definitely female and sounds so familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it. What if he is dating this woman and I’ve actually misread the signs? It is all new to me, but wouldn’t he have said so if that was the case? It’s not like we’re dating or anything, but is it normal for a male to act this way with one girl and do maybe even more with another?

I’m getting nervous for a whole different reason now.

“I understand, believe me. I do. But please, I’m begging you, return to mom, stay with one of your friends. Moons, I don’t know, Ams, but this isn’t the right time.”

Would you send your girlfriend back to your parents? It could be. Or it’s the girl from the picture - his sister - he’s talking to, that would make a lot more sense.

“There will never be a right time, you know that too.”

The voice tickles my brain in a way I can’t explain. It’s on the tip of my tongue, I know who this is. I’m so sure. Maybe I’ve seen his sister around here, guess I’m about to find out.

The door gets pushed open and a confused looking Aramis stands in the entrance. The light from the hallway puts a faint halo around his blond waves, making him appear ethereal. And as he finally sees me sitting on his bed, his expression shifts from confusion, to surprise, to frantic panic.

Oh, I shouldn’t be here. This was a bad idea. I stand up, ready to excuse myself and hurry out of this situation before it gets awkward, when he rushes to me and holds up a hand.

“No, please! You can’t…you won’t —”

His reaction confuses me and I step aside, right about to ask him what’s wrong when I remember the other person who is standing in the doorway. A hood hides her features, but she is tall and even the baggy clothes she is wearing can’t hide her lean figure.

“Mai, let me explain.”

But what is there to explain? I turn to him, seeing how his body is nearly shaking from barely contained tension. He is petrified. Is it normal to be this scared of your sister? So instead of answering him, I focus my gaze on the female in the doorway.

“Hi there! I’m so sorry to intrude, I wanted to talk about something with Aramis, but I see this isn’t a good time. I will come back later.” I turn to Aramis. “I also wanted to return your sweater, so…” The female now stiffens too.