Chapter 26 - Y

I saw him up on the bridge, looking up at the sky. "Oh God," I muttered, and took off in the other direction.

"Yurick!" I heard him call after me.

Shit! He's seen me! There isn't enough time to go up. He'll find me… I wiped my face as the boy I'd been talking to earlier pointed me into his little home. I nodded in thanks and crouched down in the back, trying to dry my face and keep from snivelling like a brat.

"Oi!" the boy yelled when Zael came too close. I tried to stop breathing and stay perfectly still, but when he said "my treasure", I melted and my heart tried to jump out and fly towards him. But I'm still pissed off! I buried my head in my knees.

"Yurick, I've been looking everywhere. I was so worried," he reached out and I felt his fingertips brush the edges of my hair. I slapped his hand away, trying not to forgive him just like that.

"I'm still upset with you," I looked towards the wall. Don't make eye contact… Don't make eye contact…

"There's nothing I can say to make up for this," Damn right, there isn't... "Just know, I would never do anything to hurt you, or at least not intentionally." And look what a GREAT job you're doing… "I… I only meant to help… The others… they…," he paused, "we've wanted this for so long… I didn't want to take the opportunity away while we had it…" I understood that, but… "I have no desire to marry her and I'll say no when the time arises," my ears perked, but I didn't look at him. "I love you, Yurick. Nothing will ever change that."

I turned my face slowly towards his, then turned back quickly. "Why was Lisa… umm… Calista… why was she looking at you like that?"

"She didn't want me to agree," he said lowly.

"Then why did you?" I snapped and locked eyes with him, quickly realising that it was a bad idea. Oh god, he's just… why are we fighting? I just want him to… NO! I'm upset, remember?

"I had to save her from Jiral," ugh… "He's a terrible person. There's no way I'd let her-," I growled and quickly looked away again. "You don't like her." No shit… figure it out all on your own, did you? What could have possibly given it away?

I buried my face again. She's not a bad person… "It's not that I don't like her, it's that I don't like that she likes you."

I was freaking out over my own selfish jealousy and he laughed… he actually laughed at me. "You're jealous? Of Calista?"

This man has to be one of the most oblivious people I have ever met. "Why shouldn't I be? I've seen how you look at her!" I looked down, "More importantly, I see how she looks at you. You look good together…" Did I just say that? I did… I just told the love of my life that he looks good with someone else…

"No."

I looked up in shock, "No?"

"No," he said again with a blank expression. "There is no way. She's not my type. She's sweet and all, but no."

"But," I started, "the white hair, the soft eyes… she's a mage…" like me, but… you know… not forced to be hidden from society….

He held my face in his hands, "I don't like that. I like your white hair, your soft eyes. You are my type. No-one else."

I felt the tears slowly start to roll down my cheeks. And he was just watching my cry because he wouldn't let me turn away… god… how embarrassing… It wasn't blubbery, but I could have flooded the river with what came out of my eye. I couldn't think of anything to say. His thumb wiped under my eye and I realised what I'd said only after I'd said it. "Prove it."

He smiled then leaned down and kissed me. It was the most simple, yet deep, caring, and sweet kiss I'd had in a while from him. Actually… he tasted like alcohol.

"Have you been drinking?" I tried to laugh while his mouth still hovered above my own, I felt nervous and yet more relaxed than I'd been all day.

"Syrenne wanted to toast the whole knighthood thing," he smirked, then let out a really loud laugh. "Oh! And Dagran is stumbling to stand up."

Dagran? Drunk? I'd never seen that before… "Really?" I sat straight and dropped my knees from my chest.

He nodded. "When I left them, Lowell was trying to keep him from falling on his face."

This I Have to see… I stood up. "Well, come on then. There's no use skipping the party."

He stood up after me then looked at me as if I'd come from another planet. "You actually want to 'socialize in a pub'? I thought you were against the 'social butterfly' thing," he smirked.

"I did say that, didn't I?" I mumbled. I didn't say anything else. I grabbed his wrist and pulled him behind me.

When we were about half way under the Central Plaza, Zael pulled me back with a jerk, "Wait."

I looked back quickly. "What's wrong-," I started, but before I could finish, his lips were on mine and his tongue was breaking my defences. He pushed me against the cold, damp wall and slipped his hand around my waist. "Mm, not that I don't enjoy this," I tried to pull away, "because I definitely do," I kissed him quickly once more, "but there's a kid over there and he's looking at us."

His eyes moved quickly from me to the boy and back then he frowned. "Fine, tonight?" I bit my lip and nodded just enough for him to see, then slipped out from between his burning torso and the frosted wall and ran ahead of him towards the stairs.