Just like that as fast as she had turned it off it was back on. It annoyed Reid that he was allowing her to call the shots so fully. Then again he was used to girls falling over themselves to attract his attention for this reason or that. It wasn't that she completely forgot about it she was still a little cool at times and frankly refused to speak of her band days.
When Reid finally asked why a few days later as she hung out in the room he shared with her cousin. Her response was frank, "I didn't offer you that piece of information you took it. You're just mad that you can't take the rest of it." That shut down the topic pretty thoroughly.
"It was interesting," he did attempt to end the conversation peacefully while resting with his hands behind her head recumbent on his bed.
"What's interesting is you keep trying to talk about it." She glanced over her shoulder at him from her position on the floor leaning against his bed frame.
"Then what can we talk about?"
"Tell me about the Covenant."
That caused hesitation on his end.
"What, you don't think there are mysteries about you that I don't want to know about? HA! I spent years wondering why you were all so special that you got to do whatever you wanted. I don't ask because I know that it is none of my business."
"What is your deal against us?" He reached out to touch her freshly stretched ear lobe lightly knowing that she wouldn't object. The last few days of uneasy truce allowed him the opportunity to reach out and touch her now and again. As long as it was discreet she didn't object. He had attempted once while passing her chair in a class and received the now obvious cold shoulder.
She leaned into his touch, "You mean other then you get to do whatever you want while I am preened to be married off to one of you?"
"What!" Reid almost choked pulling his hand back abruptly.
She chuckled, "Oh so you don't know every family secret? That the daughters are groomed to be married into the other families if the opportunity arises? My ambitious mother had her sights on Caleb," Cynn snorted, "Pretty sure that's what upsets her most."
Reid sat up tentatively, "Wait so they didn't even intend on letting us pick our own wives?"
"Not so great being one of the chosen boys is it?" Cynn leaned back to look up at him.
"You're lying."
"Not likely. You still have a choice but if you don't pick one in an appropriate time frame then the girls will be all but offered up to you. Do you not recall that after you all gain your majority the families hold a gathering? You weigh your options, pick one of us then or end up with the leftovers in five years if you don't find someone else deemed worthy."
"You're lying," he stated again in disbelief.
She shrugged, "Whatever."
He reached out a little more aggressively this time tugging on her ear knowing it was tender but it kind of turned him on that instead of pulling away and simple closed her eyes against the gentle pain. "I can see now why you are so set against getting away."
"Maybe you should get away too."
Reid leaned back to entertain the idea. He had never really thought about leaving. It was always planned that he would go straight from Spencer to a near by college. He knew that on occasion some of the son's left for a time to attend colleges of high prestige but he knew realistically his marks wouldn't put significant distance between him and home.
"Where do you plan on going?" He asked slowly.
"Not really sure. Canada I think."
That caught him a little off guard, "Really?"
"Yeah why not where else would I go?"
"I don't know I figured back to Europe."
She sighed, "You are prying again. I offer you one thing but you still want more."
Instead of answering he leaned over to kiss her neck. He knew that she was right and resolved to leave it for now and respect the fact that she wasn't stupid. He could feel the tension rush out of her as she leaned back into his affections.
Of course the door opened and Tyler was admitted. Reid threw himself back against his pillows throwing an arm over his face exhaling in frustration. This was the first time since their truce that he has alone with her. All else was merely passing in the halls or quick conversations in class. She didn't care to hang out with the rest of the circle but as far as he could tell she didn't really attempt to make friends elsewhere either. It concerned him mildly but didn't press the subject as of yet. What concerned him was that he just wanted to touch her, to strip her down, to see if her curves were as perfect as he had seen pictured.
Then again he also wanted to see her smile like in those pictures. She'd done it the other day when he had told her to tone it down. It hadn't had time to think on it then but he was certain it was the first time he'd heard her truly laugh, head thrown back and all. Now that he remembered the glint in her eyes and her uncanny resemblance to any other innocent girl.
"Did I interrupt something?" Tyler questioned the surprisingly innocent looking Cynn compared to the almost guilty expression on Reid's features.
"Not likely," the female Ipswich descendant winked at her cousin as she stood up and brushed herself off, "Well I have shit to do-"
"To smoke." Reid interrupted with light scorn in his voice. He wouldn't dissuade her but he didn't have to approve.
"Don't knock it till you try it peaches," she tossed him a salute and stepped out the door deftly.
"So she no longer hates you but has decided to disown the rest of us? What did we do?" Tyler asked clearly ruffled by the situation.
"It's not like that man, I think she just doesn't want to get attached. She is really set on leaving in a month." Reid sighed still not sure how he felt on the topic.
"…and you care…?" Tyler sat down slowly on the edge of his own bed.
Reid opened his eyes, "What? No Tyler I do not care. I mean the family didn't miss her all these years a couple months isn't going to make her vital to the plans."
"…What plans?"
"Fuck I don't know, she's got this way of putting these ideas in my head. Has it ever struck you as strange that the latest any of our parents getting married was twenty five?"
"No…should it?" Tyler felt his concern rising.
"No. I don't know. I don't think so. I just…I don't know. All I do know is that she does not plan on sticking around and I think I might be ok with that."
The sincerity of the statement caught them both off guard.
"Shit." Tyler voiced his reaction.
"What?"
"I'd say that is the most unselfish thing I have heard you ever say."
"Fuck that I mean seriously she'd cause more trouble then anything if she stuck around."
"So does this mean you haven't slept with her?"
"No not yet."
"Yet? But you just said."
"Yeah I know but maybe she'll come back more often if she has a reason."
p.s. good reviews are rewarded with updates otherwise my interest wavers and I move on to something else and then drift aimlessly from there. Check and compare published and updates. That or just don't get attached I'm just passing through. Thank Elm Treigh. You can't blame me for losing interest in something I see no one else being interested in.