Chapter 8
The villa didn't have a terrace, so I had to find a place at a higher elevation to watch the Star fall. There was a clearing if one followed the upward path of the stream, and it was the perfect place to keep watch.
On the said night, I bundled myself in a thick sweater, trousers and a cloak against the cold. Then I carried a picnic basket and a mat to the clearing. I settled myself comfortably against a boulder and opened a bottle of orange wine just in time for the initial stars to fall.
If I had been with father, we would've been watching this from our terrace. And if I had been in the House, then I'd be in the midst of a party, dancing and revelling with others in glittery dresses.
It was lonely to be here, but it was necessary. Something broke within me when Azriel rejected me, and it was a gradual process to heal it and get myself together. I just had to wait, and nurture myself like I would take care of a child.
The sky was filled with the stars now, and my surroundings were bright with their light. I had finished my food and two bottles of wine a long time ago, now I was just watching the lights with my eyes glazed over. I let my thoughts flow freely, not acknowledging anything.
A sudden thought made me jerk into attention. What if Azriel was partying among the other fae, unaffected by all this? What if he was dancing with Elaine at the moment, not even thinking about me—
I shook my head and let go of the thought. No use thinking about it now.
As I watched the sky, I made out a faint trace of a shadow among the lights. Maybe I was imagining it, I had too much to drink anyway. I blinked a few times, but the shadow was still present, zig-zagging among the lights and getting larger, coming closer.
Before I fully grasped what I was looking it, it landed on the mat next to me.
It was Azriel.
•~᯽~•