Lila fought the urge to cover her face.
“Play on my heart as you do the harp…There aren’t many harp players in our class!…Your voice is the sweet, sweet melody that floats on the aether to my undeserving ears. Spurn me—” Beni snorted and broke off, cracking up.
“Read it!” Castor egged him on. “Read it!”
Red-faced, Beni wiped tears from his eyes.
“Spurn me”—the words sputtered out of him, and he choked over the rest—“and my love will only grow firmer and steadier, like heated steel quenched in oil.”
“And that’s not the only firm part of ‘im,” Castor added.
Beni turned the page.
“I beg you to know I would allow you to toy with me at all times and from all angles. Fit me into the mold of your masterfully sculpted mouth, and I will flood your inner courtyard with secret delights.”
These last few sentences tickled the crowd, leaving a wave of laughter in their wake.
Lila raised her eyebrows. She found the letter to be quite absurd.
‘Lie with me’ was more to the point, and if the intended recipient did not plan on doing that anyway, she hardly saw what all this flowery language would accomplish.
Nonetheless, the recitation of such embarrassing sentiments continued for some time. Beni bounded from letter to letter, picking out his favorite lines with Castor’s help.
Lila stood there stoically, unsure if she should laugh so as not to be conspicuous or if she should not laugh on principle. She didn’t find much of it comical, and even less so because she had to be in the thick of it, and she would have been relieved when Beni announced that the last letter had been read, except that Castor took that opportunity to haul her to the center of the stage, where Beni announced that the truest soulmates in their class were there to prove that romantic love existed.
Lila winced inwardly. She wouldn’t have called her relationship with Castor ‘romantic’ or ‘love.’ It was more like ‘forced’ and ‘proximity.’
At present, a drunk Castor leaned on her.
“Liiiila,” he beseeched her, “how come you’ve never written me a letter?”
“Since when have you known me to write letters?”
“Aw, come on, Lila, don’t be like that.”
Lila cracked a smile, partially from nerves and partially because they were in full view of the crowd. She forced herself to appear relaxed and touched Castor’s arm in feigned concern.
“Be like what? Myself? And keep you out of trouble?” she joked for the benefit of those watching. “Let’s get you off this stage before you fall off. Come on.” Gently leading him by the arm, she tugged him away from Beni, and he mercifully followed her.
As they exited the stage, Beni commented, “Ah, to lean on such firm shoulders.”
Lila wanted to inform him that her shoulders were only firm because their movement was restricted. Like those pretty flowers on the banquet tables, she was entirely encased in resin.
Out of duty, she escorted Castor over to Eva and Adrianna, and the rest of the event hurried along. Beni had far overrun his speaking time, so their classmates swiftly brought out the cannon and stuffed it with the graduates’ past projects.
Save for Luc’s projects, surely. He was too convinced of the brilliance of everything he did to give any of it up. Scanning the crowd, Lila didn’t even see him.
It figured. He was the youngest architect to ever join the highest Council. Straight from graduation. It was unheard of. He probably thought himself above the plebeian antics of this celebration.
How fortunate he was to have slipped away.
“You know, I resent that you and Castor got voted most romantic couple.” Eva nudged Lila, offering her a delicate pout.
“If therewasa vote, you and Adrianna would win everything. I don’t have a romantic bone in my body,” Lila answered, glancing at Adrianna where she stood some distance away, chatting with another couple.
“Oh?” Eva replied. “I was going to say Castor must have rigged the election like he rigs everything else in his favor. I would lose to you at any time, darling friend, but Castor can eat my crumbs.”
Lila chuckled. She rarely laughed as much as she did around Eva, and she’d always been grateful to have someone who understood her connection to Castor on an intimate level, even if she didn’t understand Lila’s struggles with her role. At least, Eva understood what a pain Castor could be, though that shouldn’t have been difficult for anyone who spent any time with him at all.
