The more I keep trying to rationalize that he’s treated me like shit, the more I also find moments when he’s treated me with such care.
Okay, so maybe I have the teeniest, tiniest little crush on the male.
But that doesn’t mean I’mjealousof some random barkeep who he knows… very well it seems.
No, Olivia, stop. Crush or not, he’s allowed to have female friends or exes, or even a current partner.
My chest constricts at the thought of his mate out there somewhere.
Even so, I can’t let myself get torn up over him and our dynamic. He’s simply helping me get home. That is all.
But what if I want to come back? What if after the conversation with Fleur, I decide I don’t want to stick around the human realm? What then? What happens withusthen? Not that there is anusto even be thinking about. I can’t expect him to help me like this forever. He has his own life he needs to be living. His own responsibilities, that my appearance in the realm has pulled him away from if the summons by his mother is anything to go off of.
My thoughts continue their never-ending cycle that I don’t even notice when the water starts to cool. It’s not until there’s a pounding knock on my door that I’m actually roused from my bath.
I let out an exasperated sigh as I climb from the tub and snatch my towel, knowing there’s only one person who wouldbe banging on the door to the point I almost think he’ll break it down.
“Who is it?” I call, infusing my voice with a saccharine sweetness, wrapping the towel around my still dripping body.
“You know damn well who it is,” Bastian grumbles through the door.
I pad over to the door, opening it a crack so my towel-wrapped body is mostly hidden. “Yes, but I seem to remember a very grumpy male earlier who didn’t like it when I opened the door without checking.” I give him a sweet smile, that is entirely false.
His eyes narrow and nostrils flare as he takes me in. “Are you even clothed? Why are you opening the door in the nude?”
“First, I am not naked. I’m wrapped in a towel.” I wave my hand over my body to indicate. “Second, I figured it was a safer bet to answer the door like this than to not open at all. Knowing you, you would’ve burst the door down if I didn’t answer quick enough for you.” I tilt my head at him in question. “Am I wrong?”
I’m almost concerned he’s going to shatter his teeth with how hard he’s clenching his jaw. “You were taking a long time. Your food is going to get cold. I wanted to see that you were fine,” he grinds out between his teeth.
“I am perfectly content,” I say as my stomach lets out a grumble at the mention of food. “Okay, I’m content with the exception of the fact that I might be a bit peckish.”
“Get dressed first,” he says before once again leaving me standing in my doorway.
I cross to where I left the stack of clothes and find that not only did he bring me a change of clothes for tomorrow, but he also brought me another shirt and pair of trousers of his that I assume is for me to sleep in.
It takes me no time to change into the borrowed clothes before snatching my room key from the side table and heading to his room for dinner. I knock softly and receive a muffledcome inin response.
Swinging open the door, I find that his room is almost a mirror image of my own with the exception that it’s slightly larger, including the bed.
I suppose that’s good considering he would struggle to fit in the bed in my room.
I spy a small table in the corner that’s cluttered by two trays with cloches over whatever meal awaits beneath.
“Sit,” Bastian orders from his seat at the table.
“Will you always boss me around like this?” I ask, earning me a narrowing of his eyes. It’s only then that I process the fact that the cloches remain overbothmeals. “Have you been waiting on me to eat?” I ask, bewildered.
“Well, I wasn’t going to eat without you. That’s just poor manners,” he says matter-of-factly.
A wave of guilt crashes over me. I was stewing in my anger and thoughts, meanwhile he’s been over here waiting on me. “I’m sorry to have kept you from your meal. You could’ve gone ahead without me.”
“I could’ve,” he says simply. “But I wouldn’t have.”
And with that he makes a show of lifting the cloches from the trays, revealing a pair of plates overflowing with roasted root vegetables and some sort of roasted poultry all drenched in a brown gravy. It smells absolutely heavenly. The spices tickle my nose as the steam wafts towards me. I can detect some of the usual suspects, rosemary and oregano, but there are others that I assume must come only from Alinea. I pierce a slice of the meat with my fork and it’s so tender that it nearly crumbles from that action alone. The flavors explode across my tongue. There’s aslight smokiness mixed with a sweet and some sort of brightness that only comes from citrus.
“Dear gods, this is incredible,” I moan as I chew.
Bastian clears his throat as he shifts in his seat. “I’m glad you like it. Helena’s mate is one of the best cooks I know in the realm.”
