Reign seems to relax slightly. I’m not sure what has her so on edge. It’s not like we haven’t been alone together before.
“Oh, um, we were talking about Damien at first, but then she told us she and Ion are married, and that kind of took over the conversation.”
“Quite the age gap they have, huh?”
“She said 17 years! At first, I thought it was weird, but the way she talks about him, it’s like age doesn’t matter when it comes to two souls finding one another.”
“Do you believe in the whole soulmates thing?” I askout of pure curiosity.
“I’m not sure. I mean, I think so? Or at least I want to believe in it. Don’t you think it’s comforting to know that there’s someone out there who was perfectly made for you?”
“I hadn’t really thought about it that way,” I admit. “But no. I don’t believe in all of that.”
“Then what do you believe in?” She leans against the table, waiting for an acceptable answer, but I don’t have one to give her.
“I think that not everyone is as lucky as Ion and Danielle.” I can tell she’s not pleased with the answer, but she doesn’t push it. Instead, she just twirls her glass of champagne, watching it as if she’s in a trance. “What did you and Nio talk about out there?”
My question seems to snap her out of whatever daze she was caught in. “Oh, he was just telling me about the tides and how the moon affects them.”
“Stand up.” She looks up at me like I’ve lost my mind, so I offer her my hand. “There’s something I want to show you.”
She hesitates for a moment, but eventually takes my hand. “Do I need to change first?”
“No, what you’re wearing is perfect.”
I wrap my arms around her, and she pulls back. “Wait. We’re going somewhere far away?”
“You’ll see.” This time I tighten my grip around her waist. When we reappear, I make sure to cover her eyes before the smoke clears.
“What are you doing?” She asks, putting her hands on top of mine.
“Turn this way. Okay, take a step to the left. Alright, here is perfect.” I slowly remove my hands and wait for her reaction.
“Ryder… this is…”
The fact that she can’t find the words is exactly the reaction I was hoping for. She takes a couple of steps toward the pool of glitter. When she bends down to touch it with her hands, it slips right off of her moonlit skin.
She turns to me with a look of wonder and awe. “It’s like liquid, but it’s not.”
“You want to get in?”
She looks back at the pool of sparkles and at the waterfall of them falling from above. “Only if you go first.”
“Alright,” I agree with a nod. I remove my suit jacket and roll my sleeves up a quarter of the way. Not that it even matters much.
Her eyes follow me as I slip into the mystical pond. It only reaches a couple of inches above my waist, but I dip my head under so that she can see. When I come back up, the small diamond-like specks run down me, finding their way back to the pool of them.
“Are you wet?” She asks from the safety of her spot near the edge.
“No, it’s not like that,” I assure her. “Here, reach out your hands.” She cups them together, and I pour a handful of the stuff into her hands.
“I hardly feel anything.”
“So, you coming in or do I have to enjoy this all by myself?”
“Hush it! I’m coming.”
After she takes off her heels, I reach for her waist and help her in. When I put her down, the shimmering dots come all the way up to her chest. Childlike giggles escape her when she spins around, letting them run off her arms as she lifts them into the air. Her dress blends in so perfectly that it almost looks like she’s wearing nothing, and I have tolook away to keep my composure.
