What had originally been slow and intentional choices over what Ida would like best became quick grabs of what fit her needs. I could feel bad about any unfavorable decisions later, right now I needed to get some fresh air.
Had it not been so loud inside, I might have noticed the absolute downpour of rain that had started pummelingoutside. The thatched straw coverings over the dirt sidewalks didn’t stand a chance as the wind blew droplets near-sideways. The locals must’ve been used to it. They’d set up what barriers they could around their stalls—mostly scrap metal, straw, and wood—and gotten back to their jobs. I understood. Work was work.
I made my way to a handyman’s booth; it stood out as one of the better weatherproof designs. There was even a tin roof on the customer side of the counter, something most vendors didn’t bother with.
“Aye,” the scaled man greeted, “Whatcha lookin’ for?”
I squinted at the cubbies of goods behind him, then down at my list. Theo had written endless names of nails, screws, bolts, and other miscellaneous metal items. None of the specifics meant much to me. I’d have to hand this guy the list and hope for the best, I supposed. Maybe “woman doesn’t know about home improvement” was an inter-planetary stereotype I could use to my advantage. Weaponized sexism.
I lifted the paper, my back getting soggier by the moment as horizontal rain sprayed across me. “I have a list—”
I felt Theo’s looming presence behind me before he spoke. Maybe it was his warmth, or the way the rain suddenly stopped hitting me. Or, maybe, some part of me had already become used to having him around. My soul felt the relief of his company after a period of absence, like he’d always belonged by my side.
Yikes.Definitely not that. Probably just the way he blocked the rain.
“You can tuck that away, darling. Try to keep it dry for us,” he said smoothly.
I folded the paper up and hid it amongst the layers of fabric within my bag.
Theo and the seller went back and forth, pieces of metal clinking together as they were added to wooden boxes for us. I’d never considered how many nails went into building a house. Turns out,a fuckin’ lot.
After payment and some gruff “thank you”s were exchanged, it was time to embrace the wet. I stood at the last step of semi-dry dirt, staring out and bracing for a day of cold and damp.
“Do you want to stay at the inn while I finish our shopping?” Theo offered, peeling my canvas bag from my shoulder and hooking it over his arm.
“Oh no,” I chuckled at the audacity of the offer. Like I’d let him slave away in the rain for me while I cozied up in a warm bed. “We’re handling this as a team. You ready for our next stop? I saw kitchenware around the corner.”
“Onward we go.” He grinned, stepping into the pouring rain the same moment thunder quaked the ground.
We stepped into our room at the inn and I headed straight to the bathroom. The public restroom situation in Drifael was non-existent and Ihad to go. Our final stop—telling Ida’s friend that she wasn’t dead—had taken some time, understandably. I didn’t know the Trebianna customs of asking to use their restroom, so I had grimaced my way through the conversation. I could only hope my expression read as empathy. My physical state turneddireon the walk back.
Not to mention, I just really wanted to wash the muddy, chaotic day away. When I was first zapped to my field, I didn’t think I’d have a hot shower ever again. This one was ground-temperature-warm at best, but it was ashower. And that was pretty rad. I closed my eyes and let the fresh, slightly warm water soothe my tired bones.
Clean at last. Running a towel through my hair, I grabbed for the dress we’d left to air-dry in the window last night.
Fuck.
It was wet.
Of course it’s wet.We’d left it by the damn open window during a storm. My eyes followed the water to the floor, where a puddle blended into the mottled tiles. Our “fresh” clothes weren’t just damp… they were fucking soaked.
“Theo!” I poked my head past the door, craning my neck to find him standing by the bow window, his rain-drenched shirt transparent and clinging to every muscle of his back. I was surprised to find the extra set of shoulders and arms so… appealing? Strong. Masculine. Godlike.
“Everything ok?” he asked, turning to face me.
“My dress is sopping wet,” I explained. “The rain came through the window.”
He cringed and scratched his head. “Shit. Do you have another change of clothes?”
“No. I left my third dress with Ida to dye.” Ida was on a mission to provide me a wardrobe with variety.
“I’m so sorry, Viv.” Even though the door was technically between us, his eyes averted to the floor respectfully.
“So… what are our options?” The idea of getting into bed in wet clothing made me nauseous, but if it was that or be completely naked, I’d choose the coverage.
“I only have one dry outfit left, but it’s all yours.”
I frowned as I watched his pecs rise and fall under the thin cotton of his t-shirt. His nipples were hard. His muscles seemed tense. He must be freezing just like me.
