Page 16 of Somnium

Shaking her head, Cadi turned her attention to the dusty blackboard menu suspended from the side of the coffee cart. Her eyes skimmed the list of Underworld-themed drinks, and she quickly made the easy decision to avoid anything with the word “inferno” in the name. That, however, seemed to be the only decision her brain was willing to make for the moment. The line in front of them dwindled, bringing the window closer and Cadi’s anxiety higher. It was supremely inconvenient that her body reacted to simple tasks such as ordering coffee as if she were being placed in mortal peril.

She was still studying the menu when Zoe’s elbow connected with her ribs. The demon in the window was waiting for her order, a single claw tapping impatiently against the metal counter. Cadi’s eyes darted back to the chalkboard in a panic.

“Um … I’ll just get whatever she got.”

The demon arched a bushy eyebrow and let out an impatient sigh. “Hot or iced?”

“Hot.”

The demon’s pen stilled, hovering over the rectangular pad for a beat before finishing Cadi’s order with an irritated grunt. Zoe glanced at her in disbelief, but Cadi just shrugged. Despite the day’s temperatures hitting record highs, she just couldn’t support the idea of intentionally cold coffee.

They stepped onto the grass, joining the other customers around the side of the cart. The park around them was full of life: families chasing after children on the playground, friends lounging in the sun. It seemed the residents of Fiddler’s Green had turned out in force to enjoy the nearly perfect day. Cadi leaned back against a nearby tree to watch the faerie frisbee match with a mix of fascination and confusion. It seemed they were using small bits of magic to not only alter the course of the disk midair, but also to sabotage each other. A light chuckle bubbled from her throat when a particularly competitive faerie waved her hand in the direction of her opponent to send him cartwheeling through the air and into a bush.

Something hot brushed against Cadi’s fingers, and she came out of her thoughts to find Zoe standing in front of her holding both of their drinks. Shame sat heavy in her chest for allowing herself to become so absorbed in people watching that she hadn’t heard the demon calling out her order, leaving Zoe to retrieve them both.

“Sorry,” she said, taking the cup. “Easily distracted.”

Zoe leaned around her to where the group of faeries was now engaged in a heated debate about an alleged rule violation. Her brows knitted together in confusion before giving Cadi another sideways glance. “Okay …”

Cadi’s stomach dipped, her eyes dropping to the to-go cup in her hands. Apparently, the inner workings of faerie recreation were not of interest to Zoe.

They fell into step on the cobblestones, following the winding path deeper into the park. A thick silence hung between them, with Zoe sipping quietly on her blended latte, and Cadi picking at the loose plastic tab hanging from the lid of her cup. She kicked herself for letting her mind wander. Even though she had felt herself becoming more relaxed around Zoe, she should have known better than to get too comfortable. The last thing she needed was another friend to decide that she was too much or too awkward and pull away just as she started to believe that maybe this time it would be different. At least she had Bacchus to look forward to that evening. Wine, Sera, and much less need for a filter.

The cobblestones gave way to a narrow wooden bridge arching over the small river in the center of the park. Zoe slowed, leaning against the railing to peer over the edge. A tiny smile curved her lips as she twirled her fingers, leaning into her nymph nature to play with the water beneath them, drawing up tiny columns of bubbles.

Cadi rested her arms on the sun-warmed wood to watch the display, but her mind was still stuck back at the coffee cart. She considered apologizing again, but maybe that was too much. Moving on may be better. Gods, this was making her stomach hurt.

She opened her mouth, fully prepared to lie shamelessly and claim that she didn’t always find herself completely entranced by obscure hobbies, but was spared when Zoe spoke first.

“Speaking of dates, any chance I can convince you to cover my shift at the temple next Thursday?”

Cadi huffed a laugh, grateful for the change in topic. “Hot date with a high priest?” she teased.

“Please,” Zoe said with an eye roll. “I think he may have other plans that evening.”

Zoe had just switched the weekly post-Somnium shift with Damon. The hours were later, but the demands were much less than normal, which is exactly why both of them had jumped at the chance when Polly sent out the email letting all the attendants know that shift had opened up. Even so, after a full day of work and Somnium, putting on her itchy attendant robe to clean was the last thing Cadi wanted to do. Plus, it would mean canceling on Sera.

“Why not ask Celine?” she said, swirling her drink before lifting it to her mouth to take a sip.

Zoe scoffed and shook her head. “Love the girl, but she’s lazy as hell and I don’t feel like being responsible for that. Plus …” She turned to Cadi with a sly smile. “Damon wanted me to ask you.”

Cadi gasped, pulling scalding coffee directly into her windpipe. A spray of liquid splattered across her scrubs as she choked, even managing to hit the railing in front of her for good measure.

“Oh gods, are you okay?” Zoe asked, her eyes filled with concern.

Cadi nodded, waving her off. Strangers passing by on the bridge stopped to cast worried looks in her direction, and if she hadn’t been so focused on trying to breathe, she might have been embarrassed. After a few agonizing moments, she was finally able to fill her lungs with coffee-free air, steadying herself against the rail.

“Why?” she managed between gasps as she held the soaked fabric of her top away from her skin. Thank the gods she had remembered to stash a spare in her locker.

Zoe’s look of concern faded to one of wry disbelief. “Seriously?” she asked, crossing her arms in front of her. “You’re really gonna stand there and tell me you haven’t noticed the way he can’t keep his eyes off you?”

Cadi let out a sound of displeasure at Zoe’s assessment. It definitely had not been lost on her the way she constantly caught him looking, or the way he always managed to stand just a little too close. Not only was Damon not someone she had any interest in pursuing, but this seemed like a guaranteed way to ensure that Celine never warmed up to her.

“I don’t know, I don’t want to cause any issues. Aren’t he and Celine …?”

Zoe tossed her head back and let out a sharp cackle. “Maybe in her mind. Trust me, this is a golden opportunity; he isn’t about to let it slip by, and neither should you.” Her last words were punctuated by a playful wink as she leaned over and nudged Cadi with her shoulder.

A pit formed in Cadi’s stomach. She should have been flattered, excited. But she wasn’t. In that moment, the only thing her body would let her feel was anxiety. Still, it wouldn’t be a good look if she flaked out the first time Zoe asked her for a favor, and it was just one shift. She knew that she was probably just over thinking the whole thing, so she took another sip of coffee, ignored the sharp tangle of nerves that had settled into her gut, and nodded.