Page 67 of Legacy Ascended

He lets the floor go early and holds me back, which he does to about two people a term.

"The first-year group you've been helping with," he says. "You've covered it when I'm short."

"Four times."

"Five. You got Halden through her first shift without her losing her mind about it, and I've had that girl in tears twice." He folds his arms. "What are you doing next year?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want to keep helping?"

I open my mouth and nothing comes out, because the honest answer is yes, badly, and I haven't said it to anybody including myself.

"Think about it," Voss says. "Come and tell me when you've got an answer and I'll tell you what it takes," and he goes and leaves me standing on an empty floor with a towel in my hand.

Jessica's in the corridor when I come out, leaning against the wall with her bag over her right shoulder, reading something on her phone. A loose piece of chestnut hair hangs in her face. I get maybe two seconds to look at her before she looks up.

“You looked good out there.”

“I did the same thing wrong too times.”

“I didn't say you were good. I said you looked good.”

She smiles and falls in beside me. “Why'd he keep you?”

“I'll tell you later.”

“Later?”

I catch her by the back of the neck and kiss her. She comes up on her toes, one hand catching in my shirt.

“Come to my room tonight.”

“Okay.”

“Eight?”

“I'll be there.”

Back in my room I sit on the end of the bed and don't do anything for a while.

Do you want to keep helping?

Do you want to be doing that?

Yeah. I do.

I've known the answer since he asked. I just haven't said it out loud yet.

So I call Leo before I lose my nerve.

He picks up on the fourth ring and the first thing I get is a lot of Frosthaven common room behind him — somebody's music, somebody else objecting to the music — and Leo saying something to a person who isn't me.

"—no, because it's my turn, you had it — hello?"

"It's me."

"MATEO." Something moves. The background goes quieter, which means he's walked out into the corridor. "Okay. Hold on. Let me look at you." A pause. "You look European."