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A big relief.
“What about your parents?” Adrian asked. “You said it’s just Hunter.”
“They passed away a couple years ago. My mom passed in her sleep, a heart attack, and my dad passed the next day. He loved my mom so much he died of a broken heart himself.”
I couldn’t believe I’d just shared that, with Adrian of all people. I blamed the liquor.
Adrian’s demeanor changed. The alcohol must have been affecting him, too, because I’d expected him to laugh it off somehow, but he didn’t.
Instead, he stared down at his empty glass and looked sad. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
I preferred his rudeness to his sympathy. “What about your parents? Leo said your father is the chef here?”
“Best cook in Esmerelda.” He smiled, the first proper smile I’d seen from him, softening the strong edge of his jaw. “And my mother passed.” His smile faded as he reached into his pocket and pulled something out.
Lavender.
The second time he’s had some on him.
He brought it close to his nose and closed his eyes in deep thought. “Lavender was her favorite. I always carry a bit with me so whenever I miss her, or wish she were here, I have it to remind me of her.”
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes at his surprising vulnerability. Even in another world, the feeling of loss was universal.
Adrian looked at me with worry. “I heard you saw what happened to Simon during the Rogue attack. Are you okay?”
I lifted my shoulder casually. “Would it matter if I wasn’t? I didn’t lose my life. Simon did. My feelings are irrelevant.”
Adrian shook his head, turning his glass on the bar’s top between his fingers. “Your feelings aren’t irrelevant to me.”
I poured myself another drink to numb the impact of his words, letting the liquor sear through my throat and chest instead of his kindness.
Maybe Sigrid had been right; maybe Adrian meant well once he warmed up to someone new.
We sat in silence for a while, lost to our own thoughts and drink, until the lights underneath the veranda above us sprang to life, the sun now low in the sky.
“Beautiful,” I whispered.
“Yes,” Adrian agreed, but he only looked at me, his eyes making me feel hollow and full at the same time.
He stood suddenly. “I need to make my night rounds. Are you able to find the way back to your room?”
I nodded, snapping out of his trance.
Leo had barely been away, and I was half drunk, tossing around the idea that Adrian wasn’t as bad as I’d originally made him out to be.
“Goodnight, then,” he said, setting his piece of lavender down next to me and leaving.
His footsteps fading with the remaining sunlight.
“Goodnight,” I whispered.
After a few more drinks, and a couple hours later, I took the steps down from the rooftop slowly and carefully.
I’d drunk way too much.
Was the alcohol stronger here?
Luckily, the corridors were lined with oil lamps that guided me all the way back to my bedroom door.
