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Chapter 58
Eladehl
The weather refused to let up. All week, the water falling from the sky varied between solid and liquid. The last few leaves on the trees were torn loose by ice slowly coating them. When the week was finally over, I stood by one of the outer walls, looking through the window at the grounds on the other side while waiting for Nari to get out of her First Aid class. Today, it was my turn to walk her home.
"Hey," she said, stepping up behind me. "I think winter decided to come in with a bluster."
I turned back to see the grey light making her skin look like smooth, perfect marble. "It's not quite winter," I assured her. "A little too warm, but it's nasty out there. You want to reschedule with Peyron or brave running to the far end of the temple square?"
She bit her lip, a devious little glint in her eye. "I haven't had a reason to use a coat all year. Now, the weather might convince me to stay late." Then she stepped closer, wrapping her arms around my waist. "What do the guys think?"
"They want to go," I admitted begrudgingly, because I was not a fan of cold or wet weather. "Just know that you're going to ruin your shoes, because all that grass is now mud."
"When was the last time you played in a storm?" she teased, pulling me away from the window and in the general direction of our room.
I caught her hand, moving her to my side so we could walk. "I was about seven, I think. I had this stick that I was floating in the 'river' and my mother was horrified. Evidently my choice of waterways was the piss trench in the middle of our street."
"Eww," Nari said.
I just laughed. "So I've been traumatized since. Now, we're going to go put your things away, get changed for a very casual evening with our friend, and find a coat for Anver."
"A coat for Anver?" she asked.
I nodded. "I just happen to know that his ward is making plans for some session they're doing tomorrow night. Sensuality's turn and all that. Means he'll need an excuse to bail on her tonight. A certain scheduler said that Sensuality will be picking up their assignments in about an hour."
Nari murmured her approval. "I do like Migard."
"Oh, we're keeping him," I agreed. "Shalsa said it's hard to find schedulers who care. She asked hers, and it seems all of the ones working with our class are just graduated. In other words, they're trying to accumulate regular priests."
"So, we can honestly keep him?" I asked.
"So long as we pass our graduation display at the end of next semester, we can." Then I turned her down another hall, aiming for home. "Nari, you aren't upset about Peyron or Anver, are you?"
Because that was my true worry. I'd kinda pulled Anver into things. Peyron had happened, but Talin had been jealous. We'd worked through that, and yet I'd never stopped to ask her what she wanted.
Nari just leaned her head into me. "I like him, Ela. I like having friends who don't expect me to always be this thing. I like spending time with you, Wraythe, and Talin as a friend. I like that Anver's back. I'm not sure what there is to be upset about."
"That I'm ignoring you?" I asked, all of my arrogance gone as I waited for the worst.
She stopped, turning to face me. "You have sat beside me in every class. You guys have done my homework. You found a way to make our sessions last week something we could do together. How is any of that ignoring me?" she asked.
"Sexually," I said.
Nari just laughed. "Because you fucked Zeal instead of me? Because you fucked Peyron instead of me? This is our life, Ela. How many nights have you slipped into the shower and kissed me until I was breathless? Believe it or not, I loveyou, not your dick. I'm also getting plenty of dick. If I had to choose, I would choose this - the man who can be my friend and make me want to smile stupidly - over sex. I don't have to choose, so I get to have it all."
"So, it's ok for me to like him?" I asked.
"Like, yes," she said. "Love Talin. Love Anver. Love Wraythe in that weird mess you two make work. I'd prefer you just like Peyron, though."
I caught both sides of her face and pressed my brow to hers. "I don't love him, Nari. He's fun. He's a distraction. He's something we can share, but he's not strong enough for me to love. You are. You, my beautiful woman who knows how to make my darkness into something that doesn't scare me, are everything."
She caught a fistful of my shirt, holding me there. "I love you too, Ela. Thank you for always understanding me. For being able to share not just our lovers, but all of this. The Path we're on, I mean. You make me feel like it's ok when this is sometimes hard."
"And I will always be here with you," I swore, lifting my face so I could kiss her forehead. "But you're seriously going to owe me a blow job for getting cold and wet to see your latest crush."
She gasped, then pushed at my chest, shoving me back playfully. "Just for that, I hope you ruin your shoes!"
Then she turned and tried to storm off, but it was hard to believe she was truly angry when little giggles kept slipping out. Hurrying to catch up, I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her neck. We walked like that, somehow making it work until we turned down our hall. By the time we made it back to our suite, she'd clearly "forgiven me" for picking on her. I also knew she loved it.
