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Chapter 17
Nariana
When my First Aid course finally let out, I headed to the door like everyone else in class. A girl smiled at me when I let her go through the cramped space first, and then a guy gestured for me to go ahead of him. Nice. All of this felt nice, the people were nice, and my day had been nice. That was the best word I had, and I kept finding myself thinking it. Then, out in the hall was something even nicer.
Leaning against the wall across from my classroom door was a man I hadn't seen in a few days. His black clothes made the silver sword on his hip stand out even more, but this wasn'tmyguardian. It was Jamik, and the twisted smirk on his lips made it clear that he'd hoped to surprise me. I hurried over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck in an excited hug.
"I didn't expect to see you here!" I breathed.
His arms closed around my back and he lifted. "Ah, I had to come see how my little girl's doing in school this year." Then he set my feet on the ground and leaned back to see my face. "You look like you're in a good mood. Want to walk home with me and tell me about it?"
I grabbed his arm, making it clear he was going to escort me. "Last year sucked. This year is looking to be everything I'd hoped for. Priest Farik is brilliant, and I can't believe someone of his caliber is teaching my First Aid class - "
A chuckle made it clear I'd been overheard. Jamik and I looked back to find Farik making his way through the door. "Thank you, Nariana," he said.
"You're teaching?" Jamik asked.
That made Farik's brow crease. "Jamik? What happened to Amerlee?"
"No, I'm Nari's Protection mentor," he said. "Amerlee's actually her Body mentor, and she's at home waiting to hear how Nari's day went."
I just wagged my finger between them. "You... know each other?"
"We were in primary together," Farik explained. "I made the mistake of flirting with Amerlee. Jamik here was kind enough to let me down easy. I'd like to think we've all been friends since."
"More so when you put her back together," Jamik teased.
Farik just slapped his shoulder and laughed. "Always. It's the closest I'll ever get to that woman. But I need to get back to my patients. I'll see you tomorrow, Nariana. Nice to see you again, Jamik."
Farik turned up the hall while Jamik and I headed the other way. We made it all the way around the corner, heading back to our place before I couldn't take it anymore.
"He had the hots for Amerlee?"
"Still does," Jamik assured me. "I mean, I can't exactly blame him."
"And you weren't bragging either," I taunted. "I mean, since we all know you've got the magic penis that cured her of her lesbianism or something."
He laughed, shaking his head at that. "Far, far from it. I think spending so many years together convinced her that she could ignore my fatal flaw. And yes, by that I do mean my dick."
I just pressed against his side, hugging him while we walked. "Tell me things are good at home?"
"Would you like to stop by our place and see? Amerlee's been worried about you all day long. Shalsa's grumpy, which means she's ready to pick a fight if you need her to."
"No, it's good," I promised. "And I'd love to, but I have a feeling my guys are going to be worried about me walking home alone. You know how guardians get."
"I'll run over and tell them I stole you," he promised. "Mostly because I just miss seeing you as much, so I'm making your last first day of school into as big of a deal as I can."
"Fine, Dad," I teased.
But the smile he turned on me proved just how much he liked it when I called him that. It was true, though. This was the man who'd truly raised me. My own father had given me up when I was still young. I could barely even remember him. Instead, when I thought about all the things a dad was supposed to do, it was Jamik's face I imagined.
And Amerlee was my mom. I supposed that would make Shalsa and Irila like stepmothers or aunts. I wasn't sure of that, because they were as much a part of my family as either Amerlee or Jamik. The four of them had given me more love and understanding than most kids got, and they'd always encouraged me. It didn't even matter what they were encouraging me about, either. When I was with any of them, I felt like all of this was possible.
When we finally made it back to our hall, Jamik led me right to Amerlee's door, dragging me with him as he stepped inside. "Honeys?" he called out. "Nari's here. I have to run down and tell her guys I didn't lose her."
"Nari!" Irila gasped from the kitchen, hurrying over. "How was it today?"
"Fine," I promised, glancing back as Jamik slipped back out of the suite. "No, it was better than fine."
