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Chapter 33
Eladehl
Talin sparred with me while Nari had her lesson in the Salle. We both kept looking over to check on her, which meant we weren't really focused on what we were doing, and yet he felt strangely distant. He'd been right there with me for the session over the weekend, but ever since, something had been off.
Nerves, I wondered, or maybe a little embarrassment. I tried to dismiss it, but when he was still acting a little odd later, I couldn't take it anymore. The first chance I had to get Wraythe alone, I quizzed him. It seemed Talin had been jealous of Peyron. That was news, and the kind that didn't sit right with me.
But, before I made a big deal out of nothing, I waited until I could talk to Anver. That was when the whole story came out. Yes, Talin was jealous. He also hated that he felt that way, and it had nothing at all to do with Nari. It was me - all me - and the reason I couldn't stop thinking about it was because that was how a guardian's bond worked, Anver said.
He told me to leave it alone and just prove to Talin that he meant something. I, however, had a better idea. I didn't believe in ignoring problems until it was too late. The last time we'd tried that, we'd lost Anver for years. So, halfway through the week, I asked Wraythe and Anver to watch over Nari for us - all night. I needed some quality time with the man of my dreams.
Wraythe agreed a little too easily, which meant he'd missed spending time alone with her. Anver said he was always willing to help. Nari was the one who surprised me. She told me to use my words, not my body. To Talin, love meant more than just sex. So I enlisted her help.
The planning was actually easy. Nari asked Talin to meet her after her First Aid class. Then she headed over to Amerlee's for a bit, asking about Ursula. That gave Wraythe and me an hour. My best friend went to order a meal for two, and the romantic kind. I cleaned the suite up and set a candle in the center of the table. When the food arrived, I had Nari's favorite Priest of Obligation, Drandir, help me arrange it to set the mood. The man earned a gold coin for that.
Then I waited. And I waited. Just when I was sure that our meal would get cold, Talin stumbled through the door with a heavy sigh. His eyes immediately landed on the dinner table.
"Expecting company?" he asked.
I closed my textbook and stood up. "Yeah, you. Do you have any idea how hard it is to plan a surprise for my boyfriend?"
"Not - " His mouth snapped shut just a little too fast.
"Not Peyron," I finished for him. "Talin, Pey's cute, and he's gentle. Another word for that is safe. I promise I'm not in love with him."
Which was when Talin's head dropped and he let out a dry chuckle. "Who told on me?"
"You did," I promised, steering him toward the table. "Babe, we have all night, and it's just the two of us."
He hesitated halfway there, glancing back to the door. "Yeah, but Nari's just going to help Anver..."
"Anver and Wraythe promised to watch over her tonight," I assured him. "Anver invited them both to his place, actually."
"And classes in the morning?" Talin asked, once again letting me guide him to his chair.
I pulled that out and eased him down. "Wraythe will bring her to Entertainment." Then I paused to kiss his neck. "Talin, when was the last time we were alone? How long has it been since we've just been able to talk? Look, something happened this weekend, and I'm not sure where I screwed up, but there is no fucking way I'm going to just ignore it until you slip away from me, ok?"
"You didn't do anything wrong," he promised, tipping his head for me to sit down across from him. Then he lifted the silver cover to see his meal. "And you put in a little effort, hm?"
Because dinner was steak, cooked medium-rare, with everything he liked most - including a pair of cookies from the head chef. My goal was to make it clear that I knew him, that I paid attention to him, and that I loved him. So far, it seemed to be working.
"Can we talk about this anyway?" I asked as I revealed my own dinner.
It was common and boring, but still the type of food I loved. Meatloaf had been my favorite as a child, and the cooks at the temple made it even better than my mother. Talin's eyes swept across my plate, and the smile on his lips made it clear he wasn't mad at me. At least not right now. Unfortunately, that didn't do much to set me at ease.
"We shouldn't have pulled you into the session," I said when he didn't respond fast enough. "That was our assignment, and I know you're always willing to help, but I think I pushed too hard, or too far. Something, because for the last few days, I feel like things have changed between us."
"I'm trying to ignore it," Talin broke in. "Not you. Not the session. Ela, you like Peyron, ok? I get that. It's impossible not to see."
"Nari and I used to giggle about him," I tried to explain.
He waved that off. "That's not the problem. You haven't done anything wrong," he said again. "It's just that I've never seen you like a guy before. Nari? She likes a lot of people. She's nice to everyone, at least on the surface. You aren't. You break them, you cut them down, and then you make them adore you anyway - but Peyron was different."
"A reminder of happier days," I said.
He nodded. "And I get that. I promise I do. It's just that I'm bound to Nari. I can feel her more often than not. You? All I know is that you're this gorgeous man who's making a name for himself. Everyone wants you. Zeal can't keep his eyes off you! And here's me, the Baron's younger brother, used to having everything handed to him. For once in my life, it's not that easy, and I'm having to figure it out, ok? I'm trying to just ignore it, because the last thing you need is my spoiled ass getting in your way."
"But that's not how I see it," I told him. "I love you. That means I care about what you think."
