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He seemed to sense I was uncomfortable, so he hastily changed the subject. “What’s been your favorite part about the Dream World?”
I stirred my tea thoughtfully. “Everything is sovibrant, as if I’m living within a painting. Not to mention it’s a relief not to have to hide who I am.” The fear I’d only just suppressed returned full force. “What if I’m not good enough to remain?”
“You are,” he said earnestly.
I wanted to believe him. But while the Dream World was wonderful and no other place had ever felt like home the way it did, I still felt out of place, the belonging I’d spent my entire life seeking still missing. Strangely, the longer I sat with Darius, the more I felt it…especially with the tender way he was looking at me.
I blushed and seized another pastry from the plate, desperate for a distraction. “What’s the Nightmare Realm like?” Everyone had been so secretive about it, but I found myself rather curious.
He became thoughtful. “It’s entirely different from the Dream Realm, lacking the color and vibrancy you love. I don’t think you’d like it.” He frowned, as if this thought disappointed him, before his expression cleared. “But I find it interesting and mysterious, with its own beauty that one can find if they look hard enough.”
We continued to converse, spending our time talking and laughing rather than studying. The bubble of warmth I often felt when around Darius grew as his words washed over me, but my pleasure came from more than his stories—it was the warmth filling his voice, the animated way he spoke with his hands, the softness in his eyes and the way his expression lit up as he spoke.
At first I was entirely aware of all the curious and disapproving glances cast our way from the other occupants of the café, but the longer I spent in Darius’s presence, the less I cared. At first I thought him oblivious to the whispers and stares, but after a while he paused to look over my shoulder.
He lowered his voice. “Is it bothering you?”
I hesitated. “Not at the moment.”
By the worried way he studied my expression, I could tell he remained unconvinced. “I’d hate to make you uncomfortable.” He broke his last pastry into pieces with his fingers, raining crumbs onto his plate.
I glanced over my shoulder to find many people in the café still casting glances our way, not even bothering to remain subtle in their bafflement. My chest tightened. The fact that they were still watching us, even after Darius and I had been here for a while… “Is this unusual, what we’re doing?”
His smile was wry. “Yes, especially since I’m undoubtedly not putting on a convincing enough performance that I’m here for anything other than the pleasure of your company. Dreamers and Nightmares don’t interact. It’s inevitable while attending the Academy and during Weavings, but otherwise both worlds keep to themselves.”
I scrunched my brow. “I don’t understand. Is our magic really so different?”
“It’s not a difference between our magic, but how we choose to use it—especially that Nightmares acquire more through instilling fear. Though I prefer how those from my world use their talents, I acknowledge the need for Dreamers. Both light and darkness need to exist; it’s all about balance.”
I considered that. “I suppose that makes sense. I’ve seen evidence of that very notion while living on Earth. Rain is an opportunity to look for rainbows, while the night grants the chance to see the stars.”
He grinned. “Exactly. I wish more people understood that, but most have a difficult time seeing a view outside their own.”
“I’m glad you’re different than the other Nightmares and don’t mind interacting with Dreamers.” I frowned at his hollow, humorless laugh. “What’s so amusing?”
“I don’tenjoyinteracting with Dreamers, and I avoid doing so as much as possible. I believe Dreamers should exist and I respect them for what they do, but that’s the extent of it.”
I stared at him, thoroughly confused. “But you and I are here together right now.” I motioned to the books stacked beside us, books which still remained unopened. “You’re even assisting me.”
“My choice to be with you right now has nothing to do with the fact that you’re a Dreamer…it has to do withyou.” He gave my nose a playful tap.
My heart gave a stranger flutter. “But why?”
He said nothing more, simply looked at me in the intense way he often did, causing the connection between us to deepen. I ached to explore it further, and even though the meal we’d shared together was thoroughly pleasant, it wasn’t enough. I didn’t want our time together to end.
Yet all too soon we were interrupted by a rainbow-colored summons, which wove through the tables and stopped in front of me. I slid it open, allowing the message written in large, childish font to uncurl.Where are you, Eden?
Stardust. I bit my lip to suppress my sigh. Perhaps my cloud was a bittooprotective. “I should go before she comes looking for me.”
Disappointment squeezed my heart. I wasn’t ready for my outing with Darius to end. While I’d enjoyed my time in the Dream World thus far, there was something different about being with him…somethingmore.
Darius looked just as reluctant for me to leave. “She shouldn’t see us together.” His words and wary tone only confirmed my fears: our relationship, whatever it was, was just as forbidden as I feared.
I eyed the stack of books still resting untouched on the table. “We never studied.”
His sober expression melted into another crooked grin. “I suppose that means we’ll have to go on another outing.”
I smiled girlishly at the promise. I finished off the last of my tea before fiddling with my locket in order to pay Darius back for the meal, but he rested his hand over mine, stilling both it and my heart.
