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“That was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be,” I catch Domenic murmur while holding the door open for us.
“I honestly thought it was going to be a waste of time, but that stress melting away was exactly what I needed,” I agree, as we make our way towards the vast array of food.
A small group of students stands at the corner, waiting for their turn. Standing behind them, we form a line, grabbing plates and cutlery at the side as we wait. Domenic gives me a strange, heated glance before quickly masking his features, fidgeting with his knife and fork as we queue.
“Seriously, I think that is going to be my favorite class, especially after history,” Kali professes excitedly before glancing at me, wincing at her words. Chewing her lip, she looks at me apologetically.
“I completely agree with you.” I chuckle, the stress starting to creep back in as I scan the room, searching to see if the source of my earlier stress was about to blindside me again. Thankfully, there are no gods in sight and I breathe a sigh of relief. We move forward, the line advancing enough for us to fill our plates, and we head over to our table from this morning.
I eagerly start eating my meal before realizing both Kali and Domenic are sitting still, just watching me. I feel around on my face, checking to ensure nothing is stuck there before mumbling, “Huh?” around a bite of chicken.
“You’re really not going to tell us what’s going on?” Domenic asks incredulously, the fork poised over his food clattering down onto his plate.
“Yeah, what in the world is happening with the god of illusion and the god of war?” Her voice is hushed, not wanting anyone else to overhear our conversation. I swallow my bite before setting my fork down, my brow furrowing in confusion.
“Nothing’s going on,” I say slowly, not sure what they are trying to get at.
“We’ve been at this academy for a few weeks now. I’ve never seen the god of illusion stick around for longer than a few minutes when he brings them to the academy. He usually just directs them to the office and leaves. Yet yesterday, he took care of everything for you and was acting very familiar with you, like this morning,” she explains pointedly, as though I should already realize how strange his behavior has been.
I simply shrug, not knowing what else to say. Adrian had told me as much yesterday, although I didn’t want to look too closely at it. My resolve to not slip into my old habits of not sticking around might start to crumble if I examined him too closely.
“What about the god of war? I’ve never even seen him around the academy before. Now today, he comes to orientation, speaks to you and only you, then follows you to class.” Domenic points out, huffing out an exasperated sigh. As though I have all of the answers and just refuse to tell him.
I rub my head as a pounding starts. I really don’t want to examine what happened with Mateo. I don’t want to think about the pull I feel with him. One confusing, infuriating man was enough for me, thank you very much. I grimace at those words. Even just running through my head, they leave a sour taste in my mouth. They feel false. A deep churning in my soul rebels, twisting my gut in defiance. I push all thoughts of either man from my head, not having the mental capacity right now to unpack the feeling that just racked my body.
“Look, I have no idea what is going on. I’ve never met them before if that’s what you’re thinking. I just feel a pull to them. That’s all I know. I can’t explain, so, please don’t make me try.” A note of finality creeps into my tone. I close my eyes, trying to calm my busy mind once more and save myself the pounding headache starting at the base of my skull.
“Of course,” Kali assures in a rushed breath, chastising Domenic with a light tap to his arm. He raises his hands in surrender before silently pulling an imaginary zipper across his thin lips, putting the conversation to rest.
“Now, let’s talk about something much more interesting. You two!” A smile stretches across my lips as I look at both of them, excited to finally get the focus off of me.
“You’ve been here for a few weeks, so what’s the hot goss? Are you dating anyone? Are you dating each other?” The questions spill out of my mouth, barely taking a moment to think before blurting the never-ending thoughts that rush to my head.
Kali spits out a sip of her tea, bringing the cup away from her lips quickly to avoid wearing its entire contents. A few drops of tea splatter on my arm, tepid now from being in her mouth. My nose wrinkles and I stare down at the imposing tea splattered on my arm before wiping it with a napkin. I look up, seeing Kali’s face pale, her hands clasping over her mouth, eyes wide as she stares back at me.
Domenic bursts out laughing, banging his fist against the table as though he had a front-row seat to the funniest stand-up show. His eyes flash between Kali and me, taking in both of our expressions before I join him. Laughing at the scene that just played out as Kali still stares in horror.
“At least it didn’t come out of your nose.” I chuckle to bring a bit more levity to her expression. Her face is still frozen in horror.
“I am so sorry,” she stutters out, hands finally dropping from her mouth.
“Seriously, don’t worry about it. I will be angry if you don’t explain what exactly I said that led to that reaction.” I wave off her apology over the initial shock. More curious about the explanation for her and Domenic’s reactions.
“Probably because you asked if we’re dating.” Domenic gets out between gasps for breath, just beginning to compose himself.
My eyebrows knit together, gaze flitting between the two of them in an attempt to figure out what the joke exactly is.
“He’s not exactly my type,” she explains, finally taking pity on me. It takes me a few more seconds before her words click.
“Hey, I’m everyone’s type,” Domenic argues, chuckling as Kali gives him a slight shove. Her pale cheeks reddening at the teasing. I can’t help but smile at the action, seeing her already becoming much more confident since our meeting yesterday.
“Well then, are there any ladies you’re interested in?” I ask. She tucks her hair behind her ear, looking down at the table. The action showing the increase in her blush. Even her ears grow red. Her gaze flits over to a table behind us before lowering once more. I follow her to look over my shoulder, landing on Katrina and her two friends.
My gaze flies back to her, my eyes widening in shock, and I stare at her incredulously. My hands coming down on the table as I lean forward.
“No fucking way, Katrina?” I ask, my voice a hushed shriek. Her eyes pop up to mine, widening before she shakes her head. Domenic starts his chuckling once again, growing in intensity. His gaze moves from me to Kali.
“No way.” Kali shakes her head emphatically, red waves moving around her. “Her friend Stacia, she’s uh … not as bad, I’ve spoken with her a few times. She’s completely different when she’s not with them,” she admits, fidgeting with her fork as she looks down at her food, taking a few small bites.
