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I ignored him and waited for Daniel to answer me.
“I asked him why he hadn’t made a move yet.”
Well, that wasn’t nice, but it shouldn’t have been enough to set Sai off like that. “I’m going to find him.”
By the time I made it outside, I couldn’t see Sai or Theo. There were too many options. Did they go to the hidden cabin? The farm? The forest? Our apartment?
I pulled out my phone to text Theo, but Niall called my name. When I heard his voice, I tried to smile but wasn’t convincing.
“What’s going on?”
I didn’t want to tell him in case he had the same reaction as Sai, but it wasn’t like I could keep him from finding out.
“Sai got mad at something Daniel said, and he stormed off. Theo went after him, and now I’m trying to find them.”
He looked around as if they would suddenly appear. “What did Daniel say?”
“It’s a long story.” I headed toward the tower. I wasn’t going to be able to find them and talk things out before Water magic started.
“We have time.” He fell into step next to me, and I stared down at my scuffed navy Converse.
Where did I start? Should I mention last night, what Hannah said, or the question Daniel asked?
He stopped walking and pulled me to the side of the path so we didn’t block anyone. “What’s going on?”
The beginning. That’s where I would start. Niall might not be as easy to talk to as Sai, but the only way to change that was to open up. We were bonded. He was stuck with me, with all of us. If I couldn’t figure things out on my own, I had to rely on them.
“Last night, Theo and I kissed.”
He didn’t flinch, didn’t react at all, so I kept going.
“He kind of upset me, and I was telling Hannah about it. Actually, she managed to get the information out. Maybe she used a spell.”
He didn’t laugh at my joke.
“Why did he upset you? What happened?”
Shit. I skimmed over that bit, hoping he would focus on the more recent parts. “Um.” I glanced around for a distraction, but the path was still pretty empty with so much time before classes started.
“You can tell me.” He took a step closer until we were inches apart.
Oh, man, this was awkward. I wanted to disappear, but I had to be mature about this. “Things got a little heated. I said I was ready for more, and he stopped and left.”
He held my eyes, giving nothing away. “And?”
“And that was confusing for me. I was hurt and didn’t understand why he didn’t want me.” I sighed. “I realize now he was right when he said we had time and didn’t need to rush things, but at the moment, I felt like there was something wrong with me.”
He took my hands in his. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. I can’t imagine how much control it took for him to leave you.”
I didn’t want to hear that.
“Anyway, things were awkward in our classes this morning, and Hannah asked me about it after science. I told her I’ve only kissed two of you guys, and she marched into the dining hall and demanded answers. I guess Sai didn’t know about either of them, so he stormed out.”
Niall groaned and pulled me into his arms. It felt like heaven being held by him.
For the first time since Theo walked out, my doubts vanished, and I soaked in the comfort he offered.
“We’re all a bunch of idiots, okay?” he whispered against my hair. “None of us know what we’re doing. We’ve never been in this position, and there are going to be plenty of growing pains. But I never, ever want you to think that it’s about you. There is nothing wrong with you. We’re all attracted to you. We all want that kind of relationship, but it’s hard when there are four of us. We’re trying not to step on toes, but at the same time, deepen our relationships with you.”
I gripped his jacket and pulled myself even closer to him. “I don’t want to hurt any of you.”
“We know that. We all have to be patient with each other.”
I nodded against his chest, and he kissed the top of my head.
Everyone warned me this would be hard, and they were right. But it would be worth all of this stress and heartache. It had to be. My growing abilities weren't enough. That couldn't be the only benefit. This relationship, the bond, had to be worth the struggles of adjusting. There was a reason the bonds were so special. They were revered. Finding each other was considered lucky. But it didn’t feel like it. It felt like another curse.
