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“No, I don’t miss him. I’m just afraid of letting myself fall into another bad relationship.” My voice was quiet. “I’ve never been good at knowing what’s right for me. Part of me wishes my fated mate would swoop out of the trees and declare me his, just so I didn’t have to wonder anymore.”
Remmo was silent for a moment.
A long, long moment.
He finally said, “Fate is not always correct. There were many fated couples in the unseelie land who despised each other.”
“I know. But if it isn’t my choice, then when everything goes to shit, I’ll know it’s not my fault.”
There was a long pause before he spoke again.
“You assume that all relationships will fall apart?”
“If I’m in them, yes,” I whispered, letting my eyes shut tightly. “I told you that before.”
“I suppose I didn’t take it seriously.”
My lips curved upward a little sadly. “Well, I do make a lot of jokes.”
He chuckled softly. “You do.”
“You’re okay with only being friends?” I asked.
“I am thrilled just to be at your side, Iloli.”
“Even if we don’t make out again, or get each other off, or have sex?” I pressed. “I don’t think I’m ready for this thing between us to get any more intense than it is. We might need to take a few steps back.”
“Even then, Sunny. Being next to you is more than enough for me.” His murmur was quiet, but truthful.
My eyes stung, and I couldn’t come up with any words to say.
When the side of his hand bumped mine lightly, I took the opportunity to take it and slide my fingers between his. He let me grip him tightly, and both of us were silent for so long that I fell asleep.
The next fewdays passed by slowly—but in the very best way.
Remmo patiently taught me the ins and outs of Vevol’s magic. When I needed a break, we’d eat fruit and chat about the wild places he’d seen. Every time he told me about something new, I found myself wanting to see it.
Not alone—with him.
Which I didn’t allow myself to overthink, though I was tempted.
When we weren’t talking about Vevol, he was questioning me about Earth. I started to dodge the questions about my life—so he stopped asking them—and instead told him about the books and movies that I had loved so much. I’d tried bargaining with some of the seelies for movies and books in particular that I wanted from Earth, back when we lived in the Stronghold, but they never brought the right ones.
So, my largest fictional obsessions lived only in my memories.
And Remmo’s, too, as he listened to me explain in detail every single plot twist, turn, and slide in every damn series that I loved.
To his credit, he asked all the right questions. And he was properly stunned when he found out that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father, so I decided he was officially my favorite audience in Vevol.
A few days morphed into a few weeks, and neither of us was in a hurry to leave. I fought hard to keep things platonic, since I didn’t want to crush his heart when I eventually decided to break the mating bond.
Honestly, he was the best friend I’d had in a long time.
Other than Dots, but I considered her family.
But eventually, I decided I needed to emerge and prove to my friends that Remmo had in fact not murdered me. So, after three weeks and a handful of days in the glowing cave, we headed back out.
“This time, you lead the way,” Remmo told me, his eyes glittering.
