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No. It was you.
Flushing, I started pulling all the blankets off me. “I better go get ready. The appointment at the bank is at nine-thirty, right?”
“Uh-huh.” Greid’s jaw cracked around another yawn as he followed me out of the cubby.
Yesterday afternoon, he’d helped me type up a short resumé that omitted any overt mentions of the cult, instead focusing on my work in the vineyards. Then he’d made an appointment for me at the nearest bank branch so I could set up an account.
It all made me feel like an actual adult. I’d be walking back into Abyss with a bank account and a resumé like a real person. I wouldn’t feel so much like I was just pretending.
“Can we get coffee on the way?” Greid asked as we left the living room. “And breakfast. Obviously.”
I smiled. “Sure. We’ll have time, right?”
“Yeah. The bank’s just at the next stop on the subway. Few minutes’ walk from the station.”
“Okay.” I hovered at the bottom of the stairs while he stood outside his bedroom door. “See you in a little while, then. Are you sure you don’t mind coming with me?”
“Of course not.” He tried to suppress another yawn as he said it.
I laughed and turned for the stairs. “Let’s hurry so we can get coffee as soon as possible.”
I didn’t feel as tired as I’d thought I would after trying shade for the first time. I really had slept well, curled up in that little nest with Greid. By the time I was freshened up and dressed in clean clothes, I felt wired and jumpy at the thought of speaking to a bank manager.
I met Greid in the front hallway, smiling when I saw him dressed in one of his sharp three-piece suits with his hair tied back in a somewhat tidy knot. I could hardly believe I’d left him down here just fifteen minutes ago all rumpled and mussed from sleep.
He looked so handsome. But still tired, his yellow eyes heavy. He held up my coat for me, so I slipped it on quickly, determined to get him some coffee as soon as possible. And—ugh—one of those blood tart things that he liked so much.
I left Abyss and hurried down the street, grinning when I saw Greid waiting for me at a little table outside Deep Brew.
I’d told him he could go straight home when we got back to the Cimmerian District from the bank, but he’d said he wanted another coffee, so he’d waited for me while I went into Abyss to speak to Mani.
He was hunched over his phone, two takeout cups on the table in front of him, but looked up as I crossed the street to reach him. Standing up in a rush, he pocketed his phone. “How did it go?”
“All good.” I grinned at him, excitement and nerves swirling in my belly. “My trial shift is tomorrow.”
“Oh wow. Awesome.” He handed me my coffee, then picked up his and edged out from the table. “What time?”
“Just four ’til seven. Mani said it will give me time to get the hang of things but also let her see how I handle the start of the evening rush.”
“You’ll handle it fine,” Greid said with utter confidence as we started heading home. “Do you have to wear all black or something? Seems like the kind of place to make you do that.”
I laughed. “Yes, actually. Luckily I have some black clothes that should be fine.”
“Do you, um…” Greid ducked his head. “Do you want me to come and meet you at the end of your shift? To walk back, I mean. It’ll be dark by then.”
“Yes, please,” I said quickly, then grinned up at him. “We could get dinner on the way home.”
He perked up. “Ooh, yeah. There’s a really good Japanese place down the street that doesn’t deliver. I’m always too lazy to come pick it up, so I don’t get it very often.”
I laughed. “Sounds good. Um… hey, if you’ve finished work by four, could you… Do you mind maybe walking me there as well? Just so I’m not silently panicking the whole way before I even get there.”
“Yeah, of course,” he rushed out. “No problem. But you’ll be great, Beryl. If anyone can handle drunk assholes, it’s you. Just look at them the way you looked at me that day at the compound.”
I burst out laughing, memories of last night rushing to the surface and making my chest grow warm. “Like I would tear your balls off if you came near me?”
Greid cleared his throat. “Yeah. Uh-huh. That way. It’s effective.”
Grinning, I sipped my coffee. “Better try and tame my hair so it looks somewhat presentable.”
