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So I say and do nothing, and we sail on for Athens, leaving Corfu and its musicians behind. I’ll have my team send them VIP invitations for both my Athens shows, but it’s not the same. I wanted to meet up with them again. But it can’t be helped now.
My eyes hurt so much that I have to wear my dark glasses, even inside. I emerge on deck at some point, the sun hitting me square in the eye. I’m sure I look like the nerd of Christmas past, with my zero tan and my tousled hair, but I don’t care. The early summer’s warmth hits my skin, seeping into my chest. The sunlight is pure and tangible like honey. I settle on a lounge chair, close my eyes and tip up my chin to drink in its warmth.
When I open them again, dizzy and disoriented, the most exquisite sight greets my eyes: Eden is sitting at the edge of the deck, her back to me, her feet dangling over the frothing sea, with Pooh sitting right next to her. She is wearing an oversized white sweater with dark blue stripes and a pair of shorts, her red hair twisted in a loose bun, wisps flying in the wind. Her neck is bare.
They are just sitting there, watching the sun’s golden reflection dancing on the waves below them as the ship slides through the white waves, in companionable silence. Pooh’s tail is wagging slightly, and I know his little heart is happy.
Pooh did not look any worse for wear last night–in fact, he seemed to think it a huge win, on account of getting an insane amount of hugs and attention. But it’s not his job to know to stay away from dangerous people. It’s mine. Well, was Lou’s, but she’s officially fired from being anywhere near him.
I get up on stiff legs and walk to the railing slowly.
“Hey,” I say. Eden turns around. Her eyes look like today’s sun: warm, brilliant and absolutely soul-baring. “Good morning.”
“Noon, you mean,” she replies, not looking at me.
But she doesn’t immediately get up to leave or hide behind a curtain of hair either, so I scoot over and sit beside her. I grab the railing and slide my bare feet over the edge. Cool seawater sprays my bare skin and I immediately feel better.
“Good noon is not a greeting,” I say. I should have worn a second pair of sunglasses on top of these ones. My head is about to burst.
“You have one of your headaches, huh?” her voice sounds closer, as if she’s turned around to face me, but it hurts too much to move.
“You remember?” I wince.
I used to get these headaches all the time back at school. And she used to—
“Are you trying to kill me?” I hiss as her hands come gently around my neck, beginning to massage my pain away. Her fingers are cool and slender, setting my skin on fire. I lean back into her touch, my eyes drifting closed, the breath leaving my body. Her hands are magic. The pain is dissolving like liquid. She’s melting my bones over here. “Never mind. It’s already happened. I expire.”
Eden freezes for a moment and my eyes jerk open. What if she stops? Nowthatmight actually kill me.
“Am I hurting you?” she asks quickly.
“Of course not. You’re sending me straight to heaven,” I reply. “Like you used to.”
I can feel her smile. I melt again. Her fingertips are doing strange things to my neck and dangerous things to the rest of my body. My heart begins to slam against my chest and another kind of pressure starts building.
“You’re even better than you used to be, if it’s possible,” I croak, hoping she can’t hear the desperation mounting in my voice. If she keeps this up, I see myself jumping into the water. No other way to cool off after her touch. “Do I know how you learned to do this magic?”
“You don’t. My da– Someone used to do this for me whenever I had a really bad migraine.”
“Did you use to get them a lot?” How come I didn’t know this?
“Yeah.”
“I never knew,” I say.
“I never had them around you,” she replies. “You… I think you were the medicine.”
Well, that hurts to hear. I turn my head to the side, away from the sun. If it could just not be so relentless for one second, I might be able to convince myself that the bright light is the reason my eyes are wet right now.
“I’ll get you a hat.” Eden is quickly getting up. This girl has always been able to read my mind, from the first second I met her. Freaky.
My hand shoots out like reflex, grabbing her wrist.
“Don’t you dare,” I whisper. “You’re not my assistant. You’re not…”
“What am I?” she replies, but sits back down. I let go of her hand. My entire body is on fire. “Seriously, it’s not a big deal, let me go grab it.”
“If you get up right now, you’re fired,” I tell her.
