“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just still tired.”
“I know. The Gales said you hadn’t slept in weeks.” She drops her eyes to her hands, twisting a wide gold cuff on her wrist. “They asked if I’d be willing to stay with you at night to help you sleep. I told them I would, if you were okay with it.”
I accidentally swallow my Mento.
I’m coughing so hard I can’t speak, which is probably better because I don’t know what to do with the idea of having a hot girl in my bed all night. I mean, that’s kinda the ultimate fantasy, except . . .
Wrong girl.
And what if Audra came home and found us together?
“That sounds like a really bad idea,” I tell her when my voice is finally working again.
“Why?”
“Because . . .” I can’t believe I even have to explain this. She’s my ex-fiancée—sorta—and I usually sleep in my boxers! “I don’t know. You really don’t think it would be weird?”
Solana shrugs and looks away, and I can see her cheeks turning pink. And that’s when I realize . . .
When I woke up, her arm was wrapped around me.
All this time I’ve been assuming Solana’s just as relieved about the no-more-betrothal as me. But maybe . . .
Solana pulls her hair around her face, hiding behind it as she picks up a framed photo from my desk. It’s a picture of me with my parents on a hiking trip from a few years ago.
“I guess we come from two different worlds,” she says quietly. “You grew up here, in a house with a family—not knowing anything about sylphs or Raiden or me. But I’ve spent my whole life on the run, never having a home or more possessions than what I could carry. Even my guardians were sometimes taken from me. . . .” Her voice cracks and she sets the picture down and turns to face me. “The only thing I ever had to hold on to was you.”
It’s hard to swallow again, but this time it’s a lump in my throat, not a Mento.
I clear it away. “Solana—”
“Don’t,” she whispers. “I’m not saying I’m in love with you. I don’t even know you. I just . . .” Her eyes well with tears and she blinks them back. “It’s just hard getting used to the idea of a completely different life.”
I can definitely understand that feeling.
“I’m sorry,” I mumble, sitting back down on the bed. “This is all such a mess, isn’t it?”
“It is,” she agrees, sniffling.
It’s so insane. Solana’s standing here crying over me—meanwhile Audra may have already dumped me.
I sigh. “You’re better off without me. Really. I’m a pain. And I’m horrible with girls. Just ask anyone I’ve ever dated.”
“Oh. So . . . you’ve dated?”
My brain turns into a running stream of expletives.
Why? Why did I bring this up?
“Um . . . well . . . that’s kinda what everyone does around here, so . . . yeah. But Audra always stepped in and broke things up before anything could happen so—”
“Audra went on your dates?”
I can’t help smiling as I remember some of my most infamous dating disasters. “Let’s just say she took her job very seriously.”
“Oh.” Solana sweeps back her hair and adjusts her dress, making her cleavage pop out even more. “That’s good, I guess. I always thought it was strange that the Gales chose her as your guardian. I mean, isn’t she our age?”
“She is.”
I’m about to say more when I realize that the frown on Solana’s face looks a lot like jealousy. And the last thing I need is any Audra-Solana drama.
A really really really really really really really really long, uncomfortable silence follows. I’m reaching the point of wanting to scream into a pillow when Solana finally says, “So . . .”
She hovers near the edge of the bed, like she’s debating about whether she should sit next to me. I scoot over and she sits.
It’s hard to ignore the part of my brain screaming, PRETTY GIRL ON MY BED!!!!!!! Especially when she turns to me and asks, “So, you really don’t want to sleep with me?”
I can’t help blushing. “I don’t know.”
“You need to sleep, right?”
I really do—and it’s a pretty sweet bonus that her little dream trick also helps me bring back more memories.
I clear my throat. “I guess we could try it. But I’m not up for every night.”
“Don’t worry. I have to sleep sometimes too.”
“Oh, right. Wait—were you awake last night?”
She nods and I can’t decide if that’s embarrassing or creepy—but I’m guessing it’s both because I feel almost violated.
Especially when she adds, “You mumble sometimes.”
My face seriously feels like it’s going to burst into flames at this point. “Do I want to know what I said?”
“Probably not.”
“Oh, God.”
“Relax, I’m kidding. I honestly couldn’t understand most of it. The only word I caught was ‘stay.’ ”
“Stay,” I repeat.
“Yeah. When we brought you home. Your mom was arguing with the Gales and I wasn’t sure if I should be here, since you’d been so angry earlier. But when I tried to pull my hand away your grip tightened and you mumbled, ‘Stay.’ So I did.”
Her cheeks flush and she stares at her right wrist, twisting the golden cuff again.
She must’ve thought I meant that for her.
“Is that bracelet from your parents?” I ask, trying to change the subject.
“Actually the Gales gave it to me.” Several seconds pass before she adds, “It’s what we call a link. Most people wear them on their left wrist to symbolize their bond, but they gave me this to represent . . .”
She doesn’t finish. But when she holds it out to me I can see the letters S and V etched into the center of a carving of the sun.
“Well,” I say, trying to keep my tone light. “Guess you don’t have to wear that anymore.”
“Yeah. True.”
And yet, she doesn’t take it off.
I have a feeling I know what that means.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” my mom calls from the doorway—because apparently the universe decided this moment needed to be even more awkward. “Did you have a good night?”
She grins at me and I’m pretty sure it’s proof that my mom’s been body snatched. Especially when she turns to Solana and says, “Thank you so much for doing this.”
“Of course.”
I’m relieved to hear the slight squeak in Solana’s voice. At least she realizes how weird this is.
My mom hands her a pale yellow satchel. “I had the Gales bring over your things so you can shower and change. You’ll want to use my bathroom. Vane hasn’t cleaned his in so long it’s probably a public health hazard.”
“I’ve had a few things going on,” I grumble.
“The bathroom’s just through my bedroom,” my mom tells Solana, pointing down the hallway. “Clean towels are on the counter and help yourself to anything else you want. You know how to work a shower, right?”
“She’s a sylph, not an alien, Mom,” I interrupt as Solana slips past my mom and disappears down the hall.
My mom blushes. “Right.” She waits until Solana closes the bathroom door. Then she turns to me and says, “So, interesting night.”
“Yeah, no kidding—and since when are you okay with letting a hot girl sleep in my room?”