Chapter 26: Garion’s Nightmare Brigade
WINTER TERM - January 3rd
"So, what's the deal with you and Aries now?" Aisling asked over breakfast. I'd gotten here early, to read the new combat textbook with coffee, and Aisling, likely suspecting this, came to needle me out of it.
We hadn't had a moment really to talk just the two of us, and even then, it was hard for my attention not to be drawn up to the invisible familiar making a nest for itself in her hair.
That thing had overtaken most of our conversations in recent days. I still didn't know what kind of animal it was, or if it was dead, or if it had ever been alive. Aisling was more focused on trying to give it a name and maybe next, determine if it had a gender. We can't just be calling it an it! she'd said.
But like I said, we'd been busy with other things, so I hadn't seen it coming when she'd asked about Aries. I'd gotten used to in the past month not having to explain myself, for better or worse.
"Zeph?"
Apparently, I'd been taking too long with my answer.
"I'm trying very hard not to be an ass," I said. It was more than that though. I was stuck between wanting to talk to her about Aries and knowing that might hurt more than help. Because what was I going to say? We kissed a few times and fought and now we just had awkward silences and too-long hugs.
I liked Aries. I didn't want to, but I do. And it's annoying, in part because he's annoying, but now I have to also contend with the fact that I think it's cute when he's nervous, or that I like that he's always invading my personal space. I didn't tell Aisling all this exactly, but I tried to imply it in so many words.
"We're still figuring things out," I said.
Aisling eyed me, pressuring me to go on but there wasn't more to say, or at least not more I was willing to talk about.