Page 122 of Crystal Luna

“Three or four I guess.”

“Were you stressed? Or are you just an early bird?”

“A little bit of both.” The only times she’d somewhat slept in, had been with Heath.

“We don’t want you to feel like you have to act in front of others—”

“But I shouldn’t pick fights?” she interrupted him.

“I actually wanted to say that you don’t have to pretend. I wasn’t sure if that’s what you were doing yesterday when you talked to Renly and Axel.”

“I wasn’t. I was simply passing time.”

“Okay. I couldn’t tell and just wanted you to know that you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“People keep saying that and yet I’m still here.” She shook her head when he opened his mouth to respond. “Don’t.”

She took that opportunity to take her lunch and retreat to her bedroom. Once her stomach was stuffed, she dragged some pillows and blankets to the window and got comfortable. She knew that though she could see out, no one could see in and it was a safe place to watch the village from afar.

She wasn’t sure when she’d fallen asleep but at some point, she woke up to a gentle knock on the door.

“Vel,” Asher called out. “Mom and Dad are going to be here soon.”

“Great,” she mumbled, stretching her legs.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah, but don’t get your hopes up. I’m not naked.”

He stepped in with a grin, a little surprised to see her by the window. “Shame.”

“What is it?”

He shrugged and sat on the edge of the bed closest to her. “Honestly, I just wanted to see you before they got here. I guess I got too used to you being close to me the past few days that I missed seeing you today.”

“Of course. You’d be out of your mind not to miss my insults.” She looked him up and down. He was dressed casually, in jeans and a dark shirt. “Is that what you’re wearing?”

He answered with a simple nod.

“Good. Then I’m not getting fancy either.”

Asher tracked her every move as she crossed the room to pull jeans and a t-shirt out of her bag. “We put some clothes in the closet but weren’t sure if they were your size.”

“Okay.”

She’d missed her post-workout shower, so she ducked into the bathroom to rinse off before getting dressed. When she opened the bathroom door, Asher still sat on her bed waiting for her like a good little pup waiting for his owner.

“So, what are the rules for dinner?”

“No scratching each others’ eyes out?” Isaiah suggested as he stepped into the room.

He too was dressed casually, though his shirt was slightly different in colour.

“That seems doable. There are many other things I’ve learned to do.” Noticing that they both tensed, she turned serious. “Look if they behave, then I will too, okay?”

Isaiah nodded, taking the seat next to his brother. “It’s going to be short anyway.”

“Because of me or because of you?” she asked, sensing that there was something she wasn’t being told.