Page 36 of Soulmateless
She falls silent, her attention diverted to the pavement. My heart pounds at the possibility that she could reject me. What would I do if she said no? Do I just leave her out here like this? I couldn't. I’d sleep out here with her if I needed to.
She lets out a huff. “Fine. I'll come with you.”
I let out a breath of relief. “Thank you.”
“You're sayingthank youfor letting you helpme?” She shakes her head. “You're a weird man.”
“I hope weird doesn't mean terrible,” I chuckle as she approaches me, keeping eye contact with her amber eyes.
Amber eyes.
They're irises like rings of fire, vibrant under the warm street light above us. They're beautiful!
“Your eyes are very beautiful by the way.” I offer her a gentle smile.
She scowls. “What do you mean by that?”
My eyes widen and my cheeks start to blaze. Does she think I'm flirting? “Nothing weird or anything. I just wanted to give a compliment.” It would be weird considering the situation at hand.
Her glare softens before she looks down “Oh… yes. You too.”
I titter. Did she really mean that, or was she saying that just because I did? “Thanks.”
I lead her to the end of the street where there's a crosswalk, where a rose colored timer counts down. Once it drops down to zero, walls of light pink sparkles line the crosswalk, preventing cars from moving forward.
I walk between the protective walls, only to realize Clara isn't beside me. I look behind me to see her gawking, still on the sidewalk. “This is….” She whispers. She slowly takes a step onto the crosswalk, studying the sparkles with the same eyes of a child that just got a puppy. “I’ve seen the sparkles from far away but I’ve never been inside.”
I laugh. I didn't realize how strange this would look to someone new around here. The crosswalks and walls of protection have been here my whole life. “We only got ten seconds. We can talk about it in the car.”
She follows me to the other side and we get to my car. I smile at her once more as I open the door for her. She hops in and we make eye contact.
A part of me has a feeling that my life is going to change. It's a pit in my stomach, aching through my body. I'm not sure if I should dread it or embrace it. I don't even know how she’ll change me but I can just look at this girl, and think there's something… something…
Odd…Foretelling…
And I can't understand why…
“You're gonna thrive here in Amara.” I hold her gaze “I'll make sure of that.”
She returns my grin before leaning in her seat. “I believe you.”
Chapter 14
Ignatia
Amara City doesn't stop being strange.
So apparently, cars and sparkly walkways aren't the only crazy technologies they have. In the car, Amias shows me this glass device called a phone where you communicate with people from anywhere instantaneously, even on the other side of Adoro. I can barely even fathom it myself.
Then there's the homeless shelter itself. It's an unbelievably tall block of cement and glass on the outside, but you step into the lobby and it's beautifully decorated with crystal chandeliers, pristine floors and golden ceilings. After Amias signed some papers, he suggested riding up an “elavador” which is a metal box that takes you up whatever floor you need to go up to. I declined the offer, already having dealt with enough magical devices for today.
We climb up the stairs up to the third floor and I follow him as he glances between doors. After a minute, he finally stops at one and unlocks it with keys. "Here we are," Amias swings the door open to room 323, moving aside with a bow so I can get into the room first.
I walk in slowly through the short hallway, greeted by smooth dark wooden planks creaking softly under my shoes and the faint aroma of flowers.
I turn the corner to a bed that takes up half the room, covered in fluffy pastel blue comforters and pillows with golden leaf prints all over it. The walls have been painted an even lighter shade than the comforter, adorned with a landscape painting of a winter forest above the headboard.
On the opposite wall, stands a desk, decorated with swirls from golden tinted wood, and a note. I stroll over to it to read the note:Welcome! We are so glad we're able to help you, Clara!
