“Seriously?” I breathed, having no clue as to how to react.
“No, I get it. You go to a magical world and find yourself the sexiest guy ever, and then bring another one home for me. I like it,” she smiled like a cat preparing to get an exquisite salmon serving.
“Are you not freaking out about this?” I asked with amazement and no small amount of surprise but Cressi waved me off. “Honey, I’ve seen crazier things at some of the parties I get invited to. It makes sense. It's like The Lord of the Rings just dropped in your life or whatever, but it makes sense. All the secrets, all the sneaking around, your sudden obsession with the forest, this guy coming out of nowhere, and you never mentioning him. Makes sense,” she nodded again to calm me down.
Instinctively, I jumped in her arms and made her fall back on the bed, sighing in relief and crying tears of joy at the same time. I had an ally, someone I could talk to, someone to ask for help. I was not alone in this anymore, and who better than my best friend to share it all with?
She hugged me tightly and let me settle my emotions, then we stayed in bed and turned the TV on with a high volume, enough to cover our long conversation. I told her everything. How I met Ansgar, how he lived in a cave and how I found out about him, how Rhylan infiltrated the guard, how I met Vikram and visited their kingdom, and finally, how Ansgar died.
We stopped to cry and to laugh, we hugged some more, and Cressi absorbed every piece of information I fed her. I started telling her about how Rhylan popped out of nowhere with this contract and how he told me about Ansgar being alive, how hefollowed me and gave me no option but to accept whatever he asked for.
Through it all, Cressi stopped to ask questions or made me explain things better, trying to understand every aspect and angle of the events.
We must have stayed up for hours, but all the stress and anxiety Iaccumulated throughout the day faded away with her by my side, finally being able to tell someone what I lived and experienced. She did not seem to believe Erik’s death either, I think both our brains reached a point where the fantastical elements became too much, and that point was the mention of mermaids. I don’t know why, but it proved easier to accept men caring for a forest or fighting each other for territory —albeit supernatural— but the half-women-half-fish part made us both lose the mark.
“First of all, we need to check if Ansgar is truly alive,” Cressi initiated the plan. “And then you need to get a copy of that contract. Tell him you are entitled to one,” she advised.
“And then what?” I asked dumbfounded. Even though I was the one who had actually met faeries and lived through unbelievable experiences, Cressi turned out to be the mastermind of it all.
“We have to entertain Rhylan,” she smiled eagerly, excitement illuminating her beautiful features.
Day 2
“Of course we missed breakfast!” Cressi sighed, shifting in bed. We’d gone to bed late last night. Rays of sunlight creaked between the sealed curtains by the time we stopped planning and finally had enough peace of mind to relax and fall to sleep.
Thanks to Cressi’s eventful life and abilities to manage whatever situation came before her, we devised a plan: she would keep Rhylan entertained and take him to expos, a movie premiere, and two fashion shows, while I stayed home and rummaged through his room, phone, and his earthly possessions to discover why he needed to stay in New York and what his plan comprised of.
But of course, we didn’t take into account how tired we’d be and the fact that we woke up at two in the afternoon, totally unready for the day and with absolutely no ideas as to where Rhylan might be.
A leg kicked me out of the bed as Cressi pushed me to wake up and go get him, while she got ready. But all I could think about was how badly I needed to pee. I sighed, understanding priorities, and sneaked out of the room to walk the twenty feet towards the door separating me from the old fae.
I knocked to no answer. Then knocked again and insisted a few times, until finally, I mustered the courage to go in. After all, he stayed in my family’s home, so it wasn’t like I intruded —too much.
I found a perfectly made bed with extra pillows arranged on the side. Did he do this himself? I stopped for a second to admire the neatly folded sheets and duvet arrangements, it looked like the welcoming room in a five-star hotel, and I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Rhylan struggling to set a fitted sheet, jumping from one side of the bed to another and wrestling with the corners.
My bladder screamed in urgency, reminding me that we sneaked two bottles of champagne into the room late last night and none of it had come down yet. I really needed to pee, and Cressi must already be showering and taking ownership of my own bathroom. Rhylan wasn’t even in the room, so a quick two-minute escape into his ensuite wouldn’t change anything. Except for my own desire to explode from within.
I reached for the door and found the bathroom empty. Relief inundated me as I planted my behind on the toilet and exhaled deeply, enjoying the pleasure of a good morning pee. I only found a second of quiet when Rhylan’s sudden appearance from the bathtub made me almost fall off the toilet seat.
“Busy night?” he blurted out of nowhere in between ragged breaths. His face had been completely submerged, so a bit of extra credit to me, I couldn’t have seen his body in that massive tub, especially not since he was fully underwater and no steam escaped from his location.
“Why am I not surprised? Of course, I can’t even pee in peace without you nagging me,” I sighed and continued to release the flow, which I couldn’t stop by this point even if I wanted to. I would mark this as one of those moments one remembers and mentally cringes for the rest of their life.
“Don’t mind me, princess, just here practicing my breathing,” he wiped his face from the stream of water flowing from his wet hair and rose slightly into the tub, displaying sculpted muscles and all-over tattoos.
“Don’t you even dare!” I immediately raised my hands and placed them in front of my face to block my vision in case he wanted to stand. God, I hoped not.
“What, haven’t you seen a naked fae before?” he smirked and leaned his back against the tub, spreading each of his biceps onto the sides to give me a better view.
“You don’t make the list of the ones I want to see naked thank you,” I blurted out as I struggled to plan my next move. I needed toilet paper, I needed to raise from the toilet and wash my hands, all with Rhylan watching me.
He must have realised and, I did not know if out of compassion or to have another reason to rub it in my face later on, he spared me the humiliation and submerged again, becoming invisible in the tub, giving me the opportunity to quickly do what I needed and escape.
Twenty minutes later, a glamorous Cressi came out of the bathroom to find me snacking on a banana, laptop in hand. I remained in my pyjamas as I needed a reason to avoid whatever insistence Rhylan might suggest when we’d tell him he would be spending the day with Cressi.
“I just peed in front of him,” I sighed, fighting the need to cover my face with the nearby pillow.
Cressi choked on a laugh. “You need to learn manners, my girl,” she mocked and asked for details while she moved towards the vanity, displaying her extended makeup collection and starting to arrange her face, as my friend called it. I didn’t understand why Cressi had to go through so much trouble every day when she looked absolutely stunning, but she loved doing it and even took a few photos for her Instagram, making sure to capture my rugged self in a corner and tag me.Anwen still recovering after a crazy night of champagne and plotting to conquer the world, she posted and by the time I grabbed my phone there were over three thousand likes.
