I wanted to soothe the longing in his voice, but I didn’t move, so as not to spook him. “We are.” I looked around. “Do you want to find a bench and sit for a bit?”
Adri shook his head, and I finally let my hand drop.
“Fair enough. I’m sorry for bothering you. Will I still see you?—”
“We can go to my room? I need to rest before my shift.”
Of course. I felt a smile tug at my cheeks. He must have been tired, having walked all afternoon. “Lead the way.”
Neither of us spoke as I followed Adri into the hotel and up to his room, near the elevator. He opened his door with the barest touch of his fingers, confirming what I’d suspected—that he didn’t need his debit card when paying for his coffee at all. He had to be really tired if he didn’t care about letting me see that.
I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, taking my cue from him. Adri said nothing as he stepped over random parts scattered across the floor and sank down. Leaning against the wall, he put his curled fingers around the nearest socket and stared at the ceiling. “I miscalculated how much energy I had left before going on my walk.”
“No problem.” I took in the room. Two chairs and a bed that appeared as though Adri hadn’t even sat on. I shook my head and slid to the floor, keeping at least an arm’s length between us and careful not to sit on any of the parts. “Take your time.”
“Thank you. I’m good to talk. Tell me about the boats. Is that what you do on your days off?”
I opened my mouth to correct him, then closed it again. I shouldn’t expect him to know the difference between a boat, a kayak, and a canoe. “Yes. Once a week, unless it rains. We love being on the water as a family.”
“It looked like fun.”
Would I ever stop smiling like a goof? “Itis. Though, for some of us, every outing is a race.”
“One of your children. The one who looks like Quinn? With the big grin.”
“Yes. Julian.” Because they had such different personalities, I sometimes forgot they looked like carbon copies to others. “He and Quinn are twins. Do Niren have twins?”
Adri nodded. “They’re rare. Julian and Quinn have your hair, your build, but their other father’s eyes and smile.”
I swallowed and wished I could change the subject. As much as it pleased me he noticed, it felt too soon for the dreaded explanation of howIwas their birth parent. “They all have Evan’s good looks.”
The question didn’t come; instead, he said, “I have one sibling. A brother.” He spoke slowly, as if choosing his words. “Sorry, talking seems so easy for you. I’m not used to having conversations like this.”
He seemed to do fine with Riley. Though they probably talked about IT stuff. “I’d love to know more about you, but only if you’re comfortable sharing. Are you and your brother close?”
“I feel we are much like Julian and Quinn. He likes loud; I don’t. He’s a biomancer; I’m a tech mage. And he doesn’t drink espresso.”
“Major character flaw, that. Who doesn’t like espresso?”
That seemed to make him smile. “None of my family do. They’re all biomancers and prefer sweet to bitter.”
Interesting. I’d have to remember that. Who knew when another Niren would visit our café? “What made you choose Princedelphia?”
“I had… I needed a change. Layla offered me a job.”
There was something he wasn’t telling me, but I let that go. He was already sharing more than I’d expected. “But you like the work?”
There was that smile again. “Very much. I’ve never worked on a renovation project before. It’s very interesting and rewarding.”
“I can’t wait to see the ballroom when it’s finished. We’ve already bought our tickets for the Masquerade.” Evan’s parents would watch the kids.
“Riley’s chandeliers are beautiful.” Adri’s eyes lit up.
“She’s done? Really? Wow! I don’t suppose you took a picture?”
Adri shook his head. “Layla asked us not to share any images.”
“Ah. Maybe I’ll sneak in sometime this week.” I added a wink and hoped Adri understood I was joking.
