Page 8

QETESH

Any predictions of noise had been underestimated now that there were forty people in the room.

I didn't even understand how Ella and Nadia were this close to so many people.

I'd certainly known more over the course of my long life, but that didn't mean I'd want to invite them all to an event like this.

Then again, it was probably because I wouldn't have an event like this in the first place. I didn't mind this many people around when they were supposed to be talking to one another and I was just there to oversee everything, but here, I was one of the guests.

"Tesha!" Ella cried as she sat down in the seat beside me. Her cheeks were already a little flushed from drinking, but she seemed happy.

"Are you having a good time?" I asked.

"The best. I'm getting marrrrrried!"

"I certainly hope so, this is a lot of celebrating to do if you're not," I teased.

"It's going to be amazing." She let out a wistful sigh. "And it wouldn't be happening if it wasn't for you."

"You might have met Nadia another way," I said. "Or have found love somewhere else."

"Psssssshhhhh, don't tell me that you don't believe in soul mates?"

"I believe in good matches," I said. "And people who work hard to be a good fit for one another."

"Eurgh, you're so boring. What about the love of your life?"

"If there's a love of my life, then they've waited a long time to show themselves," I pointed out.

"Ah." She clicked her fingers. "That's because my brother hadn't been born yet."

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought your plan to set us up was a sneaky one?"

"It's taking too long."

I shook my head in amusement. "Okay, so why do you want to set me up with Jacob?"

"Then you'd be my sister." She threw her arm around me and kissed my cheek.

"Not a good enough reason."

"I don't know. Do you never just get a feeling about two people? I thought you'd get on well because you're kind of similar."

I froze, worry threading through me that I hadn't been as careful with my true feelings about some things as I should have been.

It wasn't that I didn't trust Ella to know the truth about me, I just wasn't entirely sure how I was supposed to present myself to people when I was both ace and a supposedly a sex goddess. "Similar how?"

"I don't know, it's hard to describe. It's just something I noticed about the way the two of you interact with the world. When you touch a tree, you get the same look on your face."

"I didn't realise I had a look."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "You're a dryad, of course you know you have a look when you touch plants. It's fine, there's nothing wrong with it."

"And you think that's a good enough reason to set me up with your brother?"

"I'm not saying you have to marry him." She reached forward and flicked my nose.

"You're drunk."

"A little," she said. "But seriously, you don't have to marry him. But give him a chance, you might like him."

"I do like him," I promised.

"Good. Then you won't mind if I love ya and leave ya." She leaned forward and kissed my cheek with a little too much sloppiness for my liking.

I wiped it with my napkin just in time for the new arrival to get to me.

"It would seem that I'm going to have to fight my sister for your attention," Jacob joked as he took a seat.

I laughed. "Less than you think you have to, she spent most of the time telling me that I should give you a chance because I'll like you. Something about how you touch trees."

"I've never heard that one before."

I shrugged. "That's Ella. I suppose she has seen us both touch wood."

He snorted. "Please tell me that was purposeful?"

"Of course. Though I can assure you that she's never seen me touch that kind of wood."

"I should hope not. Though I don't think I can say the same. Her lack of boundaries is not a new thing."

"That's not an image I'll be spending much time considering," I promised.

"Probably for the best, I was a gangly teenager."

"I'm sure you weren't."

"Oh, I definitely was. One second." He pulled out his phone and tapped on a few buttons until he pulled up someone's profile. He turned it so that I could see a grainy photo on the screen. "You can blame my dad for uploading that one."

"You and Ella look cute," I said, clearly picking out both of them. "But you're right, you were a little bit gangly."

"I grew into my limbs."

"I'd show you a photo of teenage me in return, but I think we both know that's not something I have access to."

"I've seen your wall paintings, that counts."

"Very true. I suppose you could even say that you'd seen me naked thanks to those."

He let out a snort. "I don't think that counts."

"It doesn't really."

A server arrived and poured the two of us some wine, before carrying on around the table. I'd forgotten that there was a set menu for this evening and that I'd filled it in ages ago.

"Though I have had the temptation to send a wall painting back to people who have messaged me asking for nudes," I told him.

"I would have found that hilarious." He leaned in and picked up his wine.

"That's because you wouldn't have asked for them in the first place."

"Not now. But when I was in my early twenties and trying to fit in, I was guilty of it a couple of times. I felt awful after both."

"Who did you ask?"

"A girl I was dating at the time. She was all for it, I think she thought it might improve our sex life."

"Did it?"

"Not really. She was just the first of a string of partners I disappointed during my university years," he said sadly.

I reached out to touch his arm. "You didn't disappoint them."

"I did. Several of them told me so."

"Then that was cruel. You were just figuring out who you were. I'm sure some of them found out some surprises about their desires once they got older."

"I'm sure they did."

The starter arrived, cutting through our conversation. Some of the general noise in the room faded away as people started to eat, and I dug into my salad.

"I have a question for you," Jacob said.

"Mmm?"

"Are you vegetarian?"

"Should I be worried about how closely you've been watching me?" I joked.

"What? No, I'm sorry..."

"It's fine. I'm not, but I'm picky about my meat, so I tend to order vegetarian when I'm eating out. Sometimes, I tell people just because it's easier than explaining." It wasn't something I ever really told anyone, but it seemed like I was just telling Jacob all of my secrets.

"I'm the same with fish," he said. "I avoid it whenever I can. If I have good fish, it's fine, but bad fish? I won't want to eat anything for three days."

I grimaced. "That's not fun."

"Not really, no. So I avoid it. Maybe I should take a leaf out of your book and try ordering veggie."

"Only if you like it," I said. "And sometimes, only a trashy burger will do."

He chuckled. "One with lots of pickles?"

I wrinkled my nose. "Definitely not. I love good-quality pickles. But the ones from fast food places are a no-go."

"Got it, so always order them without."

"If you're ordering for me, then yes, absolutely."

"Why do I feel like I should be making notes?" he mused as he took another sip of wine.

"No idea, I'm not going to quiz you on the things I like at the end of the weekend," I promised.

"Maybe it's just because I feel like I've known you for longer than I have."

"Makes sense." I picked up my wine glass and swilled it around. "We've both had Ella talking about us. There are things that you know about me that I don't even know you know. And vice versa."

"Now there's a scary thought."

I laughed and finished my wine, only for one of the servers to return and top it back up. "I'm going to have to be careful with that, or I'm going to end up drinking too much."

"Are you a lightweight, Tesha?"

"Definitely. There are some things that even thousands of years of life can't improve, and tolerance to alcohol is one of them.

I really should pace myself. I'm going to set a reminder to drink some water before bed.

" I reached out for where my handbag was hanging on a hook at the edge of the table and knocked it off, causing me to devolve into a fit of laughter.

"Maybe it's time for the water now," Jacob said.

"I'm fine, just a clumsy moment," I promised, leaning down to pick up my stuff and shove it back into my bag.

"Mmhmm."

I was grateful when he sat back and left me to it, though the rush to my head when I sat back up wasn't great. "Maybe I'll have that water." He reached out and picked up my glass, holding it out to me. "Thanks. Is there any bread?"

"You can have the other half of the slice of toast from my paté," he said.

"That'll do."

He handed it over without even questioning whether it was too intimate of a thing for us to do.

Even as I munched on the bread, I didn't think it was.

It felt right. Which was just how being around Jacob was making me feel in general, even if it had been a long time since anyone had made me feel that.