Page 12 of One Last Wish (The Elder World)

E velyn was waiting outside the hospital for me as I walked out. Quickly, she took my bag, giving me a reassuring smile. “I’ve gotten us a cab. I don’t want you fighting the subway in your state.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re as white as a ghost!”

“I always look that way,” I pointed out, trying to make a joke out of it. I hated all this fuss.

“Get in the damn cab, Alora,” Evelyn ordered, rolling her eyes.

We got back to the apartment quickly. Honestly, my roommate mothered me too much. Once she’d finished making me soup and tucked me into my bed, I was finally left alone. I wasn’t someone that had ever needed looking after.

Everyone from work had messaged, wishing me a speedy recovery. All I had done was pass out. It wasn’t like I’d been to the hospital and had a kidney out or something.

Looking at Theo’s latest message, I frowned.

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T HEO: DARCE DIDN’T come in today. Have you heard from him?

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A LORA: NO, I ACTUALLY don’t have his number.

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T HEO: REALLY? I THOUGHT you guys were close?

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I WASN’T EVEN GOING to answer that. Darce would get in touch at some point...but we hadn’t exactly ended on a good note last night. No, I wasn’t chasing after him. Darce was the one closing himself off! He could come to me!

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“D O YOU NEED ANYTHING ?” Evelyn asked a few hours later. She was taking a few days off from college to look after me. “A drink? Food? Someone to talk to?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

“Did the doctors say anything about your brain scan?” How did she know about that? “I heard them talking when Darce and I brought you in.” They hadn’t found anything, but I wasn’t telling her that.

“Wait? Darce brought me in?”

“Yeah, when I messaged him, he was only a block away. I’d never seen a guy so distraught when he found you lying there, motionless. You were breathing, at least, so that was good. He wouldn’t even wait for an ambulance. He carried you to a cab and stroked your hair the entire time until we got to the hospital. That guy is definitely interested in you!”

“ What? T...Th...None of that makes sense!”

“I messaged Theo for Darce’s number. I gathered that if he was the reason you’d blacked out, you’d want to see him when you woke up. I had to tell Theo what had happened. He rushed to the hospital and arrived an hour after Darce and I got there.” Wait? Did Evelyn have Darce’s number? “We were all worried about you, but Darce, well, he was all over the place. What is going on with the two of you? And don’t bullshit me this time!”

“I have no idea. He keeps pulling away from me. It’s been a month and I hardly know anything about him. It’s driving me insane!”

“Well, I’m telling you, he’s crazy about you. I could see it in his eyes.”

“Do you have his number?” Evelyn widened her eyes at me in shock. “I work with him. I haven’t needed his number until now.”

“Okay, maybe you can finally sort this crap out between the two of you.” Evelyn gave me his number, and left me in peace to message him.

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A LORA: THEO SAID YOU’RE not at work today?

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I KEPT THE MESSAGE simple and waited for his reply. By late evening, I was still waiting, and I’d had enough of checking my phone. Frustrated, I turned my lamp off before pulling the duvet around me. Prick!

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M Y PHONE BUZZING AND falling off my nightstand woke me in the middle of the night.

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D ARCE: WHO’S THIS?

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T HE JACKASS! IT WAS three in the morning, and he knew who this was!

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A LORA: GO AND FUCK yourself! It’s three in the morning!

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D ARCE: OH, ALORA, IT must be you. You’re always so pleasant to me.

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A LORA: DID YOU CALL in sick or not show up? Malcolm hates it when you don’t call in.

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D ARCE: I HAD MORE IMPORTANT matters. I can handle Malcolm. How did you get my number? Theo?

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A LORA: EVELYN

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D ARCE: AH.

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A LORA: YOU CARRIED me to the cab and stroked my hair?????

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D ARCE: YOU HAVE PRETTY hair. I couldn't help myself. It’s very soft.

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A LORA: EVELYN SAID you were distraught when you found me unconscious on the floor.

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D ARCE: I’D BE THAT way with any unconscious body, Alora. I’m not an asshole.

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A LORA: YOU’RE NEVER going to admit it, are you?

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D ARCE: NOPE!

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A LORA: I’M GOING BACK to work tomorrow.

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D ARCE: DO YOU THINK that’s wise? Malcolm gave you two days to rest.

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A LORA: I NEED TO FINISH getting everything ready for the midnight release party. It’s only a few days away.

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D ARCE: OF COURSE, THAT’S all you're worried about.

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A LORA: I’M FINE. I have black outs all the time. It’s no big deal.

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D ARCE: I’LL MEET YOU outside your apartment in the morning and walk with you to work.

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A LORA: YOU DO LIVE on this side of the river, then?

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D ARCE: I ALREADY TOLD you that...

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A LORA: NO, YOU DIDN’T !

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D ARCE: GET SOME SLEEP , Alora.

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A LORA: YOU’RE THE ONE that messaged me at THREE IN THE MORNING!!

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I WAITED, BUT GOT NO response. Ugh! That man made my blood boil!

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D ARCE WAS LEANING AGAINST the wall as I walked out of my apartment. Wrapping my coat tighter around me, I fastened the last few buttons. “You are giving me whiplash,” I breathed, putting my black woolly hat on. “You’re as bad as those male, moody, fictional characters that never show who they are until the second act.”

“Can you not compare me to a fictional character, Alora? I’m very much real .”

“Oh, trust me, I'm more than aware of that.”

“Can we try and go one day without arguing?” Darce let out a large sigh. “You’re not the only one exhausted by all this.” I gave him a look of astonishment, but Darce continued. “I’m attracted to you, I’m not going to deny that anymore. Please understand, though, that for reasons that are my own , I will not act on my impulses, okay? All I can offer you is friendship, or as close to that as we can manage in your state.” The turmoil on his face as he spoke made me think he was as confused as I was. Darce had admitted that he was attracted to me. I should have pressed the matter, begged him to act on those impulses, but one look into his pained eyes, and my will power dropped. If friendship was all he could offer, I’d take that to keep him in my life.

“I’m not sure if I can be your friend, but I’ll try and be as close to it as I can without blacking out.”

“Alora, that’s not even funny. Blacking out isn’t a joking matter. You could have been seriously hurt. What if you’d been walking down a flight of stairs or something?”

“Oh, lighten up,” I grinned, nudging him. “You’re as bad as Evelyn. I. Am. Fine.” Darce gave me his soft, beautiful smile. “I’m guessing from the hospital yesterday with you touching my arm, I can touch you if there is a barrier between us?” I wasn’t going to press the matter any further. Hopefully, in time, Darce might explain, but I wanted to make sure I knew his boundaries.

“Yeah, it’s only skin-on-skin contact we have an issue with.” It didn't stop me from gazing at his lips, though. I only hoped that one day, I might learn what they tasted like. “You’re okay with all this? With the friendship and no skin-on-skin contact?”

“For the time being, yes. All I know is that I like having you around.”

“Does blacking out make you gain more common sense?” he teased, his mouth twisting into a crooked grin. “I’m a big fan of this more responsible, Alora.”

“I know I can punch you in the arm now. I’d watch it if I were you.” Darce let out a loud laugh. Watching him this way was addictive. I wanted to see more of this side of him. Carefree, and oh, so beguiling.

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M ALCOLM TRIED TO MAKE me go back home when I arrived, but once Darce explained that he’d look after me for the day, Malcolm felt better.

Theo was off today, which I was glad for. “Did you want to finish getting upstairs ready?” Darce asked once we’d opened up. Ned and Daisy were at the cashier’s desk and Alice was wandering the floor, helping the customers. “We'll have to bring the painted dragon eggs from your apartment tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I might get a cab. It will be easier to transport them that way.” I stretched, grabbing the master set of keys. “I need to grab the fabric I left in the secret, secure room behind the bookshelf.”

“The what?” Darce frowned.

“Oh, it’s where we keep all the expensive, first edition and rare books. I like to call it the secret room because you can lock yourself in. It’s a bit like a panic room, but full of books.”

“Why haven’t I seen this room yet? It sounds exciting.”

“Come on, I’ll show you now.” Making my way towards the back of the room, Darce followed me, his eyes widening as I pulled the bookshelf away to reveal the secret entrance. “Some of the books here are really rare.” I punched the code in and twisted the key a few moments later. It was quite a small space, with a small oak table and a couple of matching chairs. The room had to be kept a certain temperature to protect the books, so the door always closed by itself.

“You can’t touch any of these books without gloves if they're not in their casing.”

“Is that a first edition of Romeo and Juliet ?” Darce gulped, gazing over the titles.

“Yep, printed in 1597. It’s worth around two million dollars. Only serious collectors come in here. Most people have no idea this room even exists. It has CCTV, and only Malcolm knows the codes to the cases the rare books are locked in.”

“I’m impressed! This is quite a collection.” Darce perused the shelves, looking at all the rare books.

“I have a favourite one,” I muttered, putting on the special gloves that enabled me to take the book off the shelf. “ The Book of Elder World . No one really understands where it came from. It has to be at least eight hundred years old, but reads like a fantasy novel.” Darce was motionless, watching me open the book. “It has this wonderful idea about everything being Veils , but only certain beings with unnatural power can pass through them. About wars that have been raging since the dawn of time, and Guardians that control everything from the land we stand on to the air we breathe. How amazing is that?”

“That is quite the fantasy story.” Darce almost had to force his words out. “When did Bookends acquire that book?”

“Eighty years ago. It was gifted by a Priestess whose signature no one could make out.”

“Interesting.” Darce pulled at the collar on his shirt uncomfortably. The room could get a little claustrophobic when you entered for the first time.

“Are you okay? We can head out if the room is getting to you.”

“Yeah, air would be good.” Quickly, I put the book back on its stand and opened the door.

“Don’t like confined spaces, huh?” I asked him once we were back outside.

“Yeah, something like that.” He rubbed his knuckles as if he was trying to wipe something off. “I might...take a five minute break outside. Don’t start putting the fabric up without me. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Realising I’d actually forgotten to get the fabric from the panic room, I headed back in quickly. I was making my way out of the room when Darce came back.

“Do you feel better after getting some air?”

“Yeah, much better. Thanks. Now, let's get this place looking like a dragon lair.”

I had to admit, Darce and I did a great job. Malcolm was so impressed, he took pictures to show our head office. We hadn’t even brought the dragon eggs to put in place yet. Bookends was an independent store, but was owned by a high-end book company. Coming up with marketing ideas like this kept the store in business and all of us with a job. I was pretty damn proud of myself.

“I think we’ve earned a drink, don’t you?” Darce asked while we were locking up later that evening.

“Are we talking about coffee or a proper drink?”

“Definitely a proper drink. It’s been quite a week already.” I was glad Darce felt that way, too.

“Oh, in that case, I’m in. Clover bar is only a few blocks away.”

“Lead the way,” Darce gestured, letting me go first. “If Theo saw you agreeing to go for a drink with me, it would break the last piece of his heart that’s intact.”

“It’s a shame he was off today. I would love to see that.”

“You really are a wicked thing.” Something was playing in his eyes, but I wasn’t sure what. I wanted to say desire, but he was difficult to read.

Clover bar wasn’t overly busy, so we managed to get a small table in the corner once Darce got the drinks. He’d gone for a whiskey, but I was more in the mood for a cocktail.

“If you could do anything with your life, what would you do?” Darce asked, sipping his drink.

“Wow! You really do enjoy dropping random questions on me, don’t you?”

“I’m curious.”

“If I answer, will you answer the same question?”

“A question for a question. You’re learning.” That smile. How was I not meant to fall into a dark abyss with this man?

“Mmm... maybe see the world. I’d love to have enough life experience to write a book one day.”

“Oh, the reader wants to become an author one day. That is interesting .”

“Maybe. I don’t know. How many authors do you know that can’t feel ? I have a feeling you need emotions to be an author.”

“Depends on what you write. If you did non-fiction books, for instance, those wouldn’t need an emotion.”

“You mean go around the world writing about all the wars and natural disasters?” Darce shrugged. “That would be a little depressing.”

“You have no emotion. You won't get depressed.” I snorted into my drink. “It was just a thought.”

“What about you, then? What would you do with your life?”

“If I could do anything ?” I nodded, sipping my cocktail while hanging on his every word. “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve craved a simple life for so long that it will probably sound pathetic.”

“I don’t care. Tell me, I want to know.”

“To love without restriction.” That made no sense.

“You have to explain more than that . I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Have you ever loved something you weren’t allowed?”

“Um...hello, no connection. I’ve never loved anyone,” I pointed out, huffing a laugh into my cocktail glass.

“Oh, yeah, I forgot.” He was pensive for a few moments, watching me before carrying on. “I’ve only ever wanted one female for most of my life. The two of us...well, we’re not really compatible. If I could do anything with my life, it would be to find a way for us to be together.” My heart sank. I didn’t even know this woman, but I hated her. Okay, I wasn’t capable of love, but knowing she was probably the reason Darce wasn’t acting on his impulses left me feeling pretty deflated.

“She must be quite a woman,” I sighed, looking around the bar in an attempt to hide my disappointment.

“Oh, she’s incredible.” Downing my drink, I looked at the pride on his face as he spoke about her. I’d had enough of this conversation. I wanted to go home.

“Thanks for the drink. I’m going to head back home now.”

“Don’t you want to stay for another?” he asked, confused.

“Nah, I need to check the eggs over. I’ll see you at work in the morning.” Darce called after me—he even mentioned the dragon eggs—but I pretended I didn’t hear him as I darted out of the bar.

He wasn’t the only one that could do fast exits