Chapter 26: The Non Date
**Avery**
I know that they said that they wanted a clean slate, but I still don't trust it. Have they changed how they treat me? Yes, and they had started before I was tortured and left for dead. “Fine, I will go.” I didn't want to sound eager and I didn't want to not allow him a chance especially since he was the one who noticed I was missing on Friday night. Plus, it will be nice to have another friend. Trisha is my only friend here and I can't be around her in public because of the Hags. What are they going to do? Come up to Clint and question him. I wonder what he would say?
I used the rest of the class period to finish the date project. Clint offered a few suggestions here and there, but I got the impression that he had never been on a real date. I haven't either, but I have read about plenty in the romance books that I read. I have not had a male friend since Tim. I hope that the family who adopted him has given him a good life.
“Meet me at my car,” Clint says as the dismissal bell rings. I deposited the finished date on Mrs. Moore’s desk as I exited the classroom.
Conner was waiting by my locker. He whispers, “Are you ready to go home?”
I sigh and whisper, “About that…umm…Clint is taking me to a cafe.”
I saw hurt fill his eyes before he shrugged and walked away. I feel terrible now. I also hope that this won't turn into a competition between them because if it does, the only loser will be me. At least, based on everything that I have read it will be. As I made my way into the parking lot, I saw Lenore storm away from Clint’s car. After I made sure that she couldn't see me, I got into the passenger side of his blue sports car.
I love blue, but I feel so out of place. I did in Conner’s dark red BMW but not as much as I do in Clint’s Ferrari. When dragons venture into the human world, they only return with the best things and cars are no exception. Every year, they buy the newest models too. Royal dragons control gem and precious metal mines, so they either use their stock dividends to buy things or take some gems or metals to sell. They also use it to pay their servants like me.
As we are driving, Clint turns on the radio. “What music do you like?” he asks.
Dumbfounded, I stare at him. “Ummm…I don't know. I don't have a radio. I just read.”
He chuckles as he presses the scan button. “When you hear something that you like, hit this button,” he says with a smile before he goes back to focusing on the road.
I have worked for the palace since I was thirteen. I have been their assistant since I was fifteen, and this is the longest that I have ever spent time around them. I know everything about The Trio, yet I don't know them. An upbeat tempo begins to play and I hit the button that Clint had pointed to. I bounce my head to the beat.
Clint turns and raises an eyebrow, “Pop, huh? I imagined that you would like something classical or more brooding.”
I roll my eyes. “Just because I look like the undead doesn't mean that I want to listen to it.”
He chuckles, “So Avery has jokes. I think that we will be good friends after all.”
Does he mean it? When he's not looking I steal glances, based on what I observe he means it. Are The Trio finally maturing into the men that I read about? If they are, the next twenty-three Mondays just got a whole lot more bearable. After a fairly long drive, we pull into a human cafe called Hidden Spice.
A barista by the name of Lana greets us. She asks us what we would like. “I would like a venti berry jasmine boba tea and a wild berry tart, please.”
She smiles, “A woman of intellect and refinement with a slight edge. Excellent choice, miss.” She looks at Clint, “And you?”
He looks at the menu like it is written in a foreign language. I put my hand on his shoulder, “You have never ordered for yourself, have you?” He shrugs in response. “Do you want hot or cold, bitter or sweet, coffee or tea?”
“Not too sweet. I think an iced coffee,” he says as his voice upturns making his statement sound like a question.
“Lana, let’s see if he will like an iced salted caramel macchiato. He loves cookies, so how about the triple chocolate chip.”
She grins, “Sure thing, miss. You seem to know your friend quite well.”
There is something different about this barista. Clint and I take our seats while she prepares our drinks and fetches our snacks. I lean over to Clint and whisper, “Lana seems different.”
He smiles as he whispers his reply, “She is an immortal.” Clint sniffs the air. “She is a hybrid.”
“Why don't dragons try to live among humans again? If she's a hybrid, then that means that other immortals can.”
“My parents were going to suggest it before they were murdered. Maybe one of my brothers might when they become king,” he says.
Lana brings a tray to our table. “I thought that I would bring this to you both. Pay when you are ready, and enjoy your date,” she said with a smile before she retreated to the backroom.
I joke, “It looks like she thinks our nondate is a date.”
He shrugs, “Let her think whatever.” He takes a sip of his iced coffee. “Oh, this is really good.”
I smile because I find enjoyment in the enjoyment of others. Our nondate went surprisingly well. Until we returned to the palace where Cassius and Conner were waiting for us.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
