Chapter 27
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Morning light barely pierced the horizon when she pulled Connie into the bustling fashion quarter, the eve of her third gallery visit with Everette looming large.
Her closet mocked her through sleepless hours, barren of anything suitable beyond drab office wear.
Repeating that prior ensemble felt impossible.
She swept through shops in a frenzy, piling garments high without a thought for expense.
Two outings remained—ten new looks suddenly seemed absurdly plentiful.
A sharp twinge of buyer’s remorse followed their exit, though bags already bulged with finality.
True to her word, she steered them toward a cozy nearby bistro for supper.
Connie’s eyes sparkled with devilish delight as she jabbed the menu.
“Grab the lovers’ combo?”
Romantic packages like that deserved exile from the city streets.
She claimed the list, selecting the featured plate up top.
Connie muttered complaints about seafood, yet dug in eagerly once plates arrived.
“You claimed fish wasn’t your favorite.”
“This spot masters it perfectly.”
Connie forked up stray flakes of cod, heaping praise on the kitchen.
“Clean that smear from your chin.”
Bellies partly full, fresh doubts crowded her thoughts. She stabbed idly at decorative greens before speaking up.
“It’s regarding someone close.”
Connie patted her lips, wide-eyed with mock shock.
“A mystery pal I haven’t met?”
“Truth is, it’s my own issue.”
Connie huffed a laugh yet shifted forward, utensils clattering down in readiness.
The words tumbled out softly at first, reluctant.
“Lord Rojas might harbor feelings for me.”
She unfolded the tale from their prior gallery trip.
Everette had arrived well ahead that afternoon, perhaps atoning for past tardiness. Irritation etched his features amid the throng, only to melt into warmth upon spotting her.
His stride devoured the gap swiftly; she slipped her palm into his offered one without hesitation.
Edwin paused mid-escort, color flooding his cheeks. Those amber irises sought her nod before drifting aside, then weaving their digits together.
A vivid tingle sparked along every fingertip for the first time. Flustered warmth prickled her skin; she glanced off instinctively. Everette’s lip caught between his teeth as he eased back.
She wasn’t rejecting the contact.
Her clasp tightened, halting his retreat. Delight chased shadows from his face.
Face burning, she feigned interest elsewhere while they navigated the hall, palms linked.
This clasp carried an intensity beyond mere arm-in-arm guidance.
Dampness slicked their joined skin.
Displays blurred past unnoticed.
She mimed fascination, drifting exhibit to exhibit despite her earlier thrill for the event.
Routine motions bought time for her pulse to steady.
Curiosity won; she stole a peek at him, wondering if the charged silence echoed in his mind too.
Their stares collided precisely then.
That shared look rooted them motionless, breaths suspended amid rising heat in her lobes.
She broke away sharply, though reflections in protective panes betrayed them still.
Blurry yet piercing, his golden gaze held hers across the barrier.
Fronts toward relics, attentions locked sideways.
A jolt hummed from her hand outward.
She yielded first, shattering the trance. Feigning rapture with the pieces, she burst out brightly.
“Lord Rojas, dwarves once wielded this bellows.”
Hands parted, sticky with tension; she edged nearer the display. Air rushed back into deprived lungs at last.
Gazing at the mundane metal husk, she slyly dried her palm against her chosen dress.
Everette thawed moments later, a teasing curve to his smile.
“Intriguing piece.”
He recited smoothly, textbook-dry, throat clearing before adding to empty space.
“Dwarves, vanished folk of legend, forged innately. Their bellows scorched ores beyond mortal fires.”
The phrasing rang scripted, straight from guide notes.
Had he committed the pamphlet to heart?
Guilt over his solo prior visit likely spurred it.
Amused, she lobbed a test his way.
“Only they tamed mithril, the mythic ore?”
Next passage verbatim.
“Precisely. Absent the old realm’s exclusions, humanity might have soared higher.”
Confirmation sealed it—full recall.
His earnest bid charmed her core, laughter bubbling free.
Buoyed, she tugged him onward with zeal, facts spilling as eyes flicked from relic to him.
Catalogue mastery evident throughout.
A flawless guide in human form.
She hid her grin from view.
Exhibition conquered, Everette exhaled triumph, knowledge expended.
Secretly, the elder by eight years struck her as utterly endearing.
En route home under his arm, she murmured conspiratorially.
“No need to rote-learn the upcoming guide.”
Caught out, he dodged briefly, sighed under her steady regard, then owned up.
“I did commit it all.”
Crimson bloomed beyond ears, trailing downward.
Head ducked to mask it, he scuffed the earth idly, voice low.
“Wished to savor your passions fully.”
At thirty, Everette Rojas brimmed with unexpected appeal.
Connie drummed her utensil against porcelain, alight with gossip glee post-recap.
“Clear sign—he’s hooked.”
Awareness dawned late for her too.
Poised to rib her over snagging elite game, Connie paused at the gloom shadowing her features.
“So smitten, yet trouble?”
“Merely two visits ahead.”
Their encounters neared an end.
“Craft another pretext.”
Connie missed the snag entirely.
“Casual hangs demand some bond first.”
Exhaustion escaped in a heavy breath.
Flirtation simmered, yet progression eluded grasp.
Final chances loomed finite.
Connie tousled her fiery locks, stumped for wit.
Her own romantic ledger blank as void, she fared poorly in nuances, frizzing curls worse in frustration.
“Try advancing boldly yourself?”
The notion landed with surprising merit.
