Chapter 33 THANK YOU, CORMAC.
CORMAC.
AGE 14 AND A HALF
“You need to bite the bullet and ask her out on a date,” I said, encouraging him with a tad bit of impatience.
I sat on my bed, trying to swallow down my nausea as I pumped Valtor up to ask Lorelai out.
Valtor shook his head adamantly with a firm expression. “I can’t do it,” he insisted, his voice almost pleading.
“You really need to stop being a chicken.” I shot back with an eye roll.
He continued shaking his head, a bit of frustration creeping into his tone. “I think it’s weird that you’re trying to get me to ask your sister out.”
I couldn’t help but retort, “I’m just trying to help you stop looking like a fool.”
If it were someone else, I'd pluck his teeth out before he even tried it, but Valtor was my best friend and I didn’t think anything could go wrong between him and my sister.
Valtor shot me a look that made my hackles rise.
“And what’s that look supposed to mean?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.
“Your dad’s Beta’s daughter.” He deadpanned, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
I instantly scowled as his words sank in. Valtor’s knowing look only made it worse.
Just as Valtor and I were caught up in our conversation, Lorelai burst into the room, hurrying towards the bed in excitement. “She’s moving in! She’s moving in! I’m going to have a best friend!”
Valtor, clearly intrigued, asked, “Who’s moving in?” His eyes followed her as she jumped around the room, practically vibrating with energy.
Lorelai turned to us, shouting, “The Fortners!”
I felt a sudden flutter in my stomach, wondering if I heard her right.
I saw how Valtor threw me an amused look from the corner of my eyes as Lorelai continued, “The distance between their home and the palace was too much. Moving them in was Dad’s idea. I can’t believe it! He’s moving them into one of the palace wings.”
I managed to ask in a small voice, “She’s moving in?”
Lorelai turned her attention fully on me, smiling coyly before leveling me with a look. “Not just her—her dad too, Cormac.”
My heart sank as I swallowed tightly.
She’s going to live here?
In the palace?
I understood Lorelai’s joy; she and Otto Fortner’s daughter had hit it off instantly in the six months since he became Beta. Her happiness was understandable.
But as for me, it felt like I was about to lose it.
Merrielynn couldn’t live here.
Valtor’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “Cormac, you good over there?”
I blinked, pulling myself back into reality. “Why wouldn’t I be?” I shot back, a little defensive as I frowned at him.
Lorelai leaned against the wall, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. “You’re probably just as happy as I am,” she said.
I could hear the mischief in her voice and I scowled at her too.
“Why would you think that?” I demanded, my voice sharper than I intended.
She shot me a knowing look, one that made my stomach twist uncomfortably. “You know exactly why,” she replied, teasing.
I looked away from her and clenched my jaw, biting out, “Stop looking at me like that,” before turning on my heel and storming out of the room.
Immediately I got out of the room, my mind spun as I paced the hallway.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
If Merrielynn’s moving in, there was nothing I could do about it… but I needed to get her a gift, right?
I shook my head, the thought making me feel even more frantic.
No, not a gift—a welcome present.
That’s what friends do, right?
We were friends… weren’t we?
“Shit!” I exclaimed, trying not to be loud as I couldn’t answer that question.
Truth was, I knew nothing about girls. The memory of losing my virginity six or seven months ago flooded back, and I remembered how the girl cried right after. I was haunted by her tears and I felt like I had done something horribly wrong.
That experience only proved how clueless I was. So what could I possibly get as a gift for a girl?
I racked my brain, recalling what I knew. Girls liked nail polish and clothes—at least Lorelai did—but that was it. I didn’t know Merrielynn’s favorite color or her clothing size.
Then, like a light bulb flickering on, it hit me.
She had to like jewelry.
All girls did.
But what kind? What would suit her?
I shook my head again, trying to clear all the thoughts swirling inside.
As I trudged downstairs, signaling a driver to bring around one of the cars, the image of her smiling face entered my mind.
How could a girl’s eyes be so damn blue?
I wondered if she had ever looked into eyes as demobilizing as hers.
As the driver pulled the car around, something hit me. I finally realized what the perfect gift would be.
\-x-x-
Exactly a week later, I found myself pacing in front of the new Beta’s door in the left wing of the palace, my heart racing.
I wondered if I should turn back.
We weren’t technically close enough for me to just show up unannounced with a necklace that reminded me of her eyes.
Running a hand through my hair, frustration building, I inhaled deeply. “Just do it, Cormac. You can’t back out now,” I told myself, trying to muster the courage.
Just as I went to knock, the door opened before I could make contact.
Standing in front of me was the new Beta, fully dressed in a tuxedo. His gaze shifted from me to the box in my hand, and then back to my face.
I dropped my hand and cleared my throat, trying to shake off the nervousness. “Uh, sorry if you’re busy. I can come back later. I just came to give…”
“Is that Cormac?” A soft voice cut in, and I looked up to see Merrielynn poking her head out from behind her father.
The moment our eyes met, a smile spread across her face, and my heart skipped a beat.
My eyes widened slightly as heat surged to my cheeks.
Was I seriously blushing right now? I felt like lovesick Valtor and there was nothing on earth more mortifying.
Otto stepped on to the porch, his hand clutching my shoulder. “We were just heading out to dinner, but it can wait,” he said, glancing between us with a knowing look. A knowing look I should have questioned, by the way. Then he added, “Go ahead—you came to see my daughter, didn’t you?”
My face burned with embarrassment, and I could feel the heat spreading down my neck. I glanced at the doorway, where Merrielynn stood, watching me with curiosity as her dad walked to the car.
My grip tightened around the box, and I held it out, “I, uh, got you a gif—welcome present.”
I watched as Merrielynn looked down at the box. Then she reached out, her hand closing around my wrist instead of the gift. A jolt of surprise shot through me as she pulled me inside, letting the door fall shut behind us. I stumbled slightly, caught off guard by her sudden movement, and she dragged me toward the mirror in the foyer.
Turning to face me, she wore a bright smile that lit up her eyes. My gaze dropped to the box in my hand, and I felt a flutter of nerves as she glanced down at it too.
“What’s in there?” she asked, her voice playful yet curious.
“Uh, just something I thought you might like,” I stammered, trying to shake off the daze her presence put me in. I took a breath, collecting myself as she looked up expectantly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”
I opened the box, and her lips parted in surprise as she reached for the necklace, her fingers brushing over the fake silver chain.
The pendant sparkled in the light, and I saw she noticed how the color matched her beautiful eyes.
“Will you put it on for me?” she asked softly.
My throat tightened at her request, and I could only nod, feeling a rush of warmth spread through me.
She turned to the mirror, lifting her hair to expose the nape of her neck.
And my heart raced as I carefully clasped the necklace around her, our reflections merging in the glass.
She touched the pendant gently, then turned to meet my gaze, her expression filled with something that made my chest feel tight.
“I love it,” she whispered, “Thank you, Cormac.”