Chapter 157 Chapter 157
Chapter 157 Chapter 157
CRYSTAL’S POV
Nayara led us down a winding stone corridor draped in dark shadows, and I instinctively stuck close to Asher. The further we walked, the more I realized just how large this place actually felt. The corridor seemed endless at this point.
“This place is much bigger than it looks,” I murmured.
“It has to be.”T Nayara replied from ahead of our small group. “Knowledge tends to accumulate after some time. And these shelves have a habit of multiplying.
“Stay close,” she said as she turned another corner before she eventually stopped before a heavy oak door and pushed it open with a little more effort than it should have taken a normal person. Dust rose up in the air as the door creaked open.
“Sorry, I don’t get guests around here often,” she apologised softly as she stepped aside so we could enter.
“I can imagine.” I agreed softly as I glanced at her before taking a cautious step forward and crossing the threshold.
“This is the guest chambers. It’s not much to look at, but I fixed it up a bit when Aquila told me you’d be coming.”
So the plan had really been to spend the night here? I thought to myself, wondering why Aquila never mentioned it.
The room wasn’t particularly small, but at the same time it wasn’t big either.
There was no wardrobe, no vanity, no fine hangings. Just a wide bed set at the center of the room, and a worn leather couch was opposite it. If I was being honest, looking at the books that were stacked in one corner of the room, the space looked more like a storage closet than anything. The air smelled of old paper, beeswax, and the faint cool scent of rain and damp.
Nayara folded her arms beneath her chest. “Unfortunately, aside from my room, this is the only spare room in this place.” Nayara said, “So you’ll have to share.”
I spun around faster than those words could settle and stared at her with wide eyes. But she was kidding. Asher still stood just outside the threshold. He hadn’t even entered the room fully, but somehow his presence just filled up the space that we would apparently be sharing.
“Hope that’s not an issue,” she said. Her tone crisp. Almost as though she wanted to push me back with her words.
I pursed my lips into a thin line as I looked back at the space behind us, then at the couch and bed with a frown, but before I could think of a polite response, Asher beat me to it.
“It’s more than enough, Nayara, thank you.”
Nayara simply hummed.
"I'll go bring some fresh clothes."
Without another word, she turned and disappeared down the corridor. Leaving me and me alone. He still stood at the threshold, and I also hadn’t made a move. Not long after Nayara left, an awkward silence settled between us, and it held my neck.
“Um…I--”
“We don’t have to share the bed,” Asher spoke up first, surprising me. “I’m fine taking the couch,” he nodded towards the frail piece of furniture that sat haplessly at the corner. The thing was narrow, the leather worn at the edges, and I frowned as I looked back at him. He was so broad with shoulders that were maybe twice the size of mine. And if we were being honest, that thing looked less like a place to rest and more like an inept test of endurance.
Even I wouldn’t take it. And I was much smaller than he was.
“Well, that’s ridiculous,” I crossed my arms over my stomach before I could think better of it. “The thing is way too narrow, the leather is thin at the edge, and it barely has any foam in it,” I repeated my analysis back to him.
A small chuckle left his lips as he finally stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him with a soft click. And almost instantly the room shrunk around me as I stared at him.
“Thank you for the concern, Crystal,” his voice was a sweet husk that made me shiver. “But I’ve slept in far worse conditions. One night on this thing won’t kill me.”
“No. I won’t allow it.” I pushed.
“No?”
“Yes,” I glanced at the bed--it was at least wide enough for two people, but not so wide that we wouldn’t be aware of each other every second. My face warmed. “If it’s alright with you…we can share the bed. I don’t mind.”
Asher froze, and for a long moment, he said nothing at all; all I could see was the war waging behind his eyes.
“Crystal,” he started, taking a deep, steady breath before exhaling again. “I can’t.”
“Why? I’m not asking you to do anything,” I said quickly. “I am just saying we share the bed. You stay in your half, and I stay in mine. We’re both adults, right?”
I could see the hesitation behind those amber eyes. “I can’t share the bed with you, Crystal,” he said again, his thick brows drawing together in another frown. But I had no intention of letting it go.
“Is it that you don’t want to share the bed with me? Fine. You can have the bed, and I’ll take the couch-”
“No!”
“Then share the bed with me.”
What good would it do us if he woke up stiff and exhausted tomorrow?
Finally, with a slow nod, he agreed.
“Very well.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the small victory.
Asher approached, but just when I thought he was going to say something, he walked past me and turned towards the bed instead, busying himself with it as he rolled back the heavy wool coverlet, and I took the chance to breathe through the sudden, frantic beating of my heart. It was just two people sharing a space together. There was no reason for my hands to shake or my throat to feel tight. But they did.
A sharp knock at the door saved me from my own dangerous thoughts. Maybe this wasn’t such go idea after all…