Page 50 of The Mirage Guild

I paused, taking in the sight of our unlikely group of friends.

Emma and Liam sat nestled together on a plush couch, a picture of a contented partnership. Liam’s fingers gently played with a strand of Emma’s hair, a tender gesture that spoke volumes, while he engaged in light conversation with Jessie. She sat across from them, her knees pulled up close, her eyes twinkling.

Then there was Dom, who strolled over to the edge of the tufted couch, exuding a quiet strength. His hand reached out to Jessie, his touch gentle yet firm on her shoulder. I tried to decipher the layers of meaning behind Dom’s effortless, nonchalant demeanor. He was an enigma, always keeping his emotions carefully guarded, locked away beneath a calm exterior. My gaze then landed on Natalia and Max. They were engaged in a spirited yet friendly debate. Their voices rose and fell in a dance of words, each trying to outwit the other, yet there was an underlying current of mutual respect and fondness.

These moments, surrounded by friends who had become family, grounded me. Amid the chaos of planning and preparation, there was a sense of belonging, a shared purpose connecting us all.

The Mirage Guild stood as a testament to our unity, a club where our individual talents and quirks intertwined to craft something extraordinary. Standing there among this dynamic and vibrant group, I felt prepared for whatever the future might hold, knowing we would face it together.

“Okay, I think we’ve perfected everything to death. It’s time to just trust that tomorrow night is going to go well,” I said.

“What if we pre-celebrate with some drinks?” Max asked from the bar.

“Yes!” Jessie said, turning in her spot on the couch. “Definitely drinks. Also, I already analyzed our horoscopes and tomorrow is looking bright for all of us.” Jessie, with a dramatic flourish, held her glass aloft and declared, “According to the stars, tomorrow aligns with a rare cosmic convergence that promises success, deep connections, and unexpected revelations for us all.”

“Well, I’ll take whatever good luck we can get,” Emma said.

I plopped down in one of the swivel chairs and turned to where everyone else sat around low mercury glass-topped tables. Max navigated back from the bar, each step exuding a calm confidence, balancing a tray of artfully prepared drinks. In each glass, a mesmerizing mix of purple, deep black, and gold flakes swirled.

“As the resident sommelier and mixologist,” Max announced, his tone imbued with a playful showmanship, “I present the Midnight Carousel, a concoction designed to capture the essence of the Mirage Guild—enchanting, vibrant, and a touch mysterious.” His eyes shone with a mixture of pride and excitement as he distributed the drinks, his passion for his craft visible in every gesture.

I watched him, a smile playing on my lips, impressed by his transformation from a studious sommelier into a charismatic host. As he handed me a glass, our fingers brushed, a fleeting but charged touch that sent a subtle current running through my fingertips. My heart fluttered, a sensation I tried to quell but couldn’t completely hide.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Natalia’s knowing wink. A silent acknowledgment of the unspoken electricity between me and Max. My cheeks warmed slightly, but I masked it with a sip of the exquisite cocktail, letting the rich flavors distract me from the butterflies in my stomach.

Two cocktails and one Champagne toast later, we’d all kicked off our shoes and were animatedly talking about how tomorrow might go. There were guesses and bets on who might show up and what rooms certain people might try out. There were predictions for how the entertainment might go and hopes that all their members would enjoy it.

Dom had decided to oversee the Prism Society and had since entrusted Natalia and Liam to do the same for the Mirage Guild. It was reassuring knowing there could be an element of this world that I could be a part of without my younger brother and his friend’s presence. Well, except for Max.

Max had long since passed the blurred lines of fitting in the boundary of just “my brother’s friend.” And I had no idea what to do with that change. I wasn’t ready to fully admit to Dom something was going on between us, especially since it was most likely a fling. Something that, especially if we kept working together, would need to come to a stop.

I was asking for heartbreak and trouble the longer I kept up our charade. I was at a place in my life where I needed to be looking for a partner who was ready to settle down and move into the next phase of life. There were a lot of things on the to-do list of my life that still needed to be checked off.

I did want to get married, become a parent, move out of my freaking parents’ house.

A few months ago, I still had all the time in the world to do those things, but for every day that goes by, that pressure gets heavier and heavier.

“Earth to Izzy.” Natalia’s voice cut through my overthinking, and my eyes refocused on her face in front of me.

“Oh, sorry,” I said, “lost in thought for a minute. What’s up?”

“We’re going around and answering the question, ‘What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t yet?’” she said.

“Oh, uh,” I said, vying for time, “well, there’s a lot of things, actually. But not enough time to do them in.” I laughed and shrugged, hoping that was a sufficient enough answer.

Natalia’s raised eyebrows told me otherwise.

“Come on, you’re in a safe space, like what?” Emma asked.

I took another sip of my cocktail, hoping for a bit of clarity. “Well, there’s this little brownstone in Washington Square that I’ve had my eye on to redesign, but that would involve actually moving out of my parents’ guest room.”

“I didn’t know you were looking at buying,” Dom said.

I laughed. “I’m not. I’m not in a place where it makes sense to do so, it probably won’t happen.”

“Why not?” Jessie asked.

My eyes darted around the group. What was this, grill Izzy hour?

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