Page 128 of Crystal Iris
“You think we’re together… because of the prisms?”
“Well, it obviously brought you together.”
“Yeah, but…”
She shakes her head. “My family… they would never… accept it.”
“They want to see you happy, Akira.”
“That’s not enough, with them. And I am happy, with the way things are. This has been fun, but I think it’s time I go home.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, is that okay?”
“Of course. I’ll be going home soon enough, too.”
“Last night… Are you guys together together?”
“I think so.”
“I’m happy for you.”
I smile at her. “I’m going to get cleaned up.”
I find Akira and Johanna laughing on the couch when I come back downstairs—like they’re best friends.What in the world?They’re sipping wine and snacking on a cheese tray.
“So he didn’t tell you whose clothes those were?” I hear Johanna ask.
“Nope. You should’ve seen Sawyer’s face,” Akira replies.
I hear the name Sawyer, and I can’t help but watch Johanna’s reaction. I haven’t seen him around. Broc had left me a message:Sawyer needs to postpone the lessons.
“Have you guys seen Sawyer?” Johanna asks us. I’ve taken a seat beside them.
“He was supposed to help me today, with riding lessons. I think he canceled because you showed up,” I tell her.
“Things are…” she starts to explain.
“Complicated?” I ask, smiling.
She just smiles back.
“We’re used to it,” Akira says, taking another sip of her wine.
We move on to other topics. I decide to pour myself a glass and join them. We cover basic subjects, and Johanna goes on to tell usabout her family. We’re probably on our second bottle when Hoyt walks in.
“Are you guys… drunk? It’s barely past noon.”
“Like that ever stopped you,” Johanna says.
“She’s a bad influence,” he jokes, sitting down in the chair across from me.
“You don’t have to be shy around me,” she says, mentioning our lack of… intimacy.
“They can’t touch each other,” Akira says, snacking on a cracker.
“Akira!” I yell at her.
