Page 129 of This and Every Life
“I am.”
“Good,” I mutter, nodding to myself. “What is your name?”
He raises an eyebrow. “That will cost you, as well.”
“Will it? How much?”
He seems to weigh this. “For the honeycomb, you come back tomorrow.”
“For another treat? That hardly seems like payment.”
“And for my name…” He pauses, eyes running over my face for a moment, seeming to come to some conclusion. “For that, a proper meal.”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
I hold out my hand. “I accept your terms. Although I must warn you, they weigh heavily in my favor.”
“Then it seems our goals are aligned.” His palm clasps mine, his eyes seeming to twinkle in the sunlight. I feel it like a blow to my sternum. Not even glancing, no. Piercing and beautifully sharp.
“I am Leandros,” I offer, not yet letting go. “Your name?”
He nods his head shortly. “Aster, my good warrior.”
“Aster? Your parents named you for the stars?”
His shrug is slight.
“Fitting,” I say, bringing his hand up. “You have stars in your eyes with the way they shine.”
He pulls in a soft breath when I bow my head, my lips brushing his skin.
“It is my absolute honor, Aster, to have met you in this life.”
He watches me closely as I release him, my palm cold without his to warm it. “You will return tomorrow?”
I place my hand over my heart. “It is my solemn vow. After all, I am in your debt.”
“Then I shall see you again.”
“Quite swiftly. Perhaps another for the road?”
Lips in a smile, Aster retrieves a second piece of honeycomb. He snaps his hand back when I reach for him,instead waving me forward. I lean his way and open my mouth, and he sets the delicacy on my tongue.
I savor every bite as the honey drips down my throat.
“Soon, my star.”
Aster purses his lips at such familiarity, but his eyes tell me he’s pleased to hear it. He nods his head once more. “My warrior.”
There’s a grin on my face as I walk through the merchants’ stalls. When I glance back, Aster’s face is set in much the same. The sun glitters overhead, the clank of the shoemaker’s tools drawing my gaze forward once more. If I listen hard enough, I can hear the water still lapping at the shore. An inhale draws salt-tinged air into my lungs.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow is a new day.
I cannot say for certain what it will hold, but I feel in the deepest parts of me that from now forward my life has branched on a new path, one of many possible outcomes. My tomorrow is not the same as it might have otherwise been had I missed Aster. A single encounter, and hope sits in my heart.
Whatever the next day brings, and the one after that, my future has certainly been changed.
Irrevocably.
Miraculously.
Forevermore.
The End
