Page 26 of The Heart of a Capricorn
Lyric grabbed the buzzer and put it between us, more so in front of her.
“Okay.” Marissa rubbed her hands together. “This sign is known as the bull.”
Lyric immediately hit the buzzer.
“You hit it first,” Marissa shouted as she pointed at Lyric.
“Taurus!” Lyric leaped from her seat.
“You got it!”
Everyone cheered as Marissa told Lyric her answer was correct.
All the questions were based on different things about each sign. Different people won prizes, but Lyric killed them all. I didn’t know she knew that much about zodiac signs. I didn’t bother answering any of them, because I was too busy being enamored by Lyric. I could tell she enjoyed herself by the smile she wore the whole time.
When they announced the first part of the games were over, I decided I wanted a more private moment with Lyric. I needed to pick her brain to see why she had been avoiding me.
“You mind if we go somewhere to talk?” I asked as I pushed my chair back.
“No, I don’t mind.”
I reached my hand out for her to take it, then helped her up. I put my hand on her back as I led her across the room to the exit.
Lyric stole the attention of almost everyone we walked past, and she didn’t even know it. I did, and I dared one of them to say something to her. I moved my hand further down her back to sit right at the top of her ass, to let them know she was taken.
We found a spot outside in the back where there was a garden. Luckily, someone walked past with a tray of champagne, so I took two.
Lyric took one glass from my hand. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“It’s such a beautiful night, and this garden is everything.”
The stars were bright in the sky, while the moon cast a soft glow over the garden. Multiple types of flowers and flower statues filled the area. It really was a nice garden, and whoever kept it maintained did a hell of a job.
“It is. But what’s been going on with you? I thought we agreed on you not avoiding me.”
She drank some of her champagne, then put the glass on the small table.
“I wasn’t avoiding you, Chauncey. It’s just . . . I don’t know. I’ve just been having a lot of stuff on my mind. I’m sorry for making you feel a type of way.”
“Do you want to share what you’ve been thinking about?” I wondered if it had anything to do with me asking to spend more time, since that was when she first shut down.
“Not really.” She sighed.
“I can respect that.” I put my hand on her knee and gave a little squeeze. “I’m here if you change your mind.”
She gave me a sliver of a smile and picked up her glass. We sat in silence for a few minutes, admiring our surroundings.
I wasn’t trying to ruin the mood, and I didn’t want the night to end, so I sparked a conversation.
“Do you believe in fate, or do you think we create our own destinies?”
Lyric’s eyes were on the rose bush in front of us, but I knew she heard me. I also knew she was thinking about her answer as she chewed on her bottom lip.
“A little bit of both. I think we try our best to create the things we envision for ourselves, but sometimes fate steps in.” She turned to face me and smiled. “I mean, I feel like fate made us cross paths for some reason.”
“I’d have to agree with you.”
