Page 18 of The NemeSis
“That’s great, sweetie. I think seven will be the perfect amount in each one, then we’ll decorate the tops after they cool. Okay?”
“Okay, Auntie Kyra.” Elena sticks out her tongue and starts counting out loud as she drops the chips in each cupcake.
I move to the pantry to grab the purple sprinkles I hid from my niece when I arrived. My plan was to make purple cupcakes tomorrow, but anything to help distract her with the storm brewing outside.
“Excuse me.” Ares’s voice is right behind me, and I freeze. I feel him brush up against me and reach for the popcorn on the top shelf. “We’re going to do a family movie night and need popcorn.” His voice is right at my ear, and it sends goosebumps down my arms and up my neck.
I swallow and stay still as he presses against me. It’s like I can feel every inch of his hard body pressed into my back. The heat radiating off of him has my stomach in knots.
“Auntie Kyra, I’m done!” I hear Elena call out from the kitchen.
“Okay. I’ll be right there.” I steady my breathing as I turn.
Ares is looking down at me with dark eyes. His gaze flutters down, then back up to my eyes. He steps back slowly, a half-smile on his face as he holds up the popcorn.
What was that? I shake it off and take the sprinkles into the kitchen.
“Look what I found.” I hold them out to my niece.
She squeals. “This is the best day ever!”
I smile as she dances around with the container of sprinkles. Selene moves the cupcakes into the oven and sets the timer.
“It looks like it’s going to be a long night. The boys and I got the generator ready, just in case. We’re still supplied from the last one, just in case,” my dad assures everyone.
* * *
It’s betterto be prepared, and that’s how my dad is. After a double feature in the home theater, everyone called it a night. The worst has passed over us and we still have power. Dad said there wasn’t much damage around us either from what he heard from the neighbors.
I’m sure the birds will chirp with the sun tomorrow as we look things over. I fold up the throw blankets and place them back in the baskets along the wall before walking across the hall to my room. Then I remember my laptop is still downstairs and decide I could go for a hot beverage. I could honestly go for a cup of coffee, but I don’t necessarily want the caffeine right now.
I turn on the kettle and grab the tea basket to see what they’ve stocked it with. There’s a honey matcha one that looks promising. I grab it and prepare my cup. Once the tea is steeping, I take it over to the island with my laptop and open it up.
I open up one of my online textbooks and scan through for Ancient Greece and start re-reading. Most of it barely brushes the surface on the democracy, philosophy, and arts during that time. I open up a new tab to pull up the school’s library and start searching for books I can check out next week when I return.
The library at Wicklow University is massive and beautiful. It has multiple levels and more books than I could read in ten lifetimes. I’ve spent countless evenings studying there, especially when I can’t focus at the sorority house. There’s something tranquil and soothing about being inside.
The university was founded in the early eighteen hundreds after a man named Marvin Wicklow. Rumor has it that he helped start the school so his daughter could get a secret education. The university is spread out over 3,000 acres. It was originally built as the Wicklow estate. The Wicklow’s original house sits near Greek Row as a historic site.
I move my finger across the touchpad as I type in various words and terms, and start to favorite the books so I can pull them up when I’m at the library to see what is worth checking out. I’ll probably make more than one evening of it. It’s going to be more work than I’d originally thought, but some of it will be beneficial for the Greek Games coming up. All the houses agreed to participate. They just need a little guidance.
“What are you doing still up?” Ares slides in next to me at the counter, his eyes moving to my computer screen. “Is this the subject you picked for the essay?”
I nod. “Yes.” I swallow, unsure if I want to tell him more. Since he’s still staring at the screen, I decide to open up the document that only has the title and my name on it.
Ares chuckles next to me. “I’d like to read this too.” He leans in closer. “May I?”
I lift my hands from the keyboard and he angles the laptop a little more towards him. I watch his finger move across the pad and open the library website back up. His fingers type quickly and he favorites a few more books. “Trust me.”
I turn to face him. “I always did.”
His head turns my way, his eyes narrow on mine. “Anything else you need help with?”
This is it! This is the moment. We’re actually talking and now is the time I can open up to him about that invitation. “There’s an event I need to bring a plus one to, and I know my boyfriend is not someone I should bring.”
His brows push down, and his eyes brighten with humor. “I’m listening.”
“You may know nothing about it, but if there was anyone in my life that could help me with this.” I take in a deep breath. “It’s you.” I left my phone upstairs, but I know I can access the message from my laptop when I put in my password. So, I open it up and scroll down to the blocked number and open up the message. “Is this something you can help me with?”
