Page 18 of A Winter Romance
ChapterFourteen
“Why are you so nervous?” Sero asked.
“What makes you think I’m nervous?”
As Sero predicted, it hadn’t snowed at all today, just clear blue skies. Perfect for the half-day trek to Sero’s village. Still, the air was freezing. Whatever the state of Sero’s home, Aryn just hoped it was warm.
“Well, your shoulders are hunched,” Sero said. “You keep touching your hair. You’re frowning. You haven’t spoken for quite a while. It seems to me like you are nervous.”
Sero wasn’t wrong. Nerves ran round and round Aryn’s stomach.
“I just want to make a good impression.”
He hadn’t thought about it when he’d agreed to stay, but he was about to meet Sero’s family. It had his heart beating so hard it felt like it was trying to escape from his chest.
Sero’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I want to make a good impression with your family. And the people in the village. I want them to like me.”
He couldn’t explain why it meant so much to him. It wasn’t like he and Sero were properly together. Nor did he plan to stay in Ores.
But perhaps it was because, if he was being completely honest with himself, people normally didn’t like him that much. His parents were disappointed in him. His siblings barely tolerated him. And he got the sense that a lot of people only cared about him because of his family name. Like Sasha.
“It’s… I’ve never been just me.”
“What do you mean?” Sero asked.
“My whole life, I’ve had my family name to hide behind. People have treated me well because of that, but no one in your village knows Greweth Perfumeries. No one knows of my illustrious, wealthy family. For the first time in my life, I’m just me. And I want your family and the people here to like me for who I am.”
He tried to smooth his hair down. Aryn wished he weren’t wearing Sero’s clothes. He wished he didn’t look so rumpled. He wished he were more handsome. More successful. More charming.
And what would everyone think when they found out he had gotten lost and had almost frozen to death? Would they look down on him? Think him an idiot?
Sero took his hand. “It will be fine. You have nothing to worry about. Promise. And for what it’s worth, I like you for who you are.”
His heart jumped excitedly in his chest.
This is just temporary, Aryn. Don’t get attached.
They walked for several minutes in silence. Aryn wondered how much further it was. He was tired, and his legs ached. He never walked this much in Bordertown. But he wouldn’t complain. He didn’t want Sero to think he was weak, or regret inviting him to stay.
He looked up ahead and stopped in his tracks. Little wooden cabins were dotted amongst the snow. The mountains and dense forest surrounded the village, towering over it. The windows of the cabins glowed from within, and snow lay heavy on the thatched roofs. Grey coils of smoke rose from the chimneys, the air filled with its rich, peaty scent.
He had expected it to be more rustic and basic, the cabins more worn down and dirty-looking. But it was nothing like that at all. It was picturesque and beautiful.
“There it is,” Sero said. “Ores. My home.”
“It’s like a painting,” Aryn said.
Sero laughed.
They continued onwards. The smell of smoke in the air grew heavier. The snow, worn away by villagers’ boots, turned into a slushy path beneath their feet. Still, it didn’t detract from the quaint beauty of the place.
An old woman walked along the path with two children, her silver hair pulled back into a loose plait. A dried leaf was tucked behind her ear. She smiled at Aryn and Sero as they approached. “Who’s this young man?”
“This is Aryn,” Sero said. “He’s from Bordertown and will be staying with us until the Solstice. Aryn, this is Odara.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” Aryn said.
