Page 28 of Woven Souls

It takes me a moment to find my voice and collect my scattered thoughts.

“’Not all that difficult.’ Have you ever even been on a date to a place like this?” I scoff as I try, and fail, to picture Viktor sitting there listening to someone talk about their mundane life activities. “I'd figure the Brotherhood would frown upon dating the monsters you run across in the Third Realm.”

Viktor’s face hardens, turning to stone so quickly that I’m afraid Medusa might be just outside his window. His whole body stiffens, and the atmosphere in the car shifts. My eyes drop to his hand, which is sitting on his lap and slowly curling into a fist before he stops moving altogether. The air becomes stifling, and I’m afraid to breathe.

But why?

When Viktor remains silent after a few minutes, I give up waiting for an explanation. Maybe he did have a fling with a monster. I’ll have to ask Kwil about it later. Turning my attention back to outside the vehicle, I people-watch in silence.

“I had a fiancée once,” Viktor says, breaking the tense silence. I look back at him to find his eyes still glued to his own window. “And no, before you say it, she was not a monster from the Third Realm.”

I snort and roll my eyes. I mean, I wasn’t going to ask it out loud, but I’m glad he cleared that up.

“She… she loved dressing up and going out. So yes, I've been on many dates to many extravagant restaurants.”

Ah. Now I understand why he recoiled from my comment. Viktor had someone he cared for, and now she’s gone. What happened? Who was this woman? My gaze sweeps over his stiff posture. Clearly, this is a touchy subject for him, and most touchy subjects are due to some emotional damage. And Viktor? Well, he’s not one for showing too much emotion if he can help it.

“I’m sorry,” I tell him softly, meaning it.

Viktor’s white brows smash together as his jaw clenches. His eyes remain glued to the window.

“Why are you sorry?” he asks.

“Because it's not hard to deduce that it didn't work out. Since you guys were engaged, I'm assuming, if it's anything like human customs, you probably loved her.For what it's worth, losing love, whether it’s from a falling out, a death, or anything in between, is a great tragedy. So, I’m sorry you experienced that.”

Viktor takes in a swift breath. His nostrils flare as his fist curls into an even tighter ball. When he squeezes his eyes shut, I suddenly have a huge urge to reach out and comfort him. Knowing he’d probably hate it, I keep my hands to myself. After a few moments, he opens his eyes and very deliberately unfurls his fist.

“It’s for the best that it didn’t work out.” The way he says it, so softly and thick with emotion, it sounds like a confession meant for a priest.

I give him a smile he doesn’t see.

“Maybe it is.” I nod. “It takes a mature person to acknowledge that.”

Viktor sighs deeply. As he does, his body relaxes. Silence falls over us once more, but this time it isn’t fraught with tension. Finally, he looks back at me.

“Why aren’t you asking questions? You strike me as the nosy type.”

I snort.

“Honey, I have a hundred questions for you. Luckily for you, I’m good at reading body language, and right now, it looks like you’d rather have a colonoscopy than have this conversation with me. So, this is me doing my best to mind my business. If you want to talk about it, be my guest. If not, then I’ll just let my imagination run wild, but if that happens, you can't fault me for giving you funny looks as I make up shit about your past.”

Viktor’s mouth twitches, and for a moment I think he may smile. It doesn’t happen. His face does, however, soften a bit.

“I haven’t talked, or eventhought, about her for decades,” He swallows and shakes his head. “When I did think of her, I would go into these terrible rages… To get myself under control, I just stopped thinking or feeling anything about or for her. Or, I tried to, at least.”

I can feel my eyebrows rising.

“Well, that sounds super healthy, keeping that all bottled up. I'm sure that hasn’t festered or manifested itself into something else.”

My sarcasm does the trick. Viktor chuckles. It’s soft and short-lived, but it transforms his face into something magnificent. Smiling Viktor is breathtaking. While he’s distracted, I struggle to keep my breathing even. Finally, he manages to stifle his soft laughter.

"Stop being so insightful.” He shoots me a glare that lacks its typical heat. “It's weird for someone as young as you."

A compliment from Viktor? That’s the second one tonight.

"I'm twenty-nine. That's not really young, Viktor."

“I'm a hundred and thirty-six, so to me, it is.”

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