“Here, wear this.”
Theo offered Neera his jacket, but she refused. “Thank you, but I’m not cold.” He must have thought she was cold as she was completely soaked, but the afternoon sun kept her warm.
“It’s not for the cold... Your, erm, T-shirt is...” Was that a blush on his cheeks?
She looked down at her T-shirt and understood what he was trying to say. Of course. White T-shirt and water did not exactly go hand in hand. The thin fabric had clung to her skin and gone almost transparent, showing the red and white polka dot bra she was wearing underneath.
She blushed ten shades of red, and hurriedly grabbed the jacket he was offering, covering up her exposed chest. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“No problem,” Theo replied, half an amused smile on his face.
“Hey, it’s not funny!” But she started giggling herself, adrenaline still running through her veins. Turning serious again, she said softly, “That was the strangest thing that has ever happened to me.” She looked out at the sea. It had always calmed her to be physically near a body of water, but it had never occurred to her that it could be for more than mere preference, like one prefers the sea side to the mountains. All the aquatics sports she had practiced when she was young, the incomparable sensation of peace she felt when she swam in the sea... It all shone under a different light now.
She felt Theo’s gaze on her, and turned to look at him, but he averted his gaze, an undecipherable expression on his face.
“What?” She asked quietly.
He shook his head, as if torn between telling her or not, but settled for, “It’s nothing.” Rapidly changing the subject, he exclaimed, “Well, I guess this is not a good spot to train after all!”
Unsettled by his mood swing, she asked confused, “Train?...”
“Neera, would you like to learn how to wield your element?” He looked at her solemnly and expectantly at the same time.
She sucked in a breath. She was on a plane home just a few days ago, looking forward to a relaxing family visit. Perfectly normal woman, with a normal job. Not much luck in love, but with brilliant close friends at her side.
Now, here she was, sitting on a picnic table, drenched from head to toe, looking at her beautiful ex-boyfriend from high school who had just asked her if she wanted to learn... magic? It seemed like a crazy dream, one of those you marvel at in the morning, but forget about as the day goes on – because they are just dreams, not real life.
Yet, this was real. All her senses were too sharply awake for this to be a dream: the cold, wet clothes clung to her skin; the smell of fir trees, carried by the breeze, filled her nostrils; she could hear her heart beating fast. Above all, she was entranced by Theo’s face, looking at her intently.
“Yes,” she breathed out. She did not want this to be a dream.
***
He took her home on his motorbike again.
She had dried in the sun for a bit before they had left, using the chance to ask Theo about his training.
“I did not start training right away. After Andrea ‘discovered’ me, my talent, I refused to believe all of it”, he had told her. “I’m afraid I was not as brave as you,” he had added with a timid smile in her direction. “A few days later, while I was trying to light a cigarette, I burnt all the tobacco as my hand gave a burst of fire, so I decided to go back to Andrea, who trained me.”
“How long did you train for?” She had asked.
“Almost a year, before I could master my element sufficiently well. It would have been easier if who taught me had been master of my same element, but Andrea did not know any fire wielders.”
“Is... Is Andrea going to train me as well?” She had dreaded the thought a bit, those cold eyes had made her defensive the night before. They would not be able to teach her anything if she was not comfortable with them.
“No, I’ll do it. Is that okay?” he had added, uncertainly.
“Oh” Neera’s cheeks had flushed a little. Training sounded like they were going to spend a lot of time together. Though she would not admit it to herself, she had felt thrilled at the thought. But would he be okay with this? Was he doing it just because Andrea did not want to? “You don’t have to do it, I can ask Rufus if you’d rather not... He is a wielder too, right?” she had offered.
“No,” he had said firmly. “I would rather train you myself, actually.”
“Okay then,” she had agreed, and a small smile had lit up his face. “When do we start?”
“I don’t know if you’ve realised it, but the sun is going to set soon. We can start tomorrow, though,” he had replied, grinning at her eagerness.
They were pulling into her apartment building’s parking lot now, as the sun was setting beyond the horizon. She dismounted and gave him back the helmet. Theo took his off as well and placed them on the seat, then walked her to the door. Her mind blank, she was searching for something to say as she stalled, playing with her keys. He beat her to it.
“I have put protective spells in every room of your apartment last night, so you will be safe there,” he reassured her.
She nodded, took a deep breath, and sighed. “It’s been a long day; I’d better head up... So, see you tomorrow?” she asked, still unsure whether he would actually go through and train her.
“Bright and early!” He grinned. “I’ll come pick you up at 7am.”
“Where are we going?” She asked, half-doubtfully, half-excitedly.
“Um... Actually, I don’t know. I guess we should go somewhere where there is easy access to water, but is also secluded, and quiet,” he said thoughtfully.
An idea hit her, and Neera’s eyes lit up. With a broadening smile, she assured him, “I know just the place.”
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