Chapter 9

Gale’s eyes widened at my approach. Whether it was surprise or admiration, I couldn’t quite tell. I could feel a faint heat in my face as he looked me over. I had worn feminine clothing around him frequently, why was this in particular so embarrassing? It had to be the makeup. I blamed Gessa.

“Are you self conscious?” Gale asked gently.

I didn’t answer, just gave a slight nod. As expected, Gale knew me well. He took a step forward, giving a warm smile.

“You don’t need to be. You look incredible.”

“Flirting with your best friend? You’re hopeless.” I said. I began to walk forwards, hoping he couldn’t see the smile that crept across my face.

“Can you blame me?” He murmured in my ear.

“Shut up and walk.”

The sun began to lower, leaving the village alight with warm lanterns strewn throughout the town. Stalls were set up, covering any free space they could manage to claim. Their owners hocked goods, trading and bartering, taking advantage of the night’s atmosphere and the festival’s propensity for alcohol.

Gale and I walked past families holding hands, smiling and eating stall food. I watched a little girl drag her father to a stall that specialized in face paintings. My lips curled into a warm smile, and I grabbed Gale’s sleeve, dragging him towards a food vendor.

A woman had set up a small stage in the middle of town. She was singing, her voice accompanied by the instruments of the two men beside her. I watched for a while, mesmerized by the unfamiliar tones.

“Oh, we need to visit Bryan!” I said, suddenly. It took a bit of searching, but we found him with a haggard looking Rickard standing stiffly by his father’s stall. We approached, and Bryan shot us a wide grin.

“You two! Good, good, I just finished packaging your reward.” Bryan leaned down, grabbing a basket from beneath his stall and set it on the table. It was a gift basket filled to the brim with various bottles, complete with a pink bow tied on the handle. He pushed it towards us, smiling. Gale approached and lifted it.

“You didn’t put all your goods in here did you?” He asked.

“Naturally, for the couple that saved both my business and my worthless son, I doubled the amount I had planned to give you.” He said proudly.

Gale’s lip twitched for some reason. Rickard looked at us awkwardly, giving a small wave. I stepped forward, grinning.

“Going to see Jessie tonight?” I asked, teasingly. His face reddened, but he looked down.

“He most certainly is not.” His father retorted. “I still need help with the stall tonight.”

“Come on, let him live a little. He’s at that age.” I said, exasperated.

Stolen story; please report.

Bryan scratched his face. He sighed, before reaching out and patting Rickard on the shoulder.

“Be grateful the woman cares, boy. If you’re not back home by tonight, I’ll send you to the front lines.”

Rickard’s face bloomed into a joyful grin, and he sped off without another word. Bryan simply shook his head.

“He’s not the only one that could use some free time,” Gale said, meaningfully. Bryan laughed heartily.

“Oho, I’m far too old for such things. Better to work hard for the lad than waste my time chasing fantasies.” He waved us off with a smile, and we took our leave.

We passed here and there, enjoying the atmosphere, not saying much. The night deepened, and we decided to take our ill-gotten goods to a place with a nice view. There was a roof with a fairly low overhang, and I pulled myself up.

“What are you doing?” Gale asked. His voice was tinged with a slight edge of panic. I turned towards him and smiled.

“Getting a better view,” I responded, holding my hand out for him to grab. He ignored it, instead running at the wall with a bit of a start, kicking the wall and pulling himself up in one smooth motion. Highschool parkour paying off. Showoff.

I walked to the middle of the roof and looked west. I had heard the villagers would be setting off fireworks shortly. I sat down and summoned a bottle of mead from my item box. I leaned back into a comfortable position and took a sip.

Gale sat next to me, and I handed him the bottle. We passed it back and forth a few times, a familiar ritual from before our reincarnation.

I snuck looks at Gale, and beneath the smile, I could see a hint of melancholy. I reached out and gently touched his arm.

“Thinking of Zoey?” I whispered.

He nodded, mouth stretching into a guilty frown.

“She can’t open a bottle of water without help. And I just left her.” His voice came out strained. I frowned, scooted a bit closer and gently rubbed his back.

“You didn’t leave her. Don’t say that.”

“I did. I left her, left my aunt, and now I’m here doing… whatever this is.” He tried to hide it, but a light sniffle and a rub of his eyes couldn’t escape my sight.

“You can’t be there for her forever.” I said quietly. “No one can.”

He said nothing, only taking a deep drink from the bottle. I frowned. I hated seeing him like this. Was he hiding this the whole time?

“Is it really that bad?” I asked. I had no idea she needed that much help.

He nodded.

“You could have asked for help.” I chided. He looked at me, the corner of his lip tugging up.

“It’s not just a one time thing,” He said, “It’s everyday. Constant. Day in, day out, more than a full-time job. It’s crushing.”

He paused for a moment, brought his legs to his chest, before finally whispering, “I really…don’t want to go back.”

It felt like a dagger stabbed my heart. I bit my lip, before finally saying, “Me either.”

He looked up, surprised. I smiled at him.

“I never told you that I was sick.”

His eyes widened. “Sick?” He asked.

“Terminal.” I replied.

His face fell, horror rippling across his features. “What…?”

I nodded.

“How long?”

“Before my birthday.”

He just looked at me. I could see pity, sorrow, affection, anger, frustration, and myriad other feelings dance across his face before settling on confusion.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He finally asked.

My heart clenched, anxiety running through my body. I took a long, deep drink. A faint buzz settled across my mind, easing my emotions.

“I don’t know,” I said, “I guess I just wanted to pretend everything was normal for a while.”

He looked down, hurt. My breath caught.

“It wasn’t because of you,” I said, quickly.

He thought for a moment before saying, “So what happens if you go back?”

I tapped my fingers on my knee, looked towards him and smiled. “I die in three months or so?”

Anger flashed across his face as he looked at me. “How can you just treat this like it’s nothing?!”

“I don’t really matter.” I replied. I thought of me, sitting next to Gale in the bar, drinking alone.

At my response, he grabbed my shoulder and looked into my face, searchingly.

“What are you saying? Of course you matter.”

I bit my lip, the sting of loneliness running through my soul. Gale pulled me into a tight hug.

I initially pulled away, but the warmth of his closeness melted my heart.

I leaned my head on his chest. When was the last time I’d hugged someone like this? I felt small tears running down my cheek. After a moment, I pulled from his embrace.

“Thanks.” I sniffled.

He reached out and gently rubbed the small of my back. I was looking at him when a noise sounded, and the dazzling lights of something in the distance shone out of eyesight. I didn’t need to look. The scene was reflected in his eyes. The night sky, thick with stars and unaffected by light pollution, was a canvas for myriad colors bursting into existence before they faded away, only to be replaced by a more dazzling spectacle.

We looked at each other for a long while. I suddenly realized our faces had grown close enough for me to feel his breath on my face. It smelled of mint and drink.

I pulled back. Gale’s eyes flickered with loneliness before it was hidden again. I moved half a scoot away, and looked towards the fireworks. I watched the show for a while, aware that until the night ended, Gale’s eyes never left me.