Fire & Songs

2 - 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕕

"You know you look like someone just stabbed your soul?" Anouk's voice resonates above Peter's head, and he slowly removes his hands from above his eyes. He stares at the young woman for a moment, taking in the halo of blonde, almost white hair falling over her shoulders as the living room's light shines behind her, creating shadows over her round face that don't usually exist.

Peter sighs, a sigh coming from deep within, and that makes his shoulders rise and fall, slumping forward as he sits.

"What's wrong with you?" She asks, coming to sit next to him on the sofa, minding his tail resting next to him. She is holding two cups of freshly made chamomile infusion, and Peter is so thankful for her existence he would kiss her he thinks as he takes one. It's sometime around 2:00A.M, and they are both still working; their laptops are on the coffee table, and the screen shows various half-read files.

"It's nothing," he replies after taking a sip of the infusion. He feels the hot beverage warming him from within, taking hold of the cold residing in his heart and soul, and it feels good, almost comforting. "I'm just thinking about him."

"Again?" Anouk signs at his confession, but she turns to face him, her long legs crossing under her. "Did you see him today?"

"Yeah..." Peter nods, and she has a sympathetic smile on her lips as she squeezes his left forearm.

Life sucks lately, not just because Peter is stuck with a job he doesn't really like, or because law school is damn hard, but mostly because he fell in love with the wrong person, and now he has to see the consequences of his choice every single day.

It really sucks.

Peter has always been very open about what he likes and what he doesn't like, and when his eyes landed on Theoden, he instantly knew that he liked him. A lot. And, apparently, at the time, his affection was returned. Peter has loved Theoden deeply, showering him with gifts he didn't have the money to buy, following him to parties he didn't want to go to, and hanging out with people he didn't even like. Despite his easily grumpy nature, he tried his best to be a good boyfriend, especially since Theoden is Half-Fae, Peter has always felt that he had to try even harder to please him and, perhaps, make him forget that he is a Tiefling and that their relationship would have been frowned upon a few decades ago.

Still, it hadn't been enough and, one day, when one of his childhood friends, a beautiful female Forest Fae from some foreign country Peter hadn't wanted to remember, came back to town, Peter physically felt him slip through his fingers. Now, they hadn't officially broken up because Peter had been unable to get a hold of Theoden. Still, every day at university, he would see him and his friend on campus, laughing together, and it hurt him deeply. His heart stung painfully, and Peter was exhausted because things were supposed to be like this. Dating Theoden – beautiful, intelligent and popular Theoden – was supposed to be his endgame.

But life often has a different plan than what Peter wanted, and now, it is like he is condemned to watch the one person he ever truly loved — apart from Anouk, whom he loves with his whole heart and soul, just differently— walking away with someone else.

It explains why, lately, he is even more irascible than usual. Because he feels stuck in a place he doesn't want to be, unsure of what to do, and increasingly feeling lost to the point that it makes him dizzy.

"You know you should talk to him," Anouk cuts his thoughts. She is frowning, her bright blue eyes darkening as she surely is thinking about Theoden. "What he's doing to you is downright disrespectful."

"I've tried," Peter groans, leaning his head back against the sofa, careful than his horns don't touch the cushion. "But he ignores me."

"Well, confront him. Or I'll do it." She sounds serious, and Peter knows she will do it.