Hestia's Wish [2019 ONC Longlist]

7 | Shattered

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Alastair pushed past the crowds of people that surrounded him, cheering him on for completing his apprenticeship. His head bobbed within the crowd as he attempted to locate Hestia amidst all of the chaos. To his disappointment, she was nowhere to be found. He had to tell her how he felt and he didn't want to leave tomorrow morning without making it known. He forced himself to bury his feelings, thinking that once they were done with their apprenticeship, she could see him as something more than a brother or even a friend. He was willing to play that role dutifully in the past because that's what she needed then. However, it was a lie. He couldn't lie to her or to his heart anymore.

He felt an abrupt tug on the sleeve of his shirt, which caused him to turn his head. 'Could it be?' he hopefully thought. His hope quickly crumbled when he saw that it was Amynta with a large smile on her face. He internally groaned, how could he have mistaken her for Hestia? He did his best to smile without a hint of disgust. "Amynta."

"Alastair, I was just looking for you," she replied.. "The others are throwing a bit of a party by the healing pools. I was hoping that you would join us," she replied.

The way she seductively pressed herself against his body almost made him largely recoil. It had nothing to do with her looks. He thought she was a beautiful girl with her dark skin and black hair. But she wasn't the one that he wanted. He removed his arm from her grasp and said, "No thanks, Amynta. Perhaps I'll join all of you later. Do you know where Hestia is?"

He caught the noticeable flinch at the mention of Hestia's name. His subtle rejection clearly hurt her, but it didn't show that it bothered him. He had to be clear about his intentions and Amynta was not part of them in any way. She slowly pointed towards the hills before walking away, sulking.

He excused himself before trekking up the hill. His mind was filled with complete chaos, unsure of how to approach the topic. His heart beat rapidly in his chest as his mind ran through every possible scenario. Would she accept his feelings? Would she still be near him even if she didn't? What would happen if she didn't?

All of the questions were pulled to a sudden halt when he saw her small figure staring out into the distance. All of the worry dissipated and there was only her. He watched her auburn hair softly blow in the breeze;, it was a lovely contrast against the quickly setting sun. His fingers twitched, wanting to reach out and touch the delicate strands. He pulled himself out of his reverie and said, "Tia? What are you doing up here? I—well, everyone was looking everywhere for you." He mentally kicked himself for not sounding confident. He cleared his throat and placed his hands together in an attempt to calm himself, but his fingers kept moving about nervously.

She smiled at him and said, "I just needed some time to myself. Are you feeling okay?"

'Skata, don't smile at me like that,' he thought. He could already feel his resolve weakening by the second. He was a prisoner to her alluring smile. His eyes lingered on her lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss them.

She waved her hand in front of his face to get his attention. "Hello? Is anybody home? Did you drink the wine? You know that we aren't supposed to drink that stuff."

His cheeks turned a slight pink at her sudden proximity and shook his head. He waved his hands around and replied in a cracked voice, "I didn't drink anything, I'm fine!" 'Gamo, can you not speak?' he mentally kicked himself again. He felt like a young boy under her speculative gaze. He was always bad at hiding things just as she was with him. He looked away, thinking that avoiding her gaze would give him the concentration he needed to say what he needed to say. He let out a deep sigh of defeat and said in a serious tone, "Tia, we need to talk."