“Hey, Gramlithyn, what should we do on our last vacation day?” Colburn asked. He headed toward the rock Gramlithyn had perched himself on as he once again dwelled on the mess of his existence.
Colburn’s light yellow-green eyes were bright with excitement and a hint of mischief. One thing Gramlithyn didn’t regret was sharing his trip with the gargoyle-cougar hybrid. It was usually difficult to be sad around Colburn, but Gramlithyn’s life had been turned upside down, so he’d slapped a grin on his face for weeks to ensure his close friend enjoyed himself. Thankfully, his friend’s upbeat personality ensured the trip had remained fun despite Gramlithyn’s turmoil.
“Up to you,” Gramlithyn replied.
Colburn smiled and tugged his phone out of his pocket. “Want to take some pictures of me fishing so I can tell Crispin I caught everything I ate?”
“Sure, but he’s your twin, so you’re not going to fool him,” Gramlithyn said, taking the device from Colburn. “We bought everything at the store.”
“Shit.”
“What?”
“I just remembered we don’t have a fishing pole.”
Gramlithyn rolled his eyes. “I hope you’re not going to suggest we go buy one to trick your twin.”
Reaching out, Colburn plucked his phone from Gramlithyn’s hold. “Nope, too much effort and money. I wonder if I can edit a photo to put a fishing rod in my hand?”
“Is that how you want to spend your last vacation day?”
“Yeah, good point. No, want to take a walk instead and enjoy nature?”
“Absolutely.”
Gramlithyn fell into step beside Colburn as they headed for the trees surrounding their camping spot.
“What’s the first thing you’re going to do when we get home?” Colburn asked.
It was time to stop pretending, so Gramlithyn centered himself and took a slow breath. “I’m not going back.”
“What?” Colburn asked, halting abruptly.
“I’m not done traveling.”
“Okay, but don’t you think it’d be a good thing to go home and see everyone before exploring some more of the world? Don’t you miss your family and your bestie?”
“I do, but…well, I’m afraid if I went home now, I’d stay,” Gramlithyn replied. He took another careful breath. “If I did that. I…well, a voice is telling me I’d regret it forever. I need to do this now. Or I might never take the chance again.”
Colburn stared at him, and a shiver raced through Gramlithyn. It was a moment of reckoning. Was Gramlithyn brave enough to stick to his plan, or would he cave at the first hint of pushback?
“Promise me you won’t stay away too long,” Colburn said. “We’ll fucking miss you.”
Swallowing thickly, Gramlithyn forced a smile. “I’ll miss you too.”
“You didn’t promise.”
Gramlithyn bowed his head and hoped Fate wouldn’t smite him for any lies he told today or in the future. “I promise I won’t stay any longer than necessary.”
“Okay. Okay, good. Let’s finish our walk, then we’ll hit the store again to get you stuff to eat. We didn’t buy enough for a few more days or whatever.”
With a nod, Gramlithyn forced his feet into motion again and pretended to stare at a formation of rocks as he swept a tear from his cheek. He wasn’t sure if his urge to weep was due to the realization of everything he was leaving behind or the open, caring heart of his good friend, but it hurt. His zebra whined in his head, and Gramlithyn wished he could run so hard and fast that he could return to a few months ago when his biggest concern was homework and what to study next year at university.
Why had he ever wanted to believe in Fate?
Chapter 5
Despite the irritation and heartbreak of the past few months, Pyxlevir had woken with eagerness. It was a special day in the Centaurus household. One of the executives of Elven D’Vaire had recently met his mates. Ardusian was currently Pyxlevir’s direct boss and was making the transition from high school student to employee an easy one, but the other elf was also a close friend of the family.