40. Edgar

Edgar sat at the restaurant table, his fingers drumming a restless rhythm on the scarred wood as he tried to focus on the conversations swirling around him.

He nodded, murmuring his agreement or offering a suggestion occasionally, but his mind was on Jasmine.

She was camping in the wilderness with the gods, and even though he knew that she was in good hands, he couldn"t shake the feeling of unease that had settled in the pit of his stomach.

Why hadn"t she called him yet?

It was dark outside, so they must have cleared the military base by now and were settling down for the night. Surely, she could have at least texted him.

Checking his phone for what felt like the hundredth time, he was disappointed to once more see a blank screen. The silence and the faint glow of the screen mocked him in the dimly lit restaurant.

Beside him, Julian leaned forward. "It doesn"t make sense that no one in this town seems to know that they have a base less than fifty miles away. How do they get supplies up there?"

"Helicopters," Ella said. "Big ones, the kind that can carry tons of cargo. That"s the only thing that makes sense."

That was only possible during good weather, which was often not the case in this area. Edgar doubted that the base was supplied solely from the air. Perhaps they had yak supply caravans go up there. It was a slow and primitive method but safe and predictable.

"Maybe there is a road from the other side," Margo said. "Not everything can be brought in by air. They would have needed building supplies up there, and I can"t see that done with helicopters."

Gabi nodded. "I agree. Maybe they have a tunnel leading into the mountain and an elevator that takes the supplies up to the top like we have in the village."

Edgar was about to comment on that when Gabi"s phone rang.

Pulling out the device, she smiled. ""It"s Aru." She accepted the call. "Hello, my love. I"m in the restaurant with everyone."

The intro was no doubt to let him know that he shouldn"t speak freely because everyone could hear him.

"Good evening, love. How are you doing?"

"I"m doing well, and so are the others. All of us want to hear about your progress."

"We are done with the base, and sadly, it doesn"t have a crater, so we have to continue looking tomorrow. We found a place to camp for the night and will continue as soon as the sun is up."

Edgar felt a rush of relief wash over him. The team had overcome the most significant obstacle standing in their way, and they were safe—or as safe as they could be, given the circumstances.

"What about Jasmine?" he asked. "Is she okay? Can I talk to her?"

"She"s asleep," Aru said. "It was a long and exhausting day for her, and she had a little fright when we crossed the base. After we put up her tent, she crawled in and started snoring a moment later."

Edgar doubted that was what had happened.

They had to eat, erect a tent, and roll out the sleeping bags. She could have called him anytime during these activities. She simply hadn"t felt like it or just hadn"t thought of him at all.

Margo reached out to pat his arm, but it only irritated him further and fanned the flames of his frustration.

"Jasmine was probably in a lot of pain," Margo said. "Dealing with unrelenting pain is very tiring. She probably also took a bunch of painkillers, and they are known to cause drowsiness."

She was right, of course, and now Edgar felt guilty for getting mad.

Relationships were complicated. He didn"t like how his mind had been going into crazy loops ever since he had met Jasmine. He didn"t know how to act, feel, or be a good boyfriend.

How did other males do it?

He looked at Julian, who seemed so at ease with Ella. The guy was even younger than Edgar, but he knew how to navigate the complicated intricacies of a loving relationship.

Sensing his gaze, Julian turned to look at him. "Is there something troubling you, Ed?"

Edgar glanced at Gabi, who took her phone and moved to a corner of the tent to talk with her mate in privacy.

"How do you know the right thing to do in a relationship?" He raked his fingers through his hair. "Half the time, I don"t even know how I feel."

Julian cast him an understanding look. "Follow your heart, be patient and forgiving, and always assume the best about your partner. These are the only words of wisdom I can give you."

"It"s not easy to share your life with someone," Frankie said. "Honesty and clear communication are important. How can you expect your partner to know what you want if you don"t spell it out for her?"

Margo chuckled. "People expect their partners to be mind readers and guess what they want. It"s so silly."

Edgar thought about what they had all said and shook his head. "But what if you assume the best about your partner but learn that your assumptions were mistaken?"

"Then you reevaluate," Ella said. "No one is perfect, and you need to decide what you are willing to live with and what you are not, but that"s all irrelevant to immortals. When you find your one and only, all that little stuff becomes inconsequential. The love and devotion are so all-consuming that they override all the doubts, insecurities, and other nefarious relationship killers."

That sounded profound and lovely, but it didn"t answer Edgar"s question. "But how do you know if your partner is your one and only?"

Julian and Ella exchanged glances, and then Ella shrugged. "You just know."

That was unhelpful.

Or maybe it was?

Edgar didn"t know whether Jasmine was his one and only, so maybe that indicated she was not?

On the other hand, they hadn"t spent enough time with each other to even fall in love, let alone decide that they were each other"s one and only. Except, he was pretty sure that he loved Jasmine, and he was just as certain that she didn"t love him.