Chapter 71

71

MINA

I stood with Sylas at the bottom of the stairs leading up to my apartment—there were some mysterious stains on them, but I knew better than to ask questions.

"You ready for this?" I asked him, taking his hand.

"What?"

"Unrelenting normalcy," I said, bouncing up a few steps and turning back to face him. "Boring things. Like jobs, and grocery stores, and taxes."

"How could anything be boring with you?" he said with amusement in his voice, soaring up a few steps past me.

"Ooooh," I groaned, like I was gut-shot. "That just earned you so many points, Mister Smoke."

"You should know in advance, I will be winning this game forever."

"I'm looking forward to it," I said, trying my apartment's key.

But the door was already unlocked.

Sylas rushed in ahead of me, and then returned at once. "Close your eyes, Mina."

"There'd better not be a fucking surprise party," I muttered, but did as I was told, and let him lead me in—until a familiar squeal made me open them.

"Minnie!" Ella shouted, from the couch. "I made my parents bring me here, when the news started! My keys still worked!"

I ran across the living room to meet her, same as if Sylas had floated me there. "Of course they did!" I yelled, throwing myself into her arms.

She hugged me at once, then made a face. "Oh my god—why are you so stinky?"

"Dead people!" I said. "It's a long story?—"

"I've been following!" She held up her phone where I could see the screen, and it showed helicopters flying over the Rho Rho Phi cabin. "And what's on your face?"

It'd been so long since I'd put the blue eyeshadow on, I'd almost forgotten. "Battle paint," I said, and Ella broke out into the world's biggest grin. "I love you," I told her.

"And I love you too."

I heard Sylas making a soft sound behind me, and Ella's eyes flashed up.

"This is Sylas. He's my boyfriend—he helped me rescue you."

"I'm also the father of our baby," Sylas intoned, very seriously.

Ella's eyes about fell out of her head—and I started shaking mine. "We'll get our own place soon. I swear. "

"Uhh—but if you do, how can I be your platonic life partner? We had plans, Mina," she said with a laugh. "Joking-not-joking."

I laughed back. "I mean, I'm down—it takes a village and all that? Plus, I don't have any idea what the fuck I'm doing, and I don't think I want to be a doctor anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because I haven't gone to any of my classes this semester, for one thing. And I only picked that because it was what my parents wanted. I don't really know what I want anymore, except to be here. With the both of you," I said, looking between them.

"Then that sounds like a great place to start—after you take a shower."

"Only if you order pizza?" I said.

"I'm on it," Ella said, giving me a salute with her phone, before I turned to Sylas.

"And as for you, my king," I said, biting my lip and grabbing his hands, pulling him toward the bathroom, "you're coming with me."