An Art of Balance

Chapter 35: Wishing on a Silver Night

When Lizzie and Orion turned their backs on the hustle and bustle of the party, the air around them immediately grew colder. Now, away from the noise and the light, it took Lizzie's eyes a moment to adjust to the light of the stars and the moon. 

They were heading down the path leading around the Black Lake, walking further away from the castle. The air was rich with the sounds of the summer night; she could hear the crickets chirping and the water of the lake murmuring as it was slapping against the shore. Every so often, a dark, winged shadow would pass over their heads; probably owls from the nearby forest on their nightly hunt.

The air was mellow and smelled of grass and the still warm pebbles littered around the waterfront. Lizzie was loving everything about the peaceful atmosphere, feeling herself relax more and more with every passing moment.

She hadn't realised just how much she had missed being in Orion's presence. They were talking about everything and nothing; the match, the party, their friends, Skye's father and why exactly that bloody House Cup had to be so heavy, it had taken Skye's and Lizzie's combined strength to lift it up properly.

Anyone other than Lizzie might have been surprised at Orion's casual tone and how easy it was to make him laugh; but she knew that this was a side of him not many people were allowed to see. She remembered him telling her how he was using his detached demeanour to determine who was truly willing to listen to him on that night on the Astronomy Tower. He had trusted her enough to share this intimate piece of information about himself. Back then, her conscience had been weighing heavily on her with all of her lies still on her mind.

But there were no more lies left now, she had scraped up every single piece of dishonesty and gotten rid of it. All that was left were these moments right here and now.

Orion had let go of her hand some time ago; his arm was now resting draped across her shoulders and Lizzie was leaning ever so slightly against him. Being so close to him and actually being allowed to enjoy it still felt surreal; she had to constantly remind herself that there was no reason to have a bad conscience anymore.

She couldn't help but smile broadly as Orion dipped his head back and laughed at something she had said, making her giggle herself all over again. Her cheeks already hurt from laughing but she had no intent of stopping anytime soon.

"You are absolutely right," Orion chuckled. "If Murphy is not going to lose his mind about the impossible improbability of your last pass, I don't think I ever knew him at all." He glanced at her from out of the corners of his eyes. "But by now he should know, nothing is impossible when it comes to you."

Lizzie laughed lightly. "You flatter me, Captain."

"Honour where honour is due."

They fell silent as they continued walking along the moonlit path. It didn't feel like much talking was needed between them; they were just enjoying each other's company..

As they moved further away from the castle and the people celebrating, Lizzie became increasingly aware of Orion's hand on her shoulder. A touch of something else was starting to surface beneath the familiarity of Orion's presence. Lizzie's heart was beating faster in her chest and the fluttery feeling that had arisen inside her stomach was spreading into every last corner of her body. She thought about adjusting her hand's position on his back for a moment, but she didn't dare to move it, afraid of making him withdraw his arm.

Lizzie was more than surprised by her own shyness. It wasn't a feeling she was particularly used to and through the tension that had started building between them during their continued silence, she was unsure on what to do next or whether she should be doing anything at all. The sheer thought of ruining the mood by doing something wrong was scaring her and made her go even quieter.