The Elementalists

48.

I stepped away from the door, my arms placed across my chest in irritation. The door unlocked and Christopher pushed it open with a sheepish grin on his face. "Hey." He greeted.

I ignored the flips in my stomach as he stepped out, running a hand through his hair. "I see you found your jacket." I said, spotting it placed on the passenger seat.

"Yeah." Christopher closed the door. "It was in Ferguson's house. Luckily, he still had his doors open." An awkward silence settled on the two of us as he trailed off.

I closed my eyes, deciding to remind him about what I'd asked. "Why are you here, Christopher?"

"To meet you." I opened my eyes to see a charming smile aimed my way.

I'd also opened my eyes so he could see me roll them. "I figured as much. But why?"

His smile faltered. "I... I wanted to wish you again."

"You already did." A chill ran down my back as I remembered his lips brushing against my cheek. "I still don't get why you're here."

Christopher took a step forward. "I'm here because I like you. I'm here because I want to be with you." He reached out, fingers pushing a strand of my hair aside.

My stomach was doing some major flips. Atleast a part of me could qualify for the Olympics.

"Christopher..." I sighed, trying not to lean into his hand "I feel the same way as you do but it's... it's painful for me everytime we meet."

Immediately thunder crossed his face. "Painful for you? What about me? Did you even think of me before you did this to us?"

"Of course, I did." I took a step back, surprised at his sudden anger. "You think I don't care about you? You were the first person I thought of. I was terrified that doing this could mean losing you forever!"

"And you really think that pushing me away till you come out as a Royal is a good idea?! What makes you think will change so much after that, that you can date me?!"

"I can finally be seen as equal to you!" I snapped, my chest heaving as I realised how true that was. There was utter silence as surprise passed through Christopher's face. "I want to be seen equal to you! I don't want people to look at me with you and think you chose me over a Royal! I don't want people to think that your standards somehow 'fell'!"

I inhaled sharply, pausing to catch my breath and my thoughts. "I... I want them to look at me-look at us and know that we're equals."

Christopher exhaled harshly after my tirade, rubbing his eyes. "I... I didn't know that's how you felt. Does it... Does it really matter to you that much what others think about you?"

"In this case, it does." I ran a hand through my hair as Christopher looked up quizzically. "When I come out as a Royal, there will be several inquiries, or so Wafi tells me. As much as I hate saying this, the few of us lying to the Main Council, the better."

"Lying?" Christopher frowned, blue eyes narrowing suspiciously. "About?"

I ran a hand through my hair again, getting uncomfortable. "I think it's better Wafi explain this."

"I'd rather hear it from you." Christopher took a step forward, taking my hand in his.

I looked at our joined hands. Both of ours were calloused with training, and warm in the cold night. I relaxed a bit, curling my palm against his before speaking. "If... If Wafi had know about me being his sister before the Trials, I wouldn't have been allowed to participate as a junior, and you know that. In a way, they might see my win as... unfair because I hadn't informed anyone about being, in any way, related to a Royal.