The God and the Siren (Loki Romance)

Chapter Twenty-Two

I only had a brief moment of missing New York while we were abroad—it disappeared quickly, and by the time I was back in my apartment, I was simply aching to be back in Switzerland again. At least, I was wishing to relive all nights except New Year's Eve—which is still a haze. On our way home, at some point, 'It Ain't Right' came on the radio, and I immediately started feeling nauseated. I really don't remember half of what happened that night, but Pepper assures me it was a good one in more than one respect.

Still, my return to New York wasn't nearly as exciting as the Asgardians.' They had, in fact, received more death threats and other threats of violence upon their return—or rather, conditional on their return.

So it was no surprise that I ran into Daniel on duty at their apartment building three days after our return, when I'd promised Thor to pick up a few things from the marketplace. He sounded horribly upset to ask me for such a favor over the phone, and it took some effort to assure him that I was more than happy to help.

Despite that, seeing Daniel wasn't exactly the cherry on top of my day. I strode past him briskly in the entrance, and I only locked eyes with him for a moment before looking away—amping up my earphones' volume loud enough that I couldn't hear my own heels against the floors. Or him, following after me—the only indication of that was a sudden grab at my arm.

"For fuck's sake, what do you want?" I eye him menacingly as I pull an earphone out.

He opens his mouth for a moment, and closes it again, looking unsure of himself.

I nod. "Right," I say, and turn to keep walking.

"Cerys-" he stumbles after me. "I..." he pauses, and I give him a sidelong glance. "I heard your apartment was broken into."

I narrow my eyes at him. "None of your business, but yeah—it was."

He shrugs reluctantly. "I... Wish you called me."

An icy look freezes over my expression. "And I wish you didn't waste my time, but we don't always get what we want," I say in a low voice.

I turn to walk away, but he steps forward again. "Please just... I'm sorry. I want you to know that you can call me if you're ever in trouble."

Sadness replaces the anger in my chest. This was the care I thought I once had in our relationship—I was wrong the first time, shame on me if he fools me again.

"I can take care of myself, Daniel," I say. "And you clearly had your plate full with someone else when your give-a-damn actually mattered to me."

"Not anymore," he shakes his head. "I...We...We're not together anymore. I didn't really even believe that I did that to you either, I've never cheated on anyone before. And..." he pauses, and I swallow hard. "I'm just really sorry that I hurt you like that. It's not me."

"No, it was you. Have some responsibility, you knew what you were doing. And if you knew me as well as I thought you did, you'd know that I wouldn't fall for that 'it wasn't me' crock of shit," my voice starts to break by the end, and I turn away before he can see me shoving the tears down.

"Cerys," he says in a stern tone—stern enough to make look back, and nervousness beats through me at the concern that's seeped into his slightly hardened expression. "Just... Take care of yourself!" he calls out to me a final time.

I narrow my eyes confusedly and shake my head as I turn back, feeling the tears rise. The redness barely escapes my eyes by the time I get to the Asgardians' apartment, and I put on my best smile when Thor opens the door.