The Radiants Chronicons : Vol. I & II Of The Radiants Duology Series

Radiant (Vol I) - Chapter twenty

Chapter 20

Levi mumbled. "Are you going to keep standing there or are you going to get to work?"

I sent him a small nod and moved closer to where he stood.

Levi groaned. "Quit frowning so hard. It's driving me crazy."

I blinked at him, not knowing what to say. I had no idea I was even frowning. I was merely lost in thoughts and must have zoned out, along the way. "Sorry. I was just thinking about stuff."

"A penny for your thoughts?"

"Actually yes. I just can't get the looks on the council members' faces out of my head. The temporary distrust is just unsettling to me."

Levi rubbed the back of his head. "I see. I never got the chance to personally apologize. It was impossible not to think of you as an imposter that moment."

"I understand. I really do. But just because I understand, doesn't mean it wouldn't hurt."

He nodded, then fixed his eyes on mine. "I get it. I also want to thank you. For saving my life the other day. I guess my fast reflexes aren't that fast, after all."

"It's okay. I just did what anyone would have done."

He paced around, for a while. A habit of his he usually did when he was nervous. "I really am sorry I mistrusted you. You have no idea how it is being a leader around here. It has its many responsibilities, but seeing my people happy, gives me all the strength I need to keep going."

"I heard that not many people were pleased to have you leading this group. Especially Aliyah."

"I can't blame them. I understood their reservations. But the things they said. I could never get them out of my head. That's why I can understand why you're upset."

The sad look cast across his handsome face, had me asking. "What did they say?"

He looked mildly perplexed by the softening of my voice, but it didn't stop him from saying. "When I first became a leader, I heard how people thought I was incompetent. Privileged white boy once again gets it all, but they had no idea, absolutely no idea how impossible it is to say no to Vikram Caden. I owe him everything. He gave me a chance at life again and all I can do is to obey his wishes. A lot more were angry that I was white. They only wanted a black Nigerian and Aliyah fit the spectrum. I'm a Nigerian too, but no one sees that. I've lived in Nigerian since I was ten months old. That's how long I've been here. Nigeria's my home. My whole life is here. It's like no one believes there's such a thing as a non black Nigerian. I had to work twice as hard, to prove my worth. Do you know how exhausting that is?"

Ignoring the red flags in my head, I move forward and took his hand. He tensed for a second, then relaxed, when he looked into my eyes warmly. "I'm sure they appreciate everything you've done."

His lips curled up slightly. "It's relaxing talking to you. I don't know why I told you all that. I would never have revealed all that to anyone else, but it's just much more easier talking to you."

I joked. "Someone once told me I had a calming effect. That could be why."

"You do have a calming effect."

"So I've heard."

He played with my hands, studying it for seconds, while I stiffened, under his touch. His warm hands had my innards tingling and we locked eyes. Amber-orange eyes met tangerine eyes. Something unreadable briefly flashed in his eyes, before he pulled away.

He muttered. "Sorry about that."

Wishing I could feel his touch again, I groaned inwardly. I knew I was playing with fire. I wanted to avoid any more awkwardness and chose to say. "It's okay."

Shifting my gaze to something else, I ask the one thing that had been bugging me. "Is it just me or do you wear the jacket all the time? Please tell me it's not the same."

A laugh, that seemed to teeter on a loud cackle, glued on his face. He turned his gaze to his crimson red leather jacket and looked back at me. "Relax. It's not the same. I have a dozen of this exact jacket."

"Wow. You must REALLY love the jacket. Is it a limited edition?"

He chuckled. "It's a regular jacket. It just holds a special meaning to me. My birth parent, I think, wrapped me in this jacket and dropped me in front of an orphanage. This is the only thing I have of any of them and I intend to carry it with me whenever I can."

"Do you know anything about them?"

"Nothing. And I intend for it to stay that way. I did do a DNA ancestry test. I'm Greek apparently, so that's something cool."

I noticed how tensed he got, talking about his birth parents, so I let the conversation slide. He looked so uncomfortable talking about it, and it made me sympathize with his pain. "I like the jacket though."

His face creased with frustration. He seemed almost lost in his own words. "I wonder if it was stolen. This jacket. Or maybe it was theirs. I guess I'd never know."

Despite my attempt to stop the conversation, it seemed like a sad part of him was unfolding before my eyes and I didn't know what to do.