The Retreat (The After Trilogy Book 1) (22 page)

R
omy tugged down the dress as it rode up
again
.

Tight and white.

Her dress fit both bills.

After several wasted attempts at argument, the four girls submitted to Freya’s every whim. As a result, Romy’s bob-length hair was braided into a wispy arrangement encircling her head. She’d been handed a razor and was rudely told to “deal with her bush-pig legs”.

Elara found this hilarious until she was told to do the same.

Romy estimated she had six cuts on her legs, but she couldn’t stop touching the smoothness. The short amount of time she’d spent on Earth had given her skin a golden hue, and dare she say it, Romy thought the colour contrasted nicely with the bright whiteness of her borrowed dress. She felt pretty. And even though she knew she shouldn’t wish it because of Tina, Romy hoped Atlas was impressed.

Elara, Freya, Hannah, and Nancy were all in white dresses too. Freya was adamant that having a theme was the “in” thing. Nancy’s orange hair was swept back in a high ponytail and the bottom of her mid-thigh dress waved out in pleats. Elara’s hair was out, but Freya had added a clip on one side. Romy though her friend was always beautiful, but the sleeveless white stretchy dress Elara wore hugged the soft curves of her body. Tonight, her friend was a willowy goddess.

Romy was excited to be dressed up with her new friends and knot mate, but each step she took towards the decorated clearing in her slip-on shoes had her chest tightening.

A small hand slipped into hers. “Don’t worry about the seating plan.” Elara rolled her eyes. “So like you to fret over something stupid like that.”

The seating plan! Romy had forgotten all about that. She grinned, remembering the change she’d made so everyone would be happy. Well,
nearly
everyone.

“Dei!” Elara squealed.

Romy spun around and saw the rest of her knot getting drinks. They were all there. All the people she loved, safe and together for the moment.

She skipped over to Deimos and reached up to put her arms around his neck. “Dei, you’re out?”

“For a while. Until I get tired. Had to practically sell my soul before Dr H. would let me come.”

Romy felt fingers at her thighs and glanced at Phobos, who was trying to tug her dress down to cover her legs.

“Where’s the rest of your dress?” he demanded.

Elara burst out laughing and Romy joined in. She noticed that while Phobos seemed concerned with how high
her
dress was, he didn’t mention Elara’s.

And Elara certainly found the short-sleeved, navy shirt Phobos was wearing interesting, especially where it pulled over his biceps, though she didn’t spare a glance at Deimos.

Deimos was looking between Elara and Phobos. He arched a dark brow at Romy. She shrugged.

He turned to scrutinise the pair a bit more, a grimace on his face. Romy sighed in relief, glad she wasn’t the only one weirded out by how they were acting.

Thrym held out a drink to her. She took it with a smile.

“Ro, you look. . . .”

“Ridiculous?” she supplied, sipping from her cup.

“Stunning,” he breathed.

Her cheeks grew warm at his reverent tone. And she felt Deimos’s eyes on
them
. Romy cleared her throat, wiping the back of her palm against her lips. “Thanks.” No way was she going to look at Thrym right now.

“Rosemary, my flower, would you care for a stroll amongst the lanterns?” Deimos bowed before her and she giggled as he dragged her away.

He waited approximately five seconds. “What the hell is going on?”

It was like a dam burst inside of her. The burning in her chest was almost painful as she realised how much she’d missed Deimos. “You know those pesky things called hormones?” she started.

Deimos spun her to face him. Romy’s eyes flicked down. A white bandage stuck up over the neckline of his woven shirt. His intelligent green eyes sparkled. “Yes,” he said in a low voice. “They’re . . . hormonal for each other?”

Romy tucked away her smile. “Well, I don’t know really. They alternate between being angry and confused. I’m not sure if it’s attraction, or just a change in their relationship.”

Deimos’s face screwed up, reflecting exactly how Romy felt about the matter. “Sick!” he yelled.

Romy covered his mouth with her hand, laughter hovering on the edge of her lips. “Shh.”

Deimos was shaking his head in denial. “Uh-uh, there’s no way.”

A lump formed in her throat. “Dei?” she said. The handsome man she deemed a brother peered down at her. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

He pulled her in for another tight hug. “No doubt. Especially with the way Thrym is looking at you.”

Romy winced. “That bad?”

“Kind of like you’re chocolate cake.”

Romy gripped his arm. “What do I do about it?”

The pair looked at each other in bafflement.

“I’m pulling up blank,” Deimos admitted, “but I’ll put my mind to it. Don’t know why he’s so fixated on you, with all the pretty girls around. I mean you’re hot, Ro—no doubt. But you’re hot in a ‘touch my sister and I end your life’ kind of way.”

Romy’s eyes lit with mirth. “Thanks. I think.”

“Who is
that
?” he breathed. Romy followed his line of sight to Tina.

“That’s Tina. She doesn’t like me.”

Deimos immediately turned his eyes to an exotic dark-skinned girl in an orange dress.

Romy rolled her eyes and pushed him towards the woman, turning back to her friends as others from the settlement began to take their seats. Phobos held out her chair, and she focused on tugging down her dress. She scanned the tables and couldn’t notice any discontent.
Take that, Tina
.

“Don’t worry so much.” Thrym smiled, patting her hand.

Romy saw Houston moving to take his seat. “Oh, I’m not worried,” she mumbled.

She exploded with laughter as the doctor sat down next to Tina.

“That’s just cruel.” Elara winked at Romy nevertheless.

Romy laughed even harder when Houston picked up the card on his other side and blanched.

The food and drink were the same as usual. But eating outside with the lanterns and open air made it seem special somehow. Romy sighed.

“This is what I thought Earth would be like,” she whispered to Thrym. She placed her napkin on her cleared plate.

Thrym nodded thoughtfully. “I don’t think I ever had any expectations. It never crossed my mind that we’d get here in this life cycle. So I didn’t think about it.”

Such a Thrym thing to say. She smiled. “I can understand that. It’s wonderful, but . . .”

“. . . Bitter?”

Romy smiled. “Yes. Bittersweet. Better now that Dei is back. I didn’t realise how much his absence has affected me.”

Music was starting up from the stairs of the offices. She glanced up and spotted Atlas shifting tables away to clear space for dancing. Romy knew about dancing. She’d read about it in fairy tales.

She played with a strand of hair as she watched Atlas. He was so. . . . Romy wasn’t sure of the word to use. Appealing? She wanted to run her hands across his shoulders—which were currently covered by a crisp white shirt. The sleeves were rolled up, and he wore black trousers, without the multitude of pockets for once. His hair was the same tousled mess. It was obvious he didn’t care one iota about his appearance. It looked like he’d paused long enough to exchange one set of clothing for another—and the result was entirely distracting.

A finger closed her mouth. Romy blinked sideways into Thrym’s impassive face. His blue eyes were icy. She looked past him and saw Houston heading towards their table.

“Gotta go. Delay Houston for me.” She whipped out of her chair and headed in the opposite direction, drawn towards the dancing.

There didn’t seem to be any form to it. Young and old alike moved in the space, throwing out their arms, twirling, and stamping their feet in random order. She smiled as she caught sight of Freya shaking her butt in the air.

“That wasn’t nice of you.”

Romy shivered as a low voice brushed close by. She craned her neck to the left to confirm it was Atlas.

It was. And he was entirely too close for her peace of mind.

“W-what?” She licked her lips.

“Seating Houston between Tina and Mrs Stewart.”

“No. It wasn’t nice!” Houston stamped up beside Atlas.

Romy held back her grin, with effort. “I believe it was you who told me I couldn’t please everyone.” She shrugged. “I just took your advice.”

Houston was dressed in a bright-coloured shirt with an unusual print. “I specifically told you I didn’t want to be next to dragon bitch.”

Romy squeaked in the effort to restrain her laughter in front of Atlas. She had to say he didn’t seem too upset with the doctor insulting Tina. “You did mention that. It was very helpful.”

“But how did you know to put Mrs Stewart on my other side?” he asked.

Romy peeked between her lashes at the man beside her.

Houston stabbed Atlas in the chest. “You?” He rubbed his finger after.

Atlas grinned. “I just told Rosemary I didn’t want to be next to her,” he said, with a glance at Romy. She lifted a brow.

“Why did you listen to him and not to me?” Houston exploded.

Romy laughed. He really was worked up over this. “Well, you were already in my bad books. And—”

“And Atlas is a prime mating partner,” he finished.

“No, that’s not—” Her face flamed. She avoided looking anywhere near Atlas.

Houston’s eyes glinted in the growing moonlight. “Payback, little skyling. Gotta go. Enjoy.”

“I don’t know what he’s talking about.” Romy turned to Atlas, still not looking straight at him.

Atlas’s brows rose high. “You don’t think I’m a prime mating partner?”

His half-smile was back. She eyed him suspiciously and sniffed. “No. I don’t.”

Atlas laughed. “Feisty.”

She secretly savoured the sound, her heart stopping as Atlas reached a hand around her waist and drew her in to his side. She leant in to him, hesitantly, inhaling his eucalyptus smell.

“I’ve decided I’m not leaving you alone tonight,” he said conversationally.

Romy frowned. “As if that were your choice.”

The kitchen workers were lighting the lanterns now that the last rays of daylight were fading. The lantern above them illuminated Atlas’s grin. His eyes were the gentlest she’d ever seen them.

“Seeing as most of the men in this camp are staring at you, I think it best.”

She tugged on her dress. “No they’re not.” She reached a hand up to her hair.

Atlas stopped the motion with his own hand. “Yes. They are. You look surreal.” His eyes burned into hers. He touched her hair as though afraid to mess it up. “It looks like you’re wearing a halo with the light above you.”

Warmth flowed in her chest. She smiled shyly up at him. He returned it, not embarrassed in the slightest, and straightened after a long beat. The distance pulled a nagging thought to the fore. He was still holding her hand. She held up their clasped hands.

“Won’t Tina mind this?” she asked.

Surprise lit his face. “Why would she?”

Romy stared at the dancers. “Someone told me you two were involved. I don’t want to cause a rift.” She desperately wanted to cause a rift. Her feelings were now involved well past the point of decency. She was a horrible person, she’d decided.

“We were involved. It’s over. It was never anything serious,” he explained.

Jealousy flared. So there
was
history there. She knew it. And despite his assurances, she didn’t believe Tina was as okay with the end of the relationship as he was. After listening to Nancy and her gang gossip, Romy was aware of the type of relationships that occurred in the settlement.

“And what about Thrym?” Atlas asked, drawing her back.

Romy stiffened as she realised what he’d said.

“What? You can ask about mine, but I can’t ask about yours?”

She fidgeted. “That’s because there hasn’t been anyone. And . . . Thrym. He’s just my friend. My best friend.”

“He wants more than that.”

“I know. It’s just a phase.”

Atlas hummed, and she didn’t know what to make of the sound.

“I don’t feel that way about him,” she added, turning towards the band.

Phobos was on the dance floor, jabbing his elbows in jerky motions.

“And what about Deimos?”

Romy crossed her arms. “No. And not Phobos either. They’re like my brothers, Atlas.” She stepped out of his embrace. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

The mysterious man reached out and uncrossed her arms. Romy let him.
Damn his handsome face
.

His eyes slid to the dance area and he raised an eyebrow in question.