by A. R. Crebs
After much deliberation and gaping at the beautiful flower and invitation, Lita skipped through the compound to find Dovian. She had to tell somebody, and since I’Lanthe was busy for the next couple hours, Lita found that telling Dovian would be a great idea. Perhaps he’d be as surprised as she was by Euclid’s actions. Her adventure to find her lazy cousin sent her to one of the libraries near Orin’s home. Lita wasn’t sure why, but finding Dovian was never difficult. She could always sense his energy. Get close enough, and she could hear his thoughts like a beacon, much to his disliking.
Lita spiraled over the grand library. Dovian strolled along the covered walkways in the center garden of the facility with Orin by his side. Swooping, she landed softly behind the two men. As they turned, she whispered a harsh ‘boo.’ Dovian and Orin each jumped, sighing in irritation at the young girl. There was a shushing sound from the corner of the garden. Lita rolled her eyes. How one word could be so disastrous to someone’s reading, she would never understand.
Orin and Dovian continued their stroll. As they spoke of the boring subject pertaining to a national meeting of sorts, Lita made a couple of hums and sighs. After a bit, Dovian paused and made a face of annoyance, tightening his lips. He glared at Lita out the corner of his eye and exhaled sharply.
“Though I’m doubtful they will ever agree to such terms; it’s certainly something to bring up to Sir Gaius. The protection of the artifacts takes top priority,” Orin spoke, his tone serious. Lita rarely saw Orin in such a state.
“We’ll discuss it tomorrow during the meeting. I will put in a personal request that Sir Gaius attend.” Dovian held a hand toward Lita, speaking to Orin. “Give me a few, and I will catch up with you.”
Lita stepped on her toes, recognizing that Quentin and Karter had entered the gardens as well. After recognizing Lita and the others, they smiled and waved in greeting.
“Of course,” Orin said with a slight bowing of his head. After a moment, he gazed upon Lita with swirling eyes. “Lita,” he gently said with a cockeyed smirk.
“Orin,” she replied with a small giggle.
Orin patted Dovian’s shoulder and turned away to meet with the others.
“What is it?” Dovian brought his full attention to the young woman.
“Am I interrupting something important?”
“Just matters over national security,” Dovian bluntly stated.
Lita scoffed with an innocent laugh. “Oh, well, if that’s all….”
“I can tell you’re dying to tell me something. What is it?”
“I got asked to the dance!” Lita blurted.
Dovian’s eyes widened. He quickly looked over his shoulder at Karter who happened to be watching them.
“No kidding?” Dovian mumbled in awe.
“Yes!” Lita hopped. “And by someone you’d never expect.”
“I could venture a guess.”
Lita’s face fell. “Do you know? Did he tell you something? Of course, he’d tell you. You’re his only friend!”
Dovian gave Lita a curious look. Karter did have few close friends, but he wasn’t necessarily a hermit. He was well known for his charitable deeds.
“By the way, have you seen him around? I need to tell him my answer to the invitation. I figured I’d answer in person, ya know?” Lita checked her surroundings. “But perhaps he’d prefer a letter since that was his method of communication. Do you think I’d make him uncomfortable if I gave him my answer in person?”
“In person as opposed to a letter?” Dovian shook his head. “I think he’d be pleased to know your answer no matter how you tell it to him.”
Lita kept peeking around her cousin.
“He’s over there, Lita. Have you gone blind?” Dovian pointed toward his friends.
Just as he pointed, Euclid entered the area. The Azure man folded his arms, looking to Dovian and then catching sight of Lita. He frowned. His fellow men called out to him, and Euclid took large strides to meet up.
“Ah! There he is!” Lita exclaimed.
She pulled the glowing blue flower from her coat along with the invitation. Dovian’s eyes widened.
“He made you a flower?”
Lita beamed. “Yes! Isn’t it adorable?”
Dovian smiled, pleased with Lita’s reaction to Karter’s invitation.
“I mean, who would have thought that Euclid had such a soft side?” Lita swooned.
Dovian’s face abruptly fell. “W-wait, wait. Euclid? You…think…that came from Euclid?”
Lita gave Dovian a strange look. “Of course! I mean, there was no signature on the card, but I know this was from Euclid.”
Lita skipped ahead, calling out to the Azure man.
“Wait, Lita!” Dovian tried to pull her back.
“What’s your problem?”
“No, not Euclid,” he sputtered.
She rolled her eyes. “Look, I know he’s made some mistakes, but he’s shown lots of progress! Maybe he’s just misunderstood.”
Dovian quickly shook his head, noticing Euclid’s cold glare.
“No, Lita. I think there has been a misunderstanding.”
“Not listening,” she sang, quickly approaching the other men.
Dovian tried to speak, but it was too late.
“Euclid!” Lita waved the flower in the air.
Karter watched the glowing blue daffodil sway back and forth, his face reddening.
“Ah, Lita. To what do I owe the displeasure?” Euclid asked in his typical sarcastic tone.
“I, uh….” She suddenly felt embarrassed beneath everyone’s scrutiny. “Just wanted to say…yes.”
Euclid watched her carefully, his questioning gaze falling on the surrounding others. “Yes?”
She nervously laughed, pointing the flower at him. “Yes. I’d like to go to the dance with you.”
Karter’s blood ran cold. Dovian palmed his forehead, holding his breath.
Euclid gave a small scoff. “The dance? What dance?”
Lita’s face paled. “The…the masquerade. You know…the one that everyone’s going to.”
Euclid laughed. “The masquerade? As if you’d ever catch me at one of those.”
Lita lowered her arm. “But, but I thought. The invitation....”
“Invitation?” Euclid eyed the note in her hand. “To the dance? You think that our little chat yesterday was an indication of me wanting to take you to the dance? You?”
Lita’s breath caught in her lungs, her eyes beginning to sting.
“Oh, Lita! If I were ever to attend any of those childish events, you would be the last person I’d want to suffer through the night with. Why, all your stories, constant jokes, and airhead remarks! I’d…” Euclid paused to catch his breath. “I’d pity any poor fool who would have any interest in such a pain as you. Do you come with earplugs?”
Lita made a tiny squeak. “But the…flower.”
Euclid eyed the said item in her hand. He guffawed, slapping his hands together. “Oh! This is rich, indeed! That ridiculous failed experiment from Karter? He gave you one as well?”
Lita’s sight fled to Karter, a pure look of horror crossing her face. The young man looked just as humiliated as she.
“Karter?” she barely managed to whisper. “You…you gave me this?”
Euclid was nearly in tears from his laughter. Dovian’s hands balled into fists. Euclid was always a harsh man, but even this was low.
“Euclid,” Dovian snarled.
The Azure man eyed the Scarlet man and then exhaled slowly. “Ah, all in good fun, right Lita?”
She gasped, her eyes welling. “Oh, yeah. Funny!” she said with a cracking voice, two large tears falling. Ashamed, she ignored the surrounding stares with a downcast head, pushing through the crowd to run away.
Dovian stepped forward to reprimand Euclid for his harsh behavior; however, Karter beat him to it.
“Damn it, Euclid! What’s wrong with you?” Karter growled.
Euclid gaped at him wi
th an expression most indifferent. His eyes glared deeply into Karter’s, waiting for a challenge.
“You know, you’re a real piece of work! Lita has done nothing but shown you kindness over the years, and you’re going to treat her like that?” Karter nearly moved to shove the Azure man, but quickly thought better of it.
Euclid opened his mouth to speak, but the younger man stopped him.
“Shut up! You’re nothing more than a miserable asshole, Euclid. You know nothing of kindness and love. You’re no better than those humans you think so terribly of.”
Euclid clenched his jaw, his eyes glimmering like lightning. Of all the people, he was getting chewed out by the overly-polite Karter. And the young man even resorted to swearing!
“An ignorant, hateful, self-pitying jerk. Why don’t you consider yourself for once and recognize your problems? Maybe if you acted like a decent person, you’d have real friends. Not just those who put up with you because they have to or because they feel sorry for you.” Karter shoved past Euclid, slamming against his shoulder.
For once, Euclid was stunned. The quiet Karter had just put him in his place. Euclid was both angry and slightly intrigued. However, he quickly brushed it off. Karter was as dimwitted as Lita. He shrugged, looking carelessly toward Dovian. His slack demeanor took a change, however, as he noticed Dovian’s severe look of disapproval. Euclid had never seen such an expression from his best friend.
Dovian merely shook his head and stepped away. Orin and Quentin followed him, leaving the Azure man behind. Euclid watched, not sure as to whether he should follow or not. Scoffing, he took to the air. These people were too sensitive for his taste. Why should he coddle Lita’s or any of their feelings? He wasn’t going to apologize. Lita wasn’t entirely obnoxious, but not having to deal with her at all was better than dealing with her during the times she was a brat. Flying through the low hanging clouds, Euclid thought it was best to return home. He had some reading to do.
Karter was used to Euclid’s brashness, but his reaction to Lita was over the top and completely unnecessary. He’d never seen the young woman so upset. If Lita had laughed and merely insulted Euclid back as she typically did, it might not have bothered him as much. Only, she didn’t. She had tears in her eyes, and it was terrifying. It was all his fault. If only he had remembered to sign his name on the invitation.
Karter closed his eyes, reliving the memory of his creation of the blue daffodil. His mother had interrupted him just as he was about to sign. Because of his cowardly nature, he never scrawled his name upon the parchment. And for her to see Euclid with one of the flowers, he couldn’t blame Lita for thinking the invitation was from him. Still, it stung a little. Would she even want to go to the ball with him? If she were willing to go with Euclid despite all his harsh tendencies, then surely, she’d be inclined to go with him. But what if she liked broken and bad men like Euclid? The thought made Karter’s blood run cold. He scolded himself. Now was not the time to be selfish. The dance should be the least of his worries. Lita was hurting, and as her friend, he needed to make sure she was alright. Whether her feelings for him were the same didn’t matter.
He took to the air as soon as he was away from the grand library. From afar he spotted a dot soaring through the clouds. Lita wasn’t the swiftest flyer. Karter caught up to her rather quickly, the wind rippling through his clothing and hair. Lita looked in the opposite direction, turning at a sharp angle to avoid him.
“Lita!” he called out.
“Leave me alone!” her tiny voice squeaked.
“Come on, Lita. Please land. I need to talk to you.”
“Why? So you can make fun of me, too?” She sniffled, wiping at her eyes with her sleeves.
Karter’s brow furrowed. “No. No, Lita. I’d never make fun of you.”
She ignored him, continuing her way home. They spiraled through the air, Lita at times dodging him and sinking low in a sad excuse to lose him. After a bit, she gave up, allowing the stubborn man to follow. As she neared the Gaius complex, she pushed forward, expelling an enormous amount of energy in an attempt to leave him behind. A low boom followed her acceleration, and she made a sharp turn around the cathedral, soaring toward her bedroom window. Lita sailed through the opening, landing sharply on the opposite side of the room. Twirling, she leaped toward the window and pushed the pane of glass to close it. Karter appeared on the other side, pressing against it, careful not to shatter it. Lita’s eyes narrowed, wet and red with irritation. Embarrassed to show him her tears, she lowered her head to stare at the floor.
“Go away!” she sobbed.
“No, Lita. I’m not going away.”
She pushed against the window pane with more strength, and Karter relinquished a little, afraid of breaking it. They struggled against one another.
“Lita, I wouldn’t have asked you to attend the ball with me as a joke. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. I…I worked hard on those flowers,” Karter said in a defeated tone.
Lita finally met his gaze, her heartbreak apparent once again. Now she felt terrible. Karter had genetically engineered the beautiful flower just for her, and it was one of the loveliest things she had been given.
“I gave a few to Euclid so he could take them to his mother. I had never considered you’d have a run-in with him at the cemetery. It’s all a sad misunderstanding. Please don’t take the words that Euclid spoke to you and turn them into mine.”
Lita’s expression softened, and she slowly backed away from the window. Karter stumbled into her room. Tugging on her fingers, Lita had a difficult time for once remaining strong around him. His hair had ruffled, a look that Lita secretly enjoyed. His robes were also a mess, his breathing a bit uneven, his copper eyes shimmering with a red tint. Karter was often clean-cut and incredibly passive, so any fashion of disorganization charmed her.
“I apologize for allowing this invitation to go horribly wrong. What Euclid said was incorrect. He’s completely wrong about you. You’re not obnoxious. You’re…wonderful.” He looked toward the ceiling recalling all the things he liked best about Lita and smiled. “A bit of a handful at times, but being with you is the most fun. You push me out of my comfort zone. And I like that.” He looked to her and immediately blushed.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself. However, his heart raced, and his palms were sweaty. It wasn’t the chase that made him this way. It was Lita. He closed his eyes, shaking his head. “Lita, would you like to go to the masquerade with me?”
Lita watched him carefully. Since the day she first met Karter, he had fascinated her. Everything about him was adorable. His sweet innocence, his well-mannered nature. He was fun to tease, and her favorite pastime was finding a way to embarrass him, all in good fun.
“You…made this for me,” she whispered.
Karter nodded slowly. “Uh, yeah.”
“It must’ve taken you quite a while.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh…just most of the afternoon.”
“Only one afternoon?” Lita was shocked. Usually, it took days or weeks to create a genetically enhanced breed of flowers, let alone a masterpiece such as the one he had made for her. She looked at the flower crushed within the palm of her hand. She frowned. “Oh, I’ve destroyed it.”
Karter stepped forward, placing his hand atop hers. “I’ll make you another. A whole bouquet.”
Lita sniffled. “I’m sorry, Karter! It is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. And it’s so weird and strange at the same time because it smells like cider.” She gave a quiet laugh. “Why would you go through so much trouble?”
Karter chuckled. “That is such a silly question to ask.”
She avoided his stare.
“Why would I make you something as simple as a flower? Why…I wish I could make you an entire world, a planet of your own. With an ocean, moon, stars, and nebulas. The things I want to make for you are limitless. It would take me a long time, but I would gladly do it.” He ran his fingers lightly
through her hair, brushing a braid that had fallen loose behind her ear. “I also would refrain from doing so, at least for now, because that would take far too much time away from you. And right now, the only thing I want in this world is to be with you.”
Lita chewed on her lip, making a small noise. Since when did Karter become such a smooth talker?
“I may not be very suave or the most confident of men. I know that I’m awkward and shy. You’re the opposite—strong, bold, silly, loud. I like it. I love it all.”
Karter finally had the strength to tell her how he felt. Still, at the moment, he remained rigid, towering over her. With his chest inches away from her face, she smelled his cologne—a mixture of two types sold in the local Sorcēarian shops. The warmth of his hand radiated through hers, and she realized he wasn’t going to remove it. Lita took a deep breath, locking eyes with him. For once, he didn’t look scared.
“Karter…I’d love to go to the dance with you,” she whispered.
His face lit up. Lita stepped on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. Karter had tensed only for a moment before his appearance turned feral, his eyes flickering to red as his energies fluctuated. Lita couldn’t help but lick her lips, and Karter leaned a bit closer, their cheeks barely touching. Lita, deciding Karter was taking too long to make the first move, placed her hand gently on the side of his face, guiding him to place his lips upon hers. Karter made a strange noise, quickly wrapping his hands around her waist. Now Lita had his permission, and she slung her arms around his neck, kissing him deeper, pressing her chest against his. She was shocked. Karter was full of many surprises. As they pulled apart, he pressed his forehead against hers. He had his eyes on Lita since the day he met her, whether it was true for her or not; this was one of the best days of his life.
“So, you’ll go with me?” he asked between bated breaths.
“Yeah,” she said with an exhale. “I already said yes, right?”
Karter fought to catch a stable breath. “Oh, yeah, right.”