Darling - K. Ancrum Page 0,56

Wendy could see the thought occurring in his eyes for a moment. Instead he tucked the sprig of baby’s breath into his own hair and smiled bashfully back at her, looking ten times sweeter and more innocent than Wendy knew he was.

“Are you ready to go back in?” he asked. “I’m sure the others are missing us.”

Wendy nodded. Absolutely. She was absolutely ready to not be alone with Peter.

Peter pulled open the train car door and held it open so Wendy could walk safely in front of him. By the time she had a foot in the train car, Tinkerbelle had sat back down and Nibs and Curly were back in a signed conversation.

Fyodor had apparently found a light and was passing a cigarette back and forth with Tinkerbelle. They looked up as if surprised to see Peter, and Tinkerbelle handed the cigarette back to Fyodor. He took one last hard drag before dropping it to put it out, but Peter snatched it before it hit the ground and shook it warningly in Fyodor’s face.

“They’ll make your skin look like shit,” he said, putting the cigarette out against the window. “You want to look like you’re fifty in your thirties, keep smoking like this. If you’re really serious about modeling, Fyodor, you need a solid skincare regimen, not this crap.”

Fyodor clicked his tongue in the back of his throat and pulled a comb out of his pocket to straighten his pompadour. It was subtle, but Wendy could tell that everyone was relieved she was back. She could hear the mild giddiness in Minsu’s voice as he continued talking to Charles. She couldn’t tell if this was another fake conversation, because everyone seemed so engaged. It was different when you were a part of a situation and you see the shift from silence to mid-discussion—this felt like walking into a warmth that existed for ages before she got there. The only person who wasn’t involved was Ominotago, who had her phone out and was again focused very hard on texting.

“We’re close,” she said without looking up. “We have to walk for a few blocks, but we have only one stop left.”

“Does it have a cover this year?” Charles asked.

Ominotago shrugged. “It might, but anyone who comes in with me is good to go, so it’s kind of a nonissue.”

Peter had returned to his place behind Nibs and Curly. “I spoke to James before he left,” he said. “He won’t be bothering us again. It’s better this way.”

Curly and Nibs nodded stoically, as if they expected this clear falsehood.

Fyodor clicked his tongue in the back of his throat at Wendy to get her attention. “Your uh—from the … Can I?” He reached out a hand toward Wendy’s hair, waiting for her to give permission.

Unsure what he was asking but willing to give whatever it was a chance, Wendy nodded.

Fyodor leaned over and delicately adjusted the pins holding the sprigs of baby’s breath in her hair, which apparently had been thrown into disarray by the screaming wind outside the train car. He didn’t press too close or stroke her curls without her permission; he just fixed it and nodded crisply when he finished. Then he turned back to his conversation with Minsu and Charles without needing or expecting appreciation of any kind.

Wendy felt Ominotago’s eyes on her, so she stared down at her and Tinkerbelle, who now looked amused as well as relieved.

Ominotago jerked her chin at Fyodor and raised an eyebrow as if to say, See?

Wendy did, in fact, see. She pursed her lips at Ominotago, grinning when Ominotago’s dark eyes seemed to twinkle in answering amusement.

“THIS IS HOWARD. TRANSFER TO PURPLE-LINE TRAINS AT HOWARD,” the train car speakers blared.

“Everybody off,” Peter demanded as the train doors opened. “We’re already late.”

* * *

The walk from the train station was less tense than the walk to the train station, now that Wendy was capable of participating in the “lighthearted discussion that is really just a mask for horrifying tension” thing everyone seemed to be doing. Peter also seemed satisfied that their conversation in between the train cars was enough to smooth over whatever he assumed Wendy had been thinking. He was less hyperfocused on surveillance, and settling in to have a good time.

But Wendy wasn’t calm enough to think they weren’t still being watched.

She joined Fyodor and Minsu in an argument about college admissions. She laughed good naturedly when Peter teased Ominotago and Tinkerbelle about being joined at the hip, and didn’t react