have they been apart then? I mean, if they’re Beloveds, wouldn’t they pretty much be joined at the hip? So to speak.”
“I really don’t know. I haven’t asked either of them about it.”
Aurora tapped her fingers on the tabletop, thinking. “Why do you think you have feelings for him? What happened?”
“I went over there to have a lesson. It just caught me by surprise, suddenly, I was crying. He held me so closely, so gently. I just felt so safe. Cared for, you know?”
“I know,” Aurora took a sip of coffee, and gave Tiffany a hard look. “You know, too. This is why girls love having a few gay guy friends around. You can have the most lovely, close cuddles, and there’s nothing sexy involved. He gave you comfort. That’s all.”
“Yeah,” Tiffany said, trying to agree.
“Tiff, you’re just projecting your feelings for Rhys onto this guy. It’s not fair to him and you’re going to get totaled again if you go down this road. You know he’s Nathan’s Beloved, and you know he’s gay, so why are you torturing yourself?”
“Maybe torturing myself is all I know,” Tiffany said miserably. “Maybe no one else will do it for me.”
Aurora grinned. “I’m sure you could find someone who would torture you for a reasonable price.”
Tiffany giggled, just a little. It wasn’t like Aurora to make a joke like that.
“He’s safe, Tiff,” Aurora said. “You’re craving safety and comfort, and you know he can’t hurt you like that.”
“True.” Tiffany looked back down on the tabletop, willing herself to believe this. Her mind had it fully understood, but her heart refused to hear it.
Why can’t I let this guy go? As hurtful as it was to be rejected by Rhys—especially after throwing herself at him—the idea of Nero being out of reach was far harder to swallow.
The way he looked at me, the way he held me. His voice when he said my name. I’m not imagining this. I know I’m not!
Tiffany’s thoughts were broken by a muted creaking that slipped through the room. It sounded like the house was whispering to them. Both of the girls sat up and looked around, waiting for the house to throw one of its trademark tantrums. Instead, it merely shifted and creaked, spilling sand onto the table.
“Hey, watch it!” Aurora grabbed her coffee, moving it to a safe distance.
“Not cool, house.” Tiffany scooted her chair back. She realized almost straight away that the sand was only falling on a particular place in the center of the table. After a few seconds watching it, she gasped in surprise.
“Aurora, look!”
Aurora hurried to lean over the table, just as the trickle of sand slowed and stopped. She gasped in surprise.
The sand had formed a perfect flurry of hearts dotting across the center of the table. It was almost alive, the neatly traced figures seeming to dance in a line, like notes in sheet music.
“Are you sure this isn’t you?” Aurora asked.
Tiffany scoffed. “It’s not pink and fluffy. Besides, I’m so tired, I doubt I could conjure a fly right now.”
“Why is the house sending you hearts?” Aurora asked.
“The message might not be for me,” she said idly. She didn’t feel full of love or even deserving of it. Surely the house was just being its usual temperamental self.
As if in answer, the walls creaked and shifted. Tiffany didn’t know how to read the house the way Kelly did, but she definitely sensed a rebuke.
“The hearts are for me?” she asked incredulously. Around her, the air shimmered in a happy whisper.
Aurora laughed. “You don’t need to worry about a thing, Tiffany. The house obviously has your romantic future all worked out.”
Tiffany smiled, happiness reaching all the way into her chest. The sadness started to ease and her thoughts cleared.
“I wouldn’t be completely sure,” Tiffany said. “We’ll need Kelly to fully interpret this message.”
“Yeah,” Aurora agreed. “Maybe the house is in love with Nero too.”
Tiffany laughed. “Maybe it wants him to move in!”
The house creaked, an impossible wind stirring the curtains and the girls’ hair. Tiffany looked up at the roof, wishing the house actually had a face she could address. Whatever the true message was, Tiffany appreciated the hearts. It reminded her that love was out there and the only reason her own ached so much was because she had a lot to give.
Love was waiting for her, just like Nero said. She just had to find it.
Fifteen
Later that day, Tiffany had managed to fall into a light doze. She knew