“Well, I was! You even said so!” I cried.
“I need whisky,” Dad put in at this point, my body went ramrod straight and I looked at my father who had an expression on his face I’d never seen before. I was guessing he now wished that I was actually simply insane or had hooked up with the leader of a cult who seduced feeble-minded women and convinced them he was from an alternate universe instead of being hooked up with an actual warrior prince from a parallel world.
“Dad –” I started but Dad was looking at Tor.
“Do you drink whisky?” he asked Tor.
“I do,” Tor replied.
“Comin’ right up,” Dad muttered and turned to the liquor cabinet on the wall.
My eyes went to Tor and his came to me. Then his face went soft, one of the sides of his mouth curled slightly up and he winked at me. I took in a deep breath and smiled back. He tipped his head to my chair and waited until my bottom was in it before he resumed his seat.
Dad came back with two whiskies and he brought the bottle. Mom refilled her and my wineglasses.
Dad threw back his whisky like he was doing a tequila shot then refilled his glass.
Then his eyes came to me.
Then I watched him take in a breath.
Then he said quietly, “All right, sweetheart. Let’s start at the beginning.”
I pressed my lips together and looked at Tor. He sat back and sipped his whisky, his eyes watching me over the rim of his glass the entire time. I took a sip of wine, looked between my Mom and Dad and then I started at the beginning.
* * *
Dad and Tor were in the dining room, drinking whisky.
Mom and I were in the kitchen, doing the dishes.
I didn’t want Mom to have to do the dishes by herself but I didn’t think it was wise leaving Tor with my Dad.
I’d told our story and my parents believed it. They were shocked by it, but they believed it.
This was good.
I had left out the part of Rosa being kidnapped by the evil Minerva but Tor had gone into some detail of what a sweet-tempered, lovely young woman she was, how she was destined to marry his brother and how much she was loved by her family, those around her and especially her husband-to-be. This made both my parents’ eyes get wet. It also, with the information I’d already communicated about Tor taking care of and protecting me, made them like him. And from the way they were looking at him, I was guessing they liked him a lot.
This I wasn’t sure was good.
“Do you think it’s a good idea that we leave Dad and Tor in the dining room…” my mother’s eyes came to me and I finished, “alone?”
“Why wouldn’t it be a good idea?” Mom asked.
I grabbed a wineglass and started drying it, muttering, “I don’t know.”
Mom hesitated, rinsed a plate and put it in the dish drainer before asking, “Is there something you aren’t telling me?”
I bit my lip. Then I put the glass away. Then I reached for the plate.
Then I lied, “No.”
“Cora,” Mom said softly and I hated it when she said my name like that. Soft with disappointment. I hated to disappoint my Mom. That was the worst.
I dried the plate, put it away, turned my side to the counter and leaned into it.
Then I found my mother’s eyes and I whispered, “I’m in love with him.”