Page 33 of Zachary

He flips open the four flaps, revealing a large piece of paper with a diagram and written instructions, and what looks like a pile of leather straps underneath.

“It’s the harness,” he says dolefully. “The one I was going to use to take Zoe flying.”

I shove aside the pang of jealousy and nod. “Yeah. You told me about it. I can still help her get it on you if you want.”

“But… but…”

I wait.

“Zoe’s scared of heights!”

I wait a bit more as he buries his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking. Is… that it? “Are you sure?” I’m pretty sure I’ve seen her up on ladders. And we talked one time about thishike that hugs the wall of a ravine—she didn’t seem put off by the idea.

He nods and says something that’s muffled by his hands. I had no idea he could be so dramatic. This fits a bit more with the stuff I’d heard about dragons. Maybe Ronan’s like Garrett—reserved and mature, but deep down, still sharing the same traits as the rest of his species.

Gently clasping his wrists, I tug his hands down. “Say that again.”

He looks up at me with wide, sad eyes. “She said she was. I didn’t even get a chance to ask her if she wanted to.” He looks down and sniffles again. “And now she’ll see I can’t even be an equal friend and she’ll get sick of me.”

This is not really happening to me. If it was Cam or Garrett doing this, I’d be looking around for Asher and Micah and asking who masterminded the prank. But Ronan’s face is so earnest…

“Maybe she’s just scared of big heights,” I attempt. “I’ve seen her on ladders. Can you, I don’t know, fly low? That way she’ll feel like there isn’t as far to fall. Not that you’d let her fall,” I add hastily, gesturing to the box full of harness. “I’m sure even without this seat belt thing, you’d catch her.”

He nods fervently. “I would.” A shaky breath. “Do you think that might work? Flying low?”

“You could ask her. And that would get her even closer to the snow, so she’ll love that.”

Chewing on his lip, he thinks about it. “Maybe. But flying low can be so dangerous. I’d need to make sure I have enough clearance space, and then there’s wind shear off the mountain…” He looks at me hopefully. “Do you think… Can you tell me about some of the conditions along the way to the plateau? Closer in to the trail than I was expecting to fly, I mean.”

I look over at the map spread on the coffee table, then at my Smartwatch. “I can, but… maybe you should get some rest.Things will look brighter in the morning, and we can plan your whole route then.”

He shakes his head vehemently. “No! I mean… I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep until this is settled. I’ll just keep worrying that it might not be possible. And I really, really want to show Zoe how glad I am she’s my friend.” He puts a hand on my arm. “Please, Zac. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I promise, I’ll pay you back. I’ll do everything I can to make sure your dreams come true.”

I’d probably think that’s a weird thing for him to say, but it’s the middle of the night after a long week, and he’s feeling emotional. Plus… dragon drama. I get it now, why Gideon always mutters darkly about them. If I had to deal with a whole lot of dragons being this dramatic in my job, I’d be muttering too, and I’m not the one we used to call Murder Baby.

“Sure,” I concede. “Let’s take a look now.” His face lights up, and the last traces of distance I might have felt toward him melt away. How can I not like someone who wants so badly to do something nice for a friend?

For the next twenty minutes, we trace along the route he would have to take, with me scraping my memory for every detail I know and him making careful notes. There’s a lot I’m not completely sure of—I can’t get to some parts of the trail in winter, so I’m not sure how the snow accumulates, exactly, or where icicles might form that he’d need to steer clear off. The wind seems to be the part that concerns him the most—he can see other obstacles, but wind shear is unpredictable, and the last thing he needs is to be driven into the side of a mountain.

I’m just calculating whether it would be safer for him to skim the top of the ridge or fly alongside it most of the way when his phone chimes. He snatches it up so fast, his hands almost blur, but whatever he reads brings a relieved smile to his face.

“Everything okay?” I ask casually. “It’s kind of late for a text.”

“Friend from home. Time difference. But wow, you know, it really is late.” He yawns. “I’m so sorry, Zac. I’ve dragged you here and kept you awake… I’ll bet you’re exhausted. And you were right; I feel so much better with the idea of flying low. By tomorrow morning, I’ll be excited about it again.” The words tumble out so fast, it takes my tired brain a second to make sense of them. By then, he’s looped his arm in mine and dragged me up from the couch.

“I’m so grateful for your help, but we can finish this later. Please go home and get some rest.” He smiles at me, the genuine one I’ve seen a few times this week.

“Are you sure?” I check. I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I also don’t want to find out later that he was awake and miserable all night.

“I’m sure. Thank you. You’re a good man.” He leans in and kisses my cheek. “I know we’re still not there, but I hope we can be friends.”

“Of course.” It’s an automatic reply. In fact, my whole body seems to be on autopilot as Ronan guides me toward the teleport room. I don’t even think to tell him that I don’t need to leave from there, just arrive. I’m home again and back in my bed before I can fully process what just happened.

Ronan kissed me. On the cheek, like a friend would.

And I wanted it to be more.

How fucked-up is that?

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