Page 25 of Fritillaria

Seeing them together, looking so good, touching… it sends a tremor through my core, and I’m fighting with myself to stay in my seat. To not pounce on them.

What iswrongwith me?!

“You do look beautiful.” Aspis finally speaks. His jaw flexes, almost like he wants to say more but holds himself back.

“Thank you.” My voice is smaller than I mean it to be, my blush growing. I’m glad that I put a layer of makeup on today to cover it up. It’s a little too intense with them both watching me like this.

“Oh, I made you something!” Matilda grabs a tote bag and abandons Aspis to sit next to me. Having her this close is intoxicating, her bright eyes light up with joy as she presents her gift.

I nervously pick open the bag, seeing a pile of fabric inside. It’s either a blanket or a cushion. Pulling it out, I see that it’s a blanket made of squares, each one having something to do with me. There are nods to my albums and my favorite colors, even designs that match my tattoos.

“Youmadethis?” She nods vigorously, scooching even closer to me on the seat.

Matilda subjects Aspis and I to a spiel on quilt making that lasts the whole trip to Flora and Sebastian’s house. It’s sweet though, and I can tell how much effort she put into doing something she loves for me.

When the car pulls to a stop, the driver letting us know that we’ve reached our destination, I lean in close to Matilda.

“Thank you, I love it.” I whisper in her ear, placing a barely there kiss on her cheek.

I don’t look to see her reaction, climbing out of the car quickly. It takes Aspis and Matilda a moment to join me outside, and I justknowthat they were talking about me.

“Hi! Come on in!” A chirpy voice calls to my left.

Golden blond curls and a bright pink dress meet my gaze. Flora is cute, and I usually get along well with her. It’s just that we don’t cross paths all too often.

“Hi, how are you?” I ask as I make my way to the front door of the house. Flora pulls me into a hug, and it even feels kind of nice to my touch deprived self.

“Not too bad.” I smirk, looking over my shoulder at Aspis and Matilda hurrying to follow me in. “Thank you for having us. I heard you had a big group anyway so I appreciate you being so accommodating.”

Aspis looks at me with confusion. What is his problem? Yes, I can be nice and hospitable. It’s just usually when people aren’t barging into my workspace and proclaiming that we are meant to be together. He must forget the amount of networking involved with getting to the level in my career that I have.

“Come on, Matilda.” I clasp her hand in mine, pulling her inside with me. Throwing a dirty look over my shoulder at Aspis, I know that it’s riling him up in just the way I wanted.

It seems that everyone else is mostly here already. Although my quick glance tells me that Rosie and Finnegan are the stragglers.

I wasn’t sure who was going to be here, other than Flora and Sebastian. But it seems that I know more people than I initially realized.

“Ivy! It’s so good to see you.” Hyacinth rushes over to pull me into a hug. I worked with her and Addison on the production for my last album, so we spent alotof time together. Addison joins us, a chihuahua in either arm. She waves one of them at me in greeting.

Laughing, I take one of the tiny dogs, giving it scratches behind its ears as we settle into the group. Looking around, I realize that Aspis is hanging back a bit with Liliana. It seems that perhaps he doesn’t know as many people here as I do. Matilda is sticking close to me, mainly to avoid her boss, I am sure.

It’s always been so strange to me that two sweet girls like Addison and Hyacinth were mated with such a cold person. But the Succubus probably puts up a front in that case. She joins us and I can see that she absolutely dotes on her mates.

The little dog is a great excuse to avoid anymore hugs, and I silently sent my thanks to Addison. Sebastian’s two band members join us next, along with their two mates who I think are Flora’s dancers. It’s hard to mistake the Kraken and Minotaur though. It’s also kind of adorable how Nereus wraps a tentacle around Maddox’s leg as we chat.

“Five minutes!” A deep and rich voice calls from another room.

Everyone else seems to know where to go, so I follow them to a large dining room. Flora’s touch is everywhere in this house with light and pastel hues. The table settings are no exception. Light blue and lavender checkered place mats with matching plates and glassware set the scene, along with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers as the centerpiece.

Matilda leaves a spot between us, most likely trying to get Aspis to sit there. Only Nereus calls him to a specially designed chair right as Flora slips into his spot. I am partly relieved and partly disappointed. God, why are my feelings about this all so conflicting? I just need a moment of peace.

“You good?” Flora whispers under her breath to me.

“Yeah,” I nod. “Thank you. I’m just a little overwhelmed.”

“I’m sure it’s a lot.” She gestures at the group, but we both know that she means more than just that.

Rosie and Finnegan finally show up, earning some jeers from their friends about why they were running late. They are forced to split up, sitting on either side of the table. To my other side sits Daisy and Cleo respectively. I know them a little, and Flora eases us all into conversation.

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