Page 82 of The Warrior
“Of course not. Hate is a heavy burden to bear; I don’t wish that for anyone. Besides, I’m sure Magni has a few redeeming qualities or else Finn wouldn’t be his friend.
“MagnilovesFinn,” I said.
“How do you know?”
“Oh, it’s obvious when you see them together. Finn is one of the few who can make Magni laugh, and he is fiercely protective of Finn.”
“Interesting how you’ve interpreted Magni’s protectiveness towards Finn as love, yet when he’s protective of you it’s bossiness. Setting your boundaries is important, Laura, and I would encourage you to stand your ground on issues that are important to you.”
I rubbed my nose, taking in her words.
Athena had a knowing smile on her lips. “How old are you, Laura?”
“Twenty.”
“That’s old enough to stop feeling entitled.”
Jerking back, I protested, “I don’t feel entitled.”
“That’s good, because people who are waiting for others to give them love are missing something profound.”
“And what’s that?”
“The love was always there. Love is the core of your true self. No one can take that away from you. You need to change your words from ‘Iwantlove’ to ‘Iamlove.’”
I narrowed my eyes in a skeptical expression. “I am love?”
“Yes, you are. We all are.”
“I don’t know about that, but I do know that I’ve been waiting to hear Magni say those words to me for a long time.”
“Maybe he’s waiting to hear them from you too.”
I rubbed the bridge of my nose again. “You think so?”
“Laura, never be afraid to show what’s in your heart.”
“But what if he doesn’t say the words back to me?”
Athena drew in a deep breath. “You are not telling him that you love him in an attempt to make him say it back to you. You are telling him that you love him because that’s what is in your heart. If he reciprocates the feeling and wants to share that with you, great. If not, it will never take away from the gift of love that you gave him.”
I gave a small head shake. “Sometimes you Motlanders are a bit much, you know that, right?”
“Yes, Finn tells me the same thing.” Athena lifted her head and looked out the window with a smile. “Huh, speaking of the sun…”
Finn’s drone landed in front of the house.
“Where I’m from, we say talk about the devil.”
She smiled at me. “Yes, that sounds very Northlandish.”
We watched Finn and his son Tristan get out of the drone and walk to the house. They brought in a blast of cold air when they walked through the door.
“Hurry, close the door – I’m freezing.” Athena tucked the throw-over all the way up to her chin.
Finn removed his jacket and threw it over one of the chairs. “What a surprise. I didn’t expect to find you here, Laura.”
“Finn, honestly, how many times do I have to tell you to hang your jacket?”
