Page 10 of Song For His Siren
"Hello, I’m Dru," he said with almost a bow.
"I'm Calli," she said with a small smile.
"Bridget sent me. She said you might be able to help me charge my phone?" he said.
"Oh, of course. Come with me. I'm surprised you have this out in the open. Most fairs are really strict with having phones out. It breaks the illusion and all that. We get away with more because we have amps and other stuff."
She took his phone from him and plugged it into a cord attached to a power strip by their merch table.
"Should be good as new soon," she said with a smile. She could feel herself flirting with him, and she wasn't entirely sure why... Well, she knew why... Look at him.
"Would you like to take a walk down the lane?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah... Sure. We got here a little early today."
He gestured for her to go before him and followed her down the aisle of benches. Once they got to the entrance of the stage, he held out his elbow for her to take. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, and he smiled softly down at her.
She was about to explode. Where the hell did this guy come from?
Then, as she took his arm and her hand rested on the bare skin of his forearm, she felt the ground move—like literally felt the ground move, her entire body feeling like it was glowing. What on earth was happening?
Her hand was resting on his arm, and it tensed beneath hers. Her eyes slowly took him in, from his strong arms covered in tattoos to his broad chest covered by a vest and necklaces, the perfect barbarian costume for a ren faire. Then, her eyes met his, and they almost took her breath away. It would seem he was justas affected by her as she was by him, if the expression on his face was any hint. His pupils were blown, his lips parted, and he looked like he wanted to bite her. Honestly, she just might let him.
The moment that danced between them was electric. She had never experienced anything like this before.
"Dru you said, right?"
He just nodded.
"Right... How long have you been working the fair circuit?" she asked as they walked away from her stage.
"I'm afraid I don't follow?" he said, looking down at her.
"Ren Fairs? How long have you been working the circuit? Or are you local?"
"No, I'm not local. I'm a friend of Bridget's."
Calli wasn't sure why, but that tracked. He had the same vibe Bridget gave off. While the two were physical opposites in almost every way, from size—Bridget being short and round and Dru being giant and muscly—to their demeanor. Where Bridget was playful and mysterious, Dru seemed more serious. There was something about both of them that didn't seem to belong to this world.
"Oh, really? I love Bridget. I’ve traveled the circuit for a long time. I started with a different band, and I’ve been with the Flying Kilts for a couple years now. But it looks like I’ll probably be looking for a new band soon."
"Why is that?" he asked.
"As much as I like this life, it isn't always easy, and it isn't for everyone. Eventually, people want to leave and settle down. Our fiddle player's wife is going to have a baby, and our guitarist is getting married."
"Do you not want those things? To settle down and have a baby?"
Her eyes flew to his; that was an awfully personal question for meeting all of ten minutes ago. His eyes seemed to sparkle with kindness and genuine curiosity, so she answered. "I don't know. I'm not opposed, but I've never felt the urge to settle down. Sometimes, I get the feeling I was never intended for this world."
Her mouth snapped shut, and her eyes once again flew up to his. She wasn't sure why she had said all of that. Whenever she started talking about how she never felt like she belonged, it usually pulled side-eyed glances from people. She’d been called a free spirit to just plain crazy more than once in her life. She wished it was easier, that she could just fit in, but she learned a long time ago that she never would and to try was an exercise in futility. Not only that, but it was also oftentimes painful. But when she looked into his eyes, she didn't find judgment.
That shouldn’t squeeze her heart as much as it did. He was a stranger, for all intents and purposes, but there was something impossibly familiar about him.
"I'm sorry. I know that sounds strange," she said, trying to brush it off.
"No. Not at all."
That was all he said, but his eyes said so much more. "Enough about me. What about you? Are you from here? How do you know Bridget?"
