The City of Crows by Bethany Lovejoy (novels in english .txt) 📗

previous explanation. “People you already know? But if they already know you, how are you going to explain…” Wordlessly, he mouthed ‘me.’ He didn’t really have to indicate what, because someone else did it for him.

“Lyra!” A voice rang out, as clear and high pitched as the chime of a bell, immediately my face fell and I fought the urge to either step in front of Leo or as far away as possible from him. “My god, Siobhan isn’t lying, there is a man!” An auburn haired girl, one in a white turtleneck that clung to her curvaceous form, slunk into view; scarlet lips painted into a look of amusement. Autumn. Not a true friend, not even one from my circle, but of course-- “Oh, and Rowan was so upset, nice to see it was for a good reason this time, though, isn’t it?” The witch bounded closer, reaching up to pinch Leo’s thin cheeks. “Just look at him, wow! A catch, I didn’t think you had it in you, Lyra!”

Autumn was one of those friends who you have and never talk to for a reason. She was a pleasantries, good news only sort of friend; lest she exaggerate your faults to the whole neighborhood. She wasn’t instinctually two-faced, and I’m sure in her mind there was no malice in any of her actions. But you never told her anything, no one ever told her anything. And when engaged in conversation with her, well…

“Now Siobhan was going around saying that Yvie called her a liar, can you believe that? Just looking at the boy right here, Yvie owes that girl an apology. Of course, she’s not the only one that Yvie owes an apology too; Sunny is still upset about that rat potion, damn near killed her cat. She really ought to start making labels for those things.” Autumn was the type of person to talk until her perfect scarlett lipstick had nearly flecked off her mouth, then reapply it and talk some more. “But then again, maybe you didn’t tell Yvie for a reason--”

“Autumn,” I began with a grimace, interrupting her. “You’re here! I honestly was not expecting that--” Leo shot an incredulous look at me. “Don’t you normally stay on the other side of town?” She wasn’t the type to frequent a place like the Green Man.

“Oh!” Autumn’s mouth popped open, her red lips shaped in a perfect circle as she pulled her hands off of Leo’s face, leaning forward to me. “Well, I’m not supposed to be, of course. You know how men are, this and that, don’t go here or wear that, definitely don’t say this to anyone, and please girl, don’t talk too much. But I’ve never been one to care much about those rules, so here I am,” she declared. Suddenly, however, she realized something. “Oh, you probably don’t know, you’ve been gone for far too long and haven’t been visiting like you promised! I always forget that not everyone’s in the know.” Her hands clapped together, body turning to me but her eyes still wandered, “you are not the only one who has got a new beau--”

“He’s not my boyfriend, Autumn,” I replied with a roll of my eyes, loosening my hold on Leo but not letting go entirely. Beside me, he straightened.

She ignored me. “Rowan’s cousin or something, you know how they’re related to practically everyone? Well, the short one, Landon. Love of my life, bless him.” Her head quirked, lips spreading impossibly thin as her mouth only widened, “Have you met him? I don’t think you have. And I,” she said with a poke at Leo’s chest, punctuating every word with an additional stab, “Have. Not. Met. This. One.”

“Leo,” he replied amusedly. “Leo Hoang.”

“Leo Hoang,” Autumn repeated, speaking a bit too loud. There was a jumble in the way that she said it, whether it was her accent or a mistake on her part was hard to tell. Still, she grinned as Leo flinched.

“Just call me Leo,” he requested, “no last name.” His tone practically begged her not to say it again.

“Well, mister, ‘just call me Leo,’ you are in luck, because you just gotta meet my Landon; as do you, Lyra,” Autumn demanded, already reaching for the two of us. “Landon knows everybody, and he has just been dying to meet Lyra since Rowan mentioned her name.”

7

Love is Blind

Hazy, heavy clouds filled the air and clung close to the ground like fog after a long thunderstorm, drifting from the butts of rolled cigarettes and into our lungs without a second thought. Men, because men always filled the spaces they sat in, sucked at the ends of their cigarettes, inhaling various herbs and oils for god knows what purpose, unthinking of the inhabitants of the room because they were behind one of the illustrious cherry doors, and therefore immune from social pleasantries. All were crowded into a rounded booth, a party of eight sitting atop royal blue velvet and smashed shoulder to shoulder so that there was no escaping the smoke.

My side was crushed against Leo’s, our thighs and shoulders pressed into each other as the man beside me made another dramatic motion, the hot ash of his cigarette sizzling dangerously close to my hand on the table. To Leo’s side, another, older man spoke animatedly as well, his hands flying about wildly to the point that Leo felt the need to tilt his head in my direction, out of the way of the flying fists. Across the way, Autumn all but beamed at our situation, murmuring something into the man beside her’s ear that read like, ‘I told you, head over heels!’ One look up at Leo and I could tell he’d understood it as well, his jaw stiffened and his shoulders straightened. The man beside Autumn, however, had little to no reaction.

Landon was short, the kind of short that’s far too notable when it comes to a man. A firm five feet and not much else, Autumn had