Page 53 of An Arcane Education
Two couples, only feet from each other, kiss passionately. In one, a man with long, dark hair hovers over the woman who’s half-reclined against the pillows with her dress hiked halfway up her thigh, and he’s kissing the exposed skin of her chest and neck while she moans softly.
Oh.
I glance around, but nobody else seems to mind the public display, so I allow myself to simply enjoy the moment for what it is.
The next hour seems to pass in slow motion, as if time is stretching to accompany the barrage of sensations that filter through the haze of my perception. I’m not sure when exactly we head inside, but I find myself sprawled out on the velvet chaise in the main room, silently observing through my swimming vision as the party becomes increasingly uninhibited.
Piano music reverberates through the air, a melancholy song in a minor key, while some continue their intellectual debates, others give in to their carnal desires in dark corners, and others simply observe. The party has taken on an almost Dionysian quality, a dizzying combination of knowledge and sensuality intertwining until they coalesce into something greater. Flames from candles flicker around the room, casting a dreamlike glow over everything.
It’s only when my eyelids begin to droop that I realize I can’t stay here. If I do, I’ll fall asleep, and there’s nothing worse than waking up in a strange place after drinking too much. I force myself to stand, bid goodnight to Callista, then slip out into the night.
The sharp chill of the ocean breeze smacks into me,waking up my hazy mind just enough for me to realize I can’t go home quite yet. Well, I probably can, but I’m honestly not sure if it’s been one hour or three, and I want to give Max the time she needs to recuperate after tonight’s incident because it never would’ve happened if I hadn’t convinced her to come to the party in the first place.
Besides, I’m not tired yet. There’s a fervent energy buzzing inside of me that’s making me restless now that I’m outside and still intoxicated from the copious amounts of Fae wine. So, I meander down the winding paths through campus, only catching sight of two other people as I attempt to walk in a straight line. It doesn’t take long for me to slip off my heels and elect to walk barefoot, both for my comfort as well as my safety. The last thing I need is to break an ankle out here all alone.
Thunder rumbles nearby, the air carrying the charge of impending rain.
I don’t think about where I’m going and let my legs carry me, but in the deep recesses of my mind, I already know where I’ll end up.
It’s only when I’m approaching the Natural Sciences building that the sky opens up in a trickle of rain that promptly becomes a torrent.
Fuck. Needles of frigid rain prick my skin, drenching my dress and the thin jacket I’d elected to wear over it. Within seconds, my clothes are entirely soaked through.
I’d been heading for the greenhouse, but now, I run toward the nearest door and hope against logic that it’s open.
To my shock, it is. The side door for the Natural Sciences building creaks open, and I slip inside.
The sound of rain hitting the rooftop is muffled as I close the door against the wind, and darkness envelops me. I’m certainly old enough to know not to be afraid of the dark, but something about a long, dark hallway in an empty building never fails to creep me out, especially since this one is on the back side of the building.
I debate running back out through the rain since I’m already drenched, but the thought of subjecting myself to that again sounds torturous.
Looking around while I catch my breath, I’m debating what to do when I catch the faintest glimpse of light spilling beneath one of the doors at the far end of the hallway. Against my better judgment, I creep towards it, but my attempts to stay quiet are futile as my wet bare feet squeak against the hardwood floor.
As I approach, I realize what hallway I’m in, and my heart races at the possibility of what I may be doing. Could it be?
Somehow, in the back of my mind, I already know. I reach the doorway and read the name engraved into the plaque. Dr. Alaric Vale. From the other side of the door, I can hear the shuffling of papers.
With my common sense dulled by the effects of alcohol, I do the one thing I shouldn’t. I knock.
CHAPTER 21
The sound of shuffling papers on the other side of the door goes quiet, and it feels like an eternity for his dull, heavy footsteps to reach the door.
Alaric cracks the door slightly, peering out with apprehension rather than opening it fully, and I can’t help but wonder who he might’ve been expecting with such a wary greeting. Candlelight flickers behind him, casting his figure in a dark silhouette.
When he realizes it’s me, he opens the door wider, his brow furrowed as he takes in my disheveled appearance. Shivering slightly, I flash him a sheepish smile but also can’t help but rake my eyes over him. Instead of his usual slacks and button-down, he’s wearing a T-shirt and gray sweatpants that give me an eyeful of something I shoulddefinitelynot be looking at. Dear god…
“What are you doing?” he asks in a tone I can’t quite identify.
Hoping he’s referring to me showing up at his officeand not me staring at the bulge at the front of his sweatpants, I answer, “I got caught in the rain.”
“Why were you out so late?”
My words come out in a rapid jumble. “I was at a party and brought Max and tried Fae wine for the first time and it was goingso welluntil some guy was a total dickhead, so I was walking around campus to give Max some space and now I’m here.” I’m vaguely aware that my words don’t make much sense without context, but the fuzziness around the edges of my thoughts makes it impossible to relay the story in a thorough, precise manner.
“Did someone hurt you?” There’s more urgency in Alaric’s voice this time, and I notice his fist clenching at his side.
I shake my head. “No, but someone was an asshole to Max, and I didn’t like the guy the last time I met him either.”
