Chapter Text
It all started with a nightmare.
Though, if she was being honest, she felt like she was sleepwalking. The spiky, wrought iron gates of Pine Hill Mansion towered in front of her. She stood there barefoot, dressed only in her pyjamas, the cold northern wind sending shivers down her spine as she stepped into the overgrown courtyard.
Linda, a voice called, followed by the deafening giggles of a young child. She knew she should’ve stopped at the front door, but she had no command over her body. Whoever it was that was calling her, clearly had control over her and knew how to manipulate her weaknesses.
Stepping into the grand hallway, scenes of the last battle replayed in her head. One moment, they were all together, fighting against Darko and Erissa, but with each blow their powers weakened. Pine Hill Mansion was practically falling apart under their feet, making it impossible for them to hide or even escape. Erissa, fueled by pure revenge, was greatly underestimated, overpowering both the Soul Riders and the Dark Riders, betraying Darko last minute when she didn’t need his help anymore.
But there was one small detail even Erissa didn’t take into account. Freya, possessing the powers of each Soul Rider, refused to give in. She fought until her very last breath, each spell draining not only her magic but also her soul. Linda remembered lying on the tiled floor, unable to move, watching as Freya channelled all four circles. She used forbidden spells that the Keepers of Aideen kept locked away for a reason, guarded by the strongest magic not even someone as strong as Erissa could break through.
Sending a strong blow at the General of Chaos, Erissa’s body slammed into a wall, disappearing into thin air. Freya then passed out, never returning again. She may have defeated Erissa, but with that, her life was also taken from her.
Looking up towards the broken staircase, Linda saw the ghostly figure of her old friend, her once beautiful blue eyes now a lifeless white. “You failed me.” She spoke, her voice echoing through the building. “You all failed me. I thought we were friends.”
The twenty-six-year-old opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Finally, Freya approached her, cold eyes gazing right into the former Soul Rider’s brown ones. “She’s back and yet you guys made the gigantic mistake of believing the threat was over, going your separate ways while I’m stuck here, suffering, counting down the days until I’ll finally be free from her torture.”
“I don’t understand. Who are you talking about?”
Then, she heard it again. That eerie, childish giggle that sounded like nails on a chalkboard, and when she turned back, Freya was gone.
Linda woke up panting, immediately reaching for the cup of water on her nightstand, chugging it down before checking the time on her phone. It was about 9:30 and judging by how quiet the house was, it seemed her aunt had already left for work. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her old dream journal, always stuffed under her pillow in case she needed it. Her last entry was in 2021, a little before the final battle. After she scribbled down a couple of notes, she got up and decided she’d get dressed for the day.
Bringing her breakfast with herself, she set off to Jorvik Stables, tacking up Meteor for the first time in years. The stallion couldn’t have been happier, and even if they couldn’t return to showjumping just yet, a little trail ride around Jorvik Stables and Paddock Island sounded like a great way to spend some time together.
Before leading him outside, the laughs of two women caught her off guard, the feed room’s door slamming behind them. Curious, Linda popped her outside, trying to locate the source of the two voices. “Stop laughing, someone will hear us.” One of the women spoke, the footsteps getting closer by the second. Her voice was high-pitched, but melodic and decent to listen to. “Sab, I said stop laughing!”
“You are the only person that can fall inside a feed bin and still make it look graceful.” A familiar deep voice spoke, Linda’s brows shooting up the moment she caught a glimpse of the long black braid and tall motorcycle boots. “Your jodhpurs are all dirty now, though.”
“I hate you,” The previous voice said, Linda peeking outside just enough to see a hand playfully hit Sabine’s muscular arms, hidden under her biker gear. Her face was flushing and someone’s fingers had clearly dug into her hair, making her look a hundred times more attractive.
“You love me.” Sabine smiled, pulling the beautiful blonde into a kiss, the two of them almost stumbling into the hay stack behind them as the taller one lost her balance. “Oh, fuck. Sorry, haven't had my morning cup of coffee yet. I’m barely awake.”
In that second, the blonde turned her head, noticing someone’s head sticking out of one of the stalls, she poked Sabine’s arm with her index finger and pointed at Linda. “Seems we’ve got company.”
Hoping she didn’t make too much of a fool out of herself, the former Soul Rider stepped outside, awkwardly waving at the two as she led Meteor out of his stall. She didn’t know what reaction to expect, but she sure didn’t think Sabine would be the first one to start laughing. “If you see Herman, you didn’t hear any of this, okay? He was searching for me earlier and my shift started thirty minutes ago.”
“Oh, no worries, I won’t tell on you.” Linda nodded, her gaze shifting towards the blonde bombshell beside Sabine, dressed entirely in pink and white, her riding jacket bearing the logo of the Bobcat Girls. “Loretta! I almost didn’t recognize you. Are you guys…?”
“She’s my fiancée.” Loretta said, raising Sabine’s right hand, showing off a gold engagement ring. “I should be in Moorland right now, but someone cannot live without her protein bars and instead of heading back for them, she made me bring them all the way here.”
“Wait, congratulations, I had no idea!” Linda smiled. “Sabine, does that officially make you a Bobcat girl?”
The former Dark Rider rolled her eyes at the comment, Linda referencing how much younger Sabine wanted to join the Bobcats but was constantly rejected by Loretta. “I have my own club and I’m busy managing that.”
“Sab is an honorary member.” Loretta chuckled, intertwining their fingers. “She may not like pink, but she’s a Bobcat girl at heart.”
Sabine snorted, “If you say so.”
Linda left a couple minutes later, leaving the lovebirds to themselves. Knowing she should’ve been preparing for her classes, Sabine rushed to one of the staff dressing rooms, bumping into Alex who was just about to leave and complete certain stable chores that awaited only her. The taller slammed the door, balancing on one leg as she untied her motorcycle boots, fiddling with the keys of her locker and pulling out a pair of designer dressage boots. “Why are you always late?”
“I’m not late, I still have ten minutes.” Sabine muttered, stepping out of her leather gear, revealing a red quarter-zip shirt underneath, worn tucked into her high-waisted black riding pants. “Can you tie my hair up? I’ve got hair ties in the small, bottom pocket of my bag. Fuck, I’m genuinely sweating right now.”
“What were you doing?” Alex rolled her eyes, unzipping Sabine’s bag, an intense cigarette smell hitting her nostrils as soon as she pulled out a red scrunchie. “This stinks, by the way. Also, doesn’t Khaan need to be tacked up? Hello?”
“I know, I’m sorry, Loretta was here and I got distracted.” She answered, sitting down on one of the couches as Alex wrapped her long braid into a low bun. “Plus Linda showed up to go on a trail ride with Meteor, and yeah, I also slept through my alarm again, so that’s my fault.”
“You took on far too many classes.”
“Okay, well, I need the money.” She sighed and slipped on her dressage boots. “Especially now that we’re in the midst of wedding plans, and yes, Lori and I have received plenty of support from our families, but we don’t want them paying for the whole shebang.”
“Why?”
“Because if they pay for it, they want a say in everything.” Sabine grabbed her phone and cigarettes, shoving them inside the pockets of her black utility belt before sliding it onto her hips. “And I just genuinely can’t deal with that right now.”
Alex blinked, confused, “If my parents offered to pay for my wedding, I’d do anything they’d want me to.”
“We just want a simple wedding, no crazy venue, no travel,” She muttered as she strapped on her golden dressage spurs. “I don’t think it’s that hard to comprehend, meanwhile my parents insist we should have two weddings. One in Austria and one in Mexico, because, you know, differences in tradition, whatever.”
“And to that you said?”
“Well, I said no because not everybody can afford a plane ticket on a whim.” She said, “I don’t want two weddings, I want one with the most important people there and I don’t want to exclude my friends, especially not you guys, so…”
“Oh.”
“What?”
“Nothing, I’m just surprised you consider me a friend.” Alex shook her head, careful with her words so she wouldn’t offend Sabine. “I mean, I know we are colleagues and we have long put our animosity behind us, I just thought…”
Sabine raised a brow, “That I don’t like you?”
“It’s stupid, I know.”
“Look, it was all a matter of our circumstances.” Sabine answered, completely nonchalant and unbothered by Alex’s shocked expression. “If it makes you feel better though, no, I definitely don’t hate you.”
Hearing that, Alex let out a chuckle and smiled, “That’s a relief because it’s quite nice having another lesbian around.”
“Aw, it is, isn’t it?” She said, finally heading towards the door. “I need to go now, but if you see Herman, and in case he asks, Lori and I were not making out in the feed room.”
“Noted.”
Jay hated family programs.
It wasn’t even an exaggeration, they simply knew something would always go south. They loved their parents more than anything, but it was undeniable how terrible their communication was, especially when it came to matters that could’ve been easily solved. Then again, most of the time, their mother was the main culprit. She was stubborn, held her head high and refused any sort of criticism. Jay, too, used to be like that once upon a time, until they got more out into the real world and realized all that sheltering in their childhood didn’t prepare them for anything whatsoever.
When it came to actual family outgoings, though, Jay couldn’t remember the last time they did something together as a family for the sake of enjoyment. So, when their father offered to spend some time with them and potentially take them somewhere, they jumped at the opportunity, refusing to stay home any longer. Except, what they imagined wasn’t driving an entire hour to the family’s countryside estate in eastern Jorvik.
“When I said we should hang out, I didn’t mean golfing.” Jay muttered, their expensive black suit most certainly not made for the sunny weather. “Besides, did we have to drive an entire hour just for this? There’s a bigger golf course in Jorvik City.”
“It’s not about the size, it’s about the design, kid.” Their father said, playfully removing Jay’s sunglasses, the younger’s green eyes sending sparks at him in annoyance. “I think golfing is a great father and child activity.”
“Maybe if I was five.”
“Okay, sweetie, how about next time you pick where we’re going, hm?” Vikram smiled and lovingly patted Jay’s back. “Where would you have liked to go?”
“Ugh, I don’t know, we could’ve gone shopping,” They shook their head, shoving their hands into their pants. “Or a museum. Something interesting, not frying myself under the sun.”
“Shopping? You have so many clothes, we just built you a second walk-in wardrobe.” He chuckled, both endeared and flabbergasted as they entered the mansion, Jay immediately sighing in relief at the air conditioning. “And books. Nobody uses our home library other than you.”
“Are you calling me a nerd?”
“You are a nerd.”
“Okay, well I’m a hot nerd.”
“And a very stubborn one at that.” Vikram laughed. Ever since their childhood, Jay never particularly enjoyed leaving their comfort zone. And, of course, modeling from a young age made this so much harder. Though they eventually made the best out of it and ended up enjoying being in the public eye, the family expectations never disappeared. “Maybe afterwards you should take Acerbus on a couple rounds around the estate? I’d love to come with you and ride Apollo.”
“I probably should.” They agreed. “I’ve been thinking of bringing him back to Jorvik City, but it seems he’s happier here.”
“Maybe you’d be happier here, too.”
Jay shrugged, unsure how to respond, “I can’t just move, though. I would if I could, but my penthouse is the farthest I can go without Mum freaking out.”
“You’re twenty-five.”
“Yeah, and I wish she realized that” Without any further words, they ran upstairs, leaving their father alone in the main hall.
It was true. Naira was hard on Jay and the entire family knew that. Everything Jay ever did was done in mind with how marketable they were to a general audience, their mother turning their coming out story, something so personal, into nothing more than a cash grab opportunity.
Vikram may have disapproved, but if Naira made up her mind, she was unstoppable. And of course, with Jay also inheriting those exact traits, they ended up butting heads more than once. At that point, it was almost inevitable.
At first, going on a trail ride with Meteor didn’t seem like such a bad idea. Linda missed Jarlaheim, but most importantly, she missed the city’s surrounding nature. She couldn’t count the amount of times her dreams took her to Paddock Island’s gardens or even the magical forest of Greendale. Though on the outside barely anything had changed, seeing the Goldspur twins and the Jarlasson kids all grown up sent her down an emotional rollercoaster.
Morning trail rides used to be her and Freya’s tradition. Each weekend they would eat breakfast with the Sunfield family who doted on the young girl like she was their own, even if their pigs mysteriously disappeared during each Equestrian Festival. The last time Linda saw them was at the funeral. She couldn’t imagine how the family was doing now, especially considering their version of the truth was nothing more than a gigantic lie.
The moment she felt the first tears roll down her cheeks, she knew she needed to get moving. Thankfully, Meteor was there to comfort her. “We all miss her.” He said. “It’s just that some people have learned to hide it better.”
“Yeah, I understand.” Linda snuffled, grabbing a napkin from her pants’ pockets. “How about I take you back to the stables, old guy? I think we both need to cool off."
Jarlaheim was the perfect place to spend a hot summer day. The city’s tall old walls and many trees cast shadows over the houses, which were already built to keep the heat out during summers and keep the warmth during the heavy winters. Unfortunately, even Jorvik wasn’t free from the threat of global warming.
Back at the stables, Alex was more than happy to help and hose Meteor off with some cold water before leading him back inside his stall. “Are you joining us for lunch today?”
“Us?” Linda asked, raising a brow. “I thought it would only be the two of us.”
“No, Sabine’s bringing Loretta and we always have lunch together.” She said, sighing in relief the moment she was free from the heavy western saddle she had been carrying earlier. “At our old place. Bad memories, I know, but Sabine and seafood are inseparable.”
“I wouldn’t call it bad memories.” Linda shrugged. “Besides, Jarlaheim Bay is hands down the best place to eat. It’s more nostalgic, no?”
“To be honest with you, I don’t really like thinking back to our Soul Rider days.” Alex shook her head, finally settling one of the benches inside the stable. “That’s why I don’t keep in contact with the others. I like it better that way.”
Before Linda could say anything, Sabine stormed inside the stables, her long curls free from the tight braid she usually kept them in. “Fuck having fire powers in this weather.” She cussed under her breath, rushing inside the staff’s dressing room. A tan, middle-aged man followed her, approaching Khaan’s stall.
Both Linda and Alex had seen him before, and even if that hadn’t been the case, everybody knew him. He was none other than Sabine’s very own father. He worked as a breeder and mainly sold Jorvik Friesians, Khaan being just one of the horses born on the family’s estate. Unlike his daughter, he had a much sweeter demeanor and was well-respected by the island’s inhabitants, especially others in similar career paths. Still, he was just as tall and muscular as Sabine, their resemblance undeniable. No wonder some people on the island considered him a heartthrob. “Oh, hey there girls, where did Sabine go?”
“Dressing room,” Alex smiled, pointing towards a wooden door on the left of the stables. “Why’s she so moody? Does she have a show coming up she didn’t tell me about?”
“I don’t know, and yes, dressage this weekend.” Javier said, looking through a stack of documents in his hands. His previously thick accent had changed through the years, making him sound like any other local, upper-class Jorvegian. “Khaan is coming home with us, so she’s probably just upset that she can’t stay in Jarlaheim for a little longer. Jorvik Stables doesn’t have an indoor arena and Khaan’s been quite sensitive to heat ever since, well, you know...”
“Yeah. Understandable.”
“And you must be Linda.” The man noted, pointing his pen towards the dark-haired woman. “Didn’t you defeat Sabine in a show-jumping competition once?”
“Uh, maybe, but she probably doesn’t want to be reminded of that.” Linda chuckled, pursing her lips. “That was a long time ago, though. I could never be on your daughter’s level.”
Finally, Sabine left the dressing room, dressed in a tank top and baggy gym-shorts, her sweaty curls now tied into a quick bun, carrying her multiple other belongings in her backpack, “ Papá , can you take my bike with you? I need it at home with me and you’re here with your van, anyway.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you?”
“No, I can manage.” She sighed, fanning herself with a rolled up equestrian magazine. “I promised Loretta we’d have lunch together here, plus driving to Jorvik City doesn’t sound that bad.”
“Alright, well, let her know we’re excited to have her over for dinner on Saturday, alright?” Javier smiled and opened the Friesian’s stall, leading him out of the stable. Sabine watched them leave, sighing at the thought of Khaan having to endure multiple hours of travel in that heat. Especially considering he was far from immune now.
Linda pursed her lips, “Everything alright?”
“Yeah, it’s…” Sabine shook her head, noticeably worried about something. “My magic’s been sort of all over the place this past week. It could be just the heat, but fire is my thing, you know? I never had an issue with it, yet I literally burnt myself with a hair straightener the other day. That’s never happened to me before.”
“Wait, you’re having issues, too?” Alex threw Sabine a shocked glance. “I’ve been feeling strange, too! I thought it was my anxiety, but last week, when you weren’t here, my magic caused an entire electricity outage in the stables.”
“Oh, how fun.” The dark-haired woman nodded. “It feels incredible having these problems and having absolutely nobody to go to for an explanation.”
Almost as if they expected a wise answer, both Sabine and Alex turned towards Linda, staring at her in silence. The former Soul Rider gulped, “Why are you guys looking at me like that?”
“Any insights?” Alex asked. “Hello? You always knew what to say in situations like this.”
Though Linda knew exactly what they meant, she wasn’t ready to talk about her dream just yet. And of course, bringing Freya up to Sabine would’ve seemed rather inappropriate. “Well, I, um…”
“Well?”
“I’ll be at the Chettiars’ gala tonight.” Linda muttered, practically stuttering through her words. “If you want, I could ask Jay if they’ve been experiencing anything. If I manage to talk to them.”
“That pretentious little asshole won’t say a word.” Sabine scoffed and crossed her arms. “Besides, it’s not like their magic affects them in their daily life, now does it? I haven’t spoken to the rest of the Dark Riders in years and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Alex let out a chuckle, “Or you’re just jealous because they were the most intelligent of your group.”
“Ew, no.”
“I wonder what Katja’s up to.” Alex muttered, her thoughts trailing off. “I heard she lives with Mrs. Holdsworth now.”
“Frankly, I will not be visiting.” Sabine said, and with that, she was out the door immediately, grabbing her pack of cigarettes, heading to the designated smoking area away from the horses and other animals.
Looking at each other, Alex and Linda sighed. New rule: don’t bring up the Dark Riders around Sabine.
Despite their previous conversation, lunch went quite well, Sabine and Loretta mainly discussing the upcoming dressage show on Saturday. Linda didn’t know how much the blonde had learned about Sabine’s past, but she realized soon enough that Loretta was aware of mostly everything, including Freya. There were zero secrets between the two of them and that certainly contributed positively to their relationship.
“I remember us having lunch here back in the day.” Linda observed, looking around the small but busy restaurant situated in the heart of Jarlaheim. The group sat in the same place the five Soul Riders used to, tucked away in one of the corners where they could discuss anything to their heart’s desire without being overheard. “Would it be wrong of me to say that I feel somewhat nostalgic?”
“At least you have something to feel nostalgic over.” Sabine muttered, one arm resting around her fiancée’s shoulders. “We Dark Riders never had that kind of bond. In fact, we loathed each other.”
“That’s what happens when you try to fake a sisterhood.”
“Oh, we didn’t try to fake any kind of sisterhood.” She laughed, shaking her head. “There was no sisterhood. We were nothing but coworkers who despised each other, constantly competing to get our boss’ attention.”
Loretta sighed and dug her fork into her salad. “Anytime you talk about your past, I feel like I’m learning information I shouldn’t be allowed to.”
“I mean, you already knew about it when you started dating me.”
“Well, yeah, Justin and Freya told me.” She muttered, but quickly backtracked knowing how sensitive Sabine was to mentions of her ex-girlfriend. “Whatever, do you guys mind if we change the topic? I don’t think looking back at the past is doing us any good.”
Linda spent the rest of lunch quietly, her dream about Freya repeating in her head, no matter how much she tried to focus on the conversation happening around her. It was only a matter of time until she had another nightmare, but if her only solution of stopping them was leaving Jorvik, would that have meant betraying her friends? What was the right way to open up about this?
Those exact thoughts crossed her mind up in her hotel room in Jorvik City, staring at herself in the bathroom mirror. She had checked in a couple hours after lunch, and only brought one night’s worth of items with herself, ensuring she wouldn’t have to take the bus in the middle of the night. Applying a finishing layer of shiny lipgloss to her brown lips, Linda sighed, her entire body tensing up at the thought of seeing Jay again.
There was no way they asked for the invitation to be sent, it would’ve made zero sense. They made sure she knew they wanted to have nothing to do with her on multiple occasions, and Linda accepted that. Still, she could only hope that they’d be able to talk, at least for five minutes, so she wouldn’t feel entirely insane. Just thinking about her dream’s potential meaning made her want to throw up.
Eventually, she slipped on her sparkly, silver high-heels and a matching tulle scarf gently wrapped around her neck, bringing out the color of her lavender, sleeveless, satin gown. “Stay professional, Linda.” She muttered to herself. “It’ll all be over soon.”
Jay arrived in Jorvik City two hours before the gala, only having the time for a quick bath before being sat into a hair-and-makeup chair, with their mother pacing up and down the hallways, rehearsing her speeches. Though they much preferred doing their own makeup, having a makeup artist for official events gave them some time to doze off in their seat, easing their mind before the nerves took over.
Refusing to dress too formal for the gala, they wore a simple dark suit with subtle emerald embroideries and a white shirt that showed off just enough skin to make them feel like they put enough thought into their outfit. Their usual silver earring dangled in their right ear, paired with multiple matching rings and a necklace.
They were supposed to be out in the main hall, greeting each guest with their parents, but that was the least of their worries at that moment. In the past, they would simply use duplication magic, allowing them to be in two places at once. But now, their powers had weakened so much after Garnok’s defeat that they just learned to live without them.
Feeling their small dog brush against their leg, they sighed, moving her to her tiny bed in the corner of their bedroom, right beside the fireplace. “Luna, please, I can’t have hair all over me now.”
The papillon stared at them with a mischievous look, two pink bows decorating her big, butterfly-shaped ears. Jay couldn’t help but chuckle. “Did Mum give you those?” They handed Luna a yellow tennis ball, the dog’s favorite toy ever since she stole it from the nearby park and Jay just let her keep it. “You’ll have to stay here during the gala, okay? Can’t have you run around with so many guests.”
Managing to sneak right out their bedroom door without the dog following, they shut the door and locked it, shoving the key in their pocket. It was only for safety. Luna was too friendly for her own sake and way too clumsy. Seeing the amount of strangers sitting in their living room, they couldn’t help but roll their eyes, wishing they could just plug in their earbuds and disappear into a corner inside the family library.
And that was when they saw her.
Linda Chanda, decked out in traditional Pakistani jewelry, her wavy black hair draped over her shoulders and a tight purple gown that hugged her in all the right places. They completely froze, watching as she spoke to their parents with a big smile on her face, accepting a gift box that only the most special guests received. Just as Linda handed the package over to one of the butlers, her eyes caught Jay’s, her face falling the moment she realized who she was looking at.
Jay simply couldn’t help themselves; Linda was too beautiful.
“Is that your crush?” Jonah interrupted the scene, eyeing his sibling with a confused glance. Pretending they didn’t hear the question, Jay headed down the marble staircase, slipping into the crowd of guests in the living room.
Linda knew she needed to talk to Jay, but the waiters began offering wine and a couple of other influencers invited her to dance. She didn’t want to be rude and leave out of nowhere, but she excused herself to the bathroom, hoping to find a table she could place her glass of wine on. Noticing Jay leaning against a wall near the other side of the room, Linda tried to make her way towards them, almost tripping over her own feet in the process.
And of course, just when she was trying to be careful, she tripped over a cable and stumbled right into Jay’s chest, the two knocking their chins together in the process. As if that hadn’t been enough, some of the wine spilled right onto Jay’s expensive white shirt. “Fuck.” She breathed out. “I’m so sorry, I… No, no, no…”
“Oh my fucking God, Linda.” Jay, entirely caught off guard, pulled Linda into the family library and shut the door behind the two of them, “What the hell? Can’t you watch your feet next time?”
“Your family should’ve thought about that before forgetting to put tables around the room.” She scoffed, annoyedly throwing her empty glass into one of the nearby trashcans. “Just change your shirt, what’s the big deal?”
“I have to be up on that fuckass stage, making a speech in about fifteen minutes.” They said, throwing their jacket onto one of the chairs as they hastily unbuttoned their shirt. “How do you expect me to sneak past over a hundred guests like this?”
Linda gulped at the sight of Jay’s naked upper body, pursing her lips, “Dish soap, uh, cold water… Kitchen…”
Though she quickly turned her back to Jay, she moved her head just a little, catching a glimpse of their faded top surgery scars. Noticing her glance, Jay raised their head, giving Linda a deadpan. “Oh my God, will you at least stop pretending you aren’t staring?”
“I’m sorry, what do you expect me to do?” Linda groaned, feeling like tearing her hair out. She was starting to feel overwhelmed. “This wasn’t supposed to go this way. I need to talk to you about something, and it’s serious, so can we just find a quick solution and then sit down for a conversation?”
“Wait, I’ll call my brother. He’s sort of my go-to in situations like this.” They sighed, pulling out their phone from their pocket. “My parents let him have his phone for today and we share one of our wardrobes, so…”
“Right, of course, you must have multiple.” She rolled her eyes. Walking around the library, Linda was immediately taken aback by the amount of antiques stuffed on each shelf. She wasn’t brave enough to pick up any of them, in fear of breaking something, but she certainly envied the Chettiars for being able to afford books that cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Jorvik Shillings.
“You know you’re allowed to touch them, right?” Jay said, now sitting on one of the sofas, arms crossed in front of their chest. Linda looked at each row like she had just found treasure, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her favorite classics. “I thought you wanted to talk to me, but it seems to me you’re distracted.”
The older raised a brow, giving Jay a deadpan, “I thought you had fifteen minutes? Shouldn’t you be rehearsing your speech, soon-to-be CEO of Chettiar Beauty?”
“Oh, so you’ve read the articles.”
“Everyone has read the articles,” Linda snickered. Finally, she approached Jay, hopping down beside them on the sofa. “Plus, based on the way your mother has been marketing you, it’s not that hard to guess.”
“Maybe.” Jay chuckled, pursing their lips. “So, will you finally tell me what you’ve been meaning to talk about, or do I have to play a guessing game? You know, I don’t necessarily enjoy that.”
“We should wait until afterwards.” She muttered with a sigh. “It’s long, and besides, it’s about one of my odd dreams again.”
“Odd dreams?”
Hearing knocks on the library door, Jay got up, their little brother sneaking in before they could grasp the shirt from him. “I have told you before, I am not your personal assistant!” Before continuing, Jonah spotted Linda, his eyes going wide in surprise. “So, this is what you’re doing? Seducing beautiful women in your free time? In the library ?”
“Ew, what? No.” Jay made a disgusted face, trying to get Jonah to leave as they grasped their shirt from his hands. “Oh my God, where’d you even learn that word? Get out!”
Linda let out a chuckle and waved at the young boy, “Your sibling and I were just talking.”
“Oh, girl, you have horrible taste.” Jonah shook his head and without saying anything further, he slammed the library door.
“What the fuck?” Jay muttered under their breath, throwing on their shirt in a matter of seconds.
“Your brother’s adorable.”
“No, and besides, he thinks I’m a loser, which immediately makes all his opinions invalid.” Seeing Jay’s annoyed expression, Linda laughed, watching as they pulled out their phone and used it as a mirror to get dressed in front of, moving their previous shirt’s emerald cufflinks to the new one before buttoning it up. “Do I look alright?”
“You look more than alright.” She smiled, getting up just to take a look at Jay while they were still adjusting their outfit. “You looked just as gorgeous before, but hey, I think this suit looks better with the black shirt. It gives off a more luxurious vibe, you know, what you like. Maybe you should thank me.”
“Yeah, and hire my brother as my stylist, right?” They joked, their fingers brushing into Linda’s long hair as she walked past them. “Please, though, no drinks for the upcoming hours or stay five feet away from me.”
“Oh, of course, we don’t want your perfect outfit to get ruined.” Linda said, playfully messing up Jay’s hair with her hands. They may have hairsprayed it perfectly in place, but that didn’t stop her.
“Or yours.” Jay raised a brow and smirked, causing Linda’s face to heat up like she had just run a marathon. They then extended a hand towards Linda, “How’d you feel about being my date for the night? Not romantic, if you don’t want it to be, but we might as well make the best out of whatever magical bond we’ve got going on.”
Immediately, Linda accepted their hand, intertwining their fingers, “No romance is ironic considering we have history .”
“If that’s what you want to call it.”
“You broke it off before it could get real.”
“Which was a mistake.”
“Glad you can admit to that.” The two of them broke eye contact for a split second, but Linda turned towards Jay and gave them a small smile, caressing their knuckles with her thumb. “But I’d love to get to know you better this time around. Start all over again. Maybe we should take it slow without rushing things?”
Jay nodded, “Slow is fine.”
“Alright, then, I’d love to be your date tonight.”
They headed right back outside, Jay immediately ambushed by multiple influencers who asked them a series of uncomfortable and annoying questions. Linda stood back, snacking on some sandwiches as their parents got on stage and waited to make their big announcement.
She made sure to take videos, documenting everything, and until it was time, she collected her thoughts about her dream, ensuring she wouldn’t miss a detail when talking about it to Jay. They had a long night ahead of themselves and they were both entirely unprepared for it.