Painful Redemption | T. R.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Orion was closing the door behind him carefully, taking care not to make too much noise because of the late hour, only to turn around and be taken by surprise.

As Penelope and Tiernan slipped away arm in arm in the distance, probably to enjoy their evening together a little longer, before his eyes stood Anastasia with Tom at her side. The boy had one hand resting on her back, the girl was still wearing his jacket over her shoulders. Smiling, Orion immediately noticed how she was absentmindedly playing with her wand between her fingers. Finally she had obtained it again.

"Good evening?" the boy said with a raised eyebrow, since the two seemed to be unwilling to open their mouths.

"Black," Tom replied, bending his lips to one side. "As you can see, your beloved friend is safe and sound. We had an excellent evening, even danced together."

He didn't let it slip as Anastasia's cheeks turned red at that statement. Whether it was because of embarrassment, or because maybe Orion wasn't supposed to find out later, he couldn't tell. But sighing, he brought a hand to the back of his head, scratching it gently. "Frankly, I care little for what you did together," he replied immediately, gradually lowering the tone of his voice. "I care about Anastasia being okay. And having her in front of my eyes, I can confirm that she is serene. That being said, if you will allow, I must fetch some food for Isidore."

The three of them were looking at each other in silence, the air was a bit awkward. Orion had blatantly lied, not in terms of having to find a quick dinner for his friend but in terms of not caring what those two had done together. After all, Orion had always seen Anastasia as a sister. And what's more, since he was aware of what Tom was capable of and what his plans were, he would have wanted to erase the image of the boy's hand on her back from his memory forever. But unfortunately, he couldn't. And even more unfortunately, he still had them in his way. He had other priorities at the moment. "So?"

Anastasia lowered her gaze for a moment. "How does Isidore feel?"

"How do you think he feels?" his friend replied rhetorically, shrugging. If he crossed Tom's eyes for a moment, it was to let him know it was all his fault. "He doesn't want to see anyone. I suggested he sleep, but he won't hear of it. At least I'll get him to put something under his teeth."

The blonde nodded slowly, intertwining her hands on her own stomach. Her head was still down, pondering what to do. "Do you think I could come in, even for a moment?" she then asked Orion, who raised his arms in midair. "Suit yourself."

The next moment, the boy shook his hand a little and turned his back, heading for the kitchens. He had no intention of standing in front of the two of them a moment longer. He felt guilty for responding so coldly to Anastasia, but he was aware that he couldn't do any better. Not when Tom was so close to her.

It was better to worry about something else right now. She couldn't think about so many things at once, she couldn't worry about all of them. It was better to fix one problem at a time, to avoid losing control of the situation.

Tom brought a hand up to his mouth, coughing falsely, just so he could get the attention of the girl who turned just enough to look at him out of the corner of her eye. "Well, I suppose I'm not welcome in there..." he murmured wryly, sliding his hand from her back. "I think it's time to say goodnight."

"Yes, sorry."

"Hmm?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. She had her hand towards the door, but brought it back to her stomach when she realised she didn't even know what to say in that circumstance. "Goodnight, see you tomorrow?"