Our Soul Nexus

Chapter Twenty-Six

Ayben had barely turned the corner to exit his dormitory corridor when Claretta scared him half to death. Her face quickly popped into view from where Ayben had thought there would be an empty, dark hallway.

"Don't sneak up on me!" He whispered and she stifled her laughter.

She motioned with her head for Ayben to follow. He didn't hesitate and linger too long, knowing that while it wasn't exactly against school rules during the break for them to be wondering around, Ayben's case would definitely carry some exception.

They crept through the dark, stony corridors that led into the outside courtyard with lush green grass. They tucked themselves away on a stone bench between two thick, green hedges.

Once they had settled into their spot and kept an ear and eye out for anyone aware of their escapades, Claretta sighed and tilted her head back to look up at the stars.

"So, what was that message about?" She asked casually.

Ayben rolled his eyes, nerves crunching his chest into pieces as he subtly avoided the question. "For someone who sent me such an impatient response I'm surprised you aren't more serious."

Claretta pulled her eyes from the glittering night sky and nudged Ayben's shoulder with her own. "What's it matter? Are you gonna spill? It's important, right?"

Ayben took his turn to look up at the sky, suddenly fascinated by the view above. Each star served as a distraction from the awkwardness at hand. "I mean, to me it is but I don't wanna bother anyone with it, that's all. It's personal, so I feel bad bringing it up when there's so much other stuff going on."

Claretta snorted. "Jesus, will you quit the bullshit hero complex? It's making me cringe. You know, you can still talk about personal stuff without people hating you for it."

Ayben pressed his lips together to stop himself from laughing. Even though she was blunt to a fault and uncouth with her words, Ayben couldn't argue with her once he really thought about what she said.

"Gotcha." Ayben sighed and closed his eyes, thinking about how he was meant to bring this up. "It's...uh...about Rizel."

Even just saying his name was enough to make Ayben blush. It felt like he was breaking a rule or something.

"You guys aren't fighting again, right? I swear, I'll kick your ass if you are, and I'll send Iris to kick Rizel's ass too. That way you can both get a grip." Claretta snapped.

Ayben shook his head and looked at her. Her eyes were stern and serious.

She must really think we're fighting again...

"I promise you, it's not that. It's anything but, actually..." Ayben trailed off, not knowing how to keep going. However, upon hearing the reassurance, Claretta's eyes softened. She said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

"I think I'm in love with Rizel." Ayben mumbled, feeling the embarrassment crawl up his skin.

Claretta's eyes widened before relaxing again. "Well, that's only natural. You're his Summoner, he's your Familiar; to have a bond like that is expected. I mean, I love Iris, she's everything to me, so I can-"

"He kissed me." Ayben blurted out.

Claretta seemed to have waves of shock and confusion flood over her face.

"Wait, he what?! How?! That's not even possible! But, why? He likes you?" She slapped her cheeks and took in a breath. "Let me shut up so you can explain because I have no idea what you mean."

Ayben felt a little more at ease now that he had gotten that fact off his chest. "Over the last few months, I've been feeling a greater connection with Rizel every day. He must feel the same, because on a few different occasions we've been able to cast this strange spell that allows Rizel to enter our world temporarily."

Claretta was floored, her jaw slack as she listened. "How...is that even possible?"

Ayben sighed and shrugged. "I have no idea. But...we decided to keep it to ourselves until we worked out how to use it. Today was the first time we had successfully cast a full body teleportation." Ayben looked at Claretta with hope in his eyes. "He was here, Clary. Actually here, in front of me. And it wasn't even just an apparition."

Claretta nodded slowly as she took this in. "And you know this because..."

Ayben blushed as he realised, she was insinuating how he would know Rizel wasn't just a ghostly figure. His fingers instinctively brushed over his lips.

"Well...I reached out and I could touch him. He could touch me. And before I knew it, he...he kissed me." Ayben said, still processing the events himself.

Claretta's eyebrows had taken a permanent residence in the centre of her forehead from the surprise.

"And you didn't push him away, did you?" She asked, and Ayben could see the hint of a smirk on the corner of her lips.

He looked away before answering. "No...I didn't. Like I said, I think I love him." Ayben turned back to Claretta. "No, I know I do. And he must feel the same, otherwise he wouldn't have started anything, right?"

Claretta let out a long and heavy sigh. She patted him on the shoulder. "I'm honestly as confused as you, Ayben. I mean, firstly the spell thing is already so wild. I don't even know how you did that. Second, I've never heard of someone falling in love with their Familiar before. At least, not in that way. It's unheard of."

Ayben frowned. "Surely there's others who have the same experience. I can't be the only one who discovered this, it's just not realistic."

Claretta let out a dry laugh. "You are not bringing up what's realistic after telling me that you not only know how to cast an unknown spell but have fallen in love with your Familiar. I think we're past the point of realistic thinking, don't you?"

Ayben gripped the sides of the water fountain a little tighter. "I guess so."

"I always did wonder why you never wanted to date anyone while studying here. Turns out your heart has long since been destined for someone else." Claretta mused out loud.

Ayben smiled. It was sweet when she put it like that. It made everything seem less abnormal, even for a moment.

"Thank you, Clary." Ayben said.

She grinned. "I didn't do anything. Besides, you need to show me that spell sometime. You have me all kinds of crazy and curious over it."

Ayben laughed. "That's seriously your biggest take away from this?"

"Well, you said the matter was personal, and now that you've shared it, what else can I say? You want me to control your life or something?" She retorted.

Ayben smiled as he answered. "No, nothing like that. I just didn't expect you to be so kind about everything."

Claretta placed both her hands on Ayben's shoulders and turned him to face her straight on. She had a serious and genuine look on her. "Just because I seem rude sometimes, it doesn't mean I would ever treat you like that in the face of something important to you. You're like my brother, you can always count on me to support you."

Ayben leaned in and rested his head on her shoulder. Claretta gave him a few pats on the head and back before he stood back up.

"Remind me to buy you a house one day or something." Ayben said, stunned by the warmth.

Claretta laughed and punched his arm. "I'll make sure I do, cheapskate."

Conversation continued to flow between the two until Ayben felt his eyes grow heavy. It was cathartic to have someone simply listen to his problems and unafraid to give him straight truths and genuine advice.