The Girls from Downstairs

Eighteen: A gypsy's dance

I turned into my room, smiling to myself.

“What was up with that?” Jinx asked.

“With what? Why are you in here, anyway? Shouldn’t you be off pestering the flowers now that it’s night?” I retorted.

She frowned. “Harlow, you know I sleep as much as you do, if not more.”

I snorted. “If that’s not the truth.”

“Seriously, though,” she flew to my side. “What’s going through your thick skull? Why are you suddenly so nice? And sincere about it, too?”

I shrugged. “I finally saw it.”

“Saw what?”

“Felix. His face when he looked at her today. And her face after he kissed her hand.” I stopped playing with my mattress to look at my best friend. “Jinx, she loves him. They were meant to be; I know it. He knows it, she doesn’t yet. But she will.”

“I thought you were going through all this trouble to ruin their relationship?” she asked.

I sighed heavily. “I was! But after seeing those looks, I don’t know if I can anymore. You know what Mother Klara always says, ‘If you think you love someone but they love someone else, then it’s best to let them go. Their happiness is always the priority if the love is real. With true love you’re capable of loving the person enough to let them go, even though it will be hard. If it’s really true, they’ll realize their mistake and change before it’s too late. If not, then it wasn’t love to begin with. You’ll move on.’”

“Woman is such a genius,” Jinx said.

I nodded. “Yup.”

She yawned, curling up on my pillow. “So I take it you’re not completely giving up? You’re just gonna keep on hoping that before it’s too late and at his wedding he’ll realizing how much he actually loves you and will take you as his bride instead?”

“Something like that,” I smiled. I curled up into bed, Jinx snuggling into my hair. “Besides, Adrian’s proved himself to not be too annoying when he wants to be.”

“Yeah, when he wants to be normal,” she snorted.

“I take offense to that!”

We sat up, screaming. “Adrian?!? What are you doing in here?”

“I thought you were still at dinner with your parents?” I asked.

He laughed at how I held the blankets up to my chest, even though I had my shirt on still. “My parents began to argue over something we couldn’t understand, so they sent us to our rooms, Felix didn’t want to talk and I couldn’t sleep, so here I am.”

“You didn’t try.”

“I always fall asleep instantly. If it takes longer than five minutes, then I give up.”

“So go get your mother to sing a song or read a book,” I teased.

He frowned. “Ha. Ha. Actually, I was hoping I could... I don’t know... sleep with you?”

“That’s soooo not allowed!” Jinx and I exclaimed at the same time.

“It is,” he smirked. “The rules simply state that we are not allowed to fornicate nor kiss anywhere other than the hand or cheek before the designated time.”

“A loop hole,” Jinx groaned.

“Okay-“

“You’re not seriously considering letting him sleep in here, are you?!?”