Chapter 205: Two Days to Think

Under the moonlight, Audra Sloane had told Cyrus exactly how she felt. She stood in front of him on the bridge, waiting for an answer, and for once he couldn't think of anything useful to say.

He would have been lying if he claimed he wasn't surprised. Of all the things that might happen tonight, a confession from Audra hadn't made the list. It had come without warning, at least as far as he could tell.

He'd noticed unusual looks from her before, but he'd never mistaken them for romantic interest. Whenever she watched him too intently, he usually got the impression that she was trying to win something. It was the same look people wore when they were determined to come out ahead, no matter what it took.

That wasn't particularly reassuring, but he'd never put Audra in the same category as the women who'd caused him trouble before. They studied together. They talked about schoolwork. Whatever else might be going on in her head, he'd seen no reason to think she wanted to date him.

Apparently he'd missed something.

If Owen hadn't persuaded him to come out for another meal, Cyrus might have spent the evening in his hotel room eating snacks. Instead, he'd dealt with Iris on the bridge and now had Audra asking him to be her boyfriend. All that trouble because he'd agreed to get something to eat.

The confession itself was heartfelt. Audra had even addressed his supposed memory loss and the person connected to the ring he couldn't remove. She'd offered him a future full of new memories instead of asking him to forget whatever he thought he'd lost. For a normal guy who genuinely couldn't remember his past, that might have been a difficult offer to turn down.

Unfortunately for Audra, his amnesia was a story he'd made up.

And no matter how thoughtful her words were, Cyrus had no interest in starting a relationship. If he could spend the rest of his life going wherever he pleased, eating whatever he liked, and answering to nobody, he'd consider that an excellent outcome. Romance hadn't been part of the plan when he escaped, and it wasn't part of the plan now.

He still couldn't understand when their ordinary time together had become something more in her mind. She'd helped him study, and he'd treated her like a classmate he got along with. Even that earlier explanation he'd given about someone from his past, the one that made a new relationship sound like replacing another person, had apparently failed. Audra had found a way to answer it before he could bring it up again.

He needed a refusal that wouldn't humiliate her or make school unbearable afterward. Standing on the bridge with her waiting expectantly, he couldn't come up with one. Asking for time was better than blurting out something he'd regret.

The silence felt much longer than it really was. When Cyrus finally spoke, his voice had returned to its usual level tone.

"Could you give me a little time to think about it?"

Audra's expression went blank.

"I thought you were going to say yes," she said before she could stop herself.

Cyrus looked at her in genuine confusion. She almost asked him again, but the words wouldn't come. She had been so sure of his feelings that she hadn't prepared for any answer other than acceptance.

If he had rejected her outright, she might have turned around and walked straight back to the hotel. At least she would have known what to do with a clear refusal. This answer left her standing between hope and embarrassment, unable to move comfortably toward either one.

Had she imagined everything? The way they'd grown comfortable together, his attention on her birthday, the artwork that resembled her so closely? She'd been certain those things added up to affection. Now she wondered whether she'd been reading them the way she wanted to.

But Cyrus hadn't said no. He'd asked for time, which meant there was still a chance he might agree. Audra held on to that possibility, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

"How much time do you need?"

"Give me two days," Cyrus answered.

"All right, I'll wait for you."

Audra turned toward the girls' hotel almost as soon as she'd spoken. She had no appetite for the outing Iris had suggested now. Her confession had taken everything she could gather, and she'd come away with a promise to think rather than the answer she'd expected.

She'd gone several steps when she heard someone walking behind her. Audra stopped and looked back.

Cyrus had followed her.

"I'll walk you back to the hotel," he explained.

"Thanks for walking with me. I appreciate it."

He shook his head, as though there was no reason to thank him for it.

He was already outside, and the shops where he'd meant to buy something were along the same route. Besides, letting her walk back alone after dark didn't sit right with him. Even a generally peaceful city had its share of problems, and a bridge at night wasn't the place to pretend otherwise.

There was another practical concern he couldn't ignore. Audra still had that unusual ring, the one he wanted a chance to borrow. A careless rejection might make that awkward or close off the possibility altogether. His request for two days had given him time to think about that, too.

He needed to find a way to refuse without wrecking the friendship they'd built or making it impossible to ask her about the artifact later. That was going to take more thought than he'd expected to devote to this evening.

Cyrus walked a little behind her, watching the pavement and the occasional passing car while he considered what to say when the two days were up. How did people turn someone down without changing the way they behaved around each other? He could keep his tone polite, but he couldn't control what Audra would feel afterward.

The whole situation made him tired. Human relationships seemed capable of turning ordinary things into complicated obligations. A few shared study sessions, some friendly conversations, and suddenly he was being asked to make a commitment that could change how they treated each other every day.

He'd spent so long trying to make decisions for himself that willingly giving another person a claim on his time was difficult to understand. Audra hadn't forced him into anything, of course. She'd asked him a question and was waiting for an answer. He simply wished she hadn't asked it tonight.

Ahead of him, Audra was beginning to calm down.

His decision to accompany her hadn't answered the question, but it reassured her more than she wanted to admit. He could have stayed where he was or gone back to find Owen. Instead, he'd followed her toward the hotel without being asked.

She knew that didn't amount to a confession in return. Even so, it was easier to breathe with his footsteps close behind her. Her thoughts had been racing since he'd asked for time, and the quiet walk gave them somewhere to settle.

Their pace gradually matched. By the time they reached the far end of the bridge, they were walking side by side.

As the hotel came into view, Audra remembered one of the concerns she'd imagined might be holding him back. She didn't want him spending two days worrying about a problem that didn't exist.

"If you're worried about our families being different, you don't have to be," she said. "Mine wouldn't have a problem with that."

Cyrus said nothing.

Audra let the silence stand. She'd already made her feelings plain, and she didn't want to keep pressing him for an answer he'd asked time to consider. Money and family circumstances weren't important to her here. She only wished she could make him understand that without turning the walk into another attempt to persuade him.

At the hotel entrance, she stopped and turned toward him. She lifted a hand in a small wave, almost reassuring him that she would be all right.

"Good night, Cyrus."

"Good night, Audra."

The affection in her expression was so open that Cyrus didn't quite know what to do with it. He returned the farewell and waited while she went inside. Only when she disappeared from sight did he let out a quiet breath.

Everything had happened too suddenly. He'd gone out expecting late-night food and somehow ended up with a two-day deadline to answer a confession.

He'd barely turned away from the entrance when two figures approached from nearby. Owen came toward him first, looking intensely curious. Iris followed half a step behind, keeping part of herself hidden by Owen's shoulder.

Cyrus didn't need anyone to explain what had happened. The other three had arranged tonight's meeting together, at least as far as the outing was concerned. Owen had been pushing him to sneak out, Iris had sent the messages, and Audra had arrived ready to tell him her feelings.

He didn't bother asking for the details. His face gave Owen nothing to work with, either. Anyone looking at Cyrus would have had a hard time guessing he'd just received a confession.

Owen, however, noticed something near the base of Cyrus's neck. It looked suspiciously like a hickey.

His curiosity changed to sudden certainty. So that was what had happened while he and Iris were elsewhere. Audra and Cyrus must have kissed. Owen was about to say something when Iris spoke from behind him.

"I'm going to head back to my hotel," she said.

"Sure, get some rest," Owen replied.

Iris nodded, then gave Cyrus a glance that Owen couldn't quite interpret. Cyrus ignored it and turned to leave. The evening had been complicated enough, and he still hadn't picked up the food he'd come out for.

Owen started after him, but Iris caught the edge of his shirt before he'd taken more than a few steps.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I think it'd be better to leave him alone right now."

Owen glanced in Cyrus's direction, then back at her. He and Cyrus would probably end up in the same hotel room later anyway, but Iris wanted to keep them apart for whatever time she could. After hearing the recording on the bridge, she regarded Cyrus as a threat that could go off the moment she mishandled him. The less time he spent privately with Owen, the better.

Owen knew nothing about that. He nodded, though he didn't entirely understand the request. Maybe Cyrus and Audra needed a little space to adjust to the change from classmates to a couple. It would explain why Cyrus seemed so composed after something that should have been exciting.

After all, Owen was certain he'd seen a mark on his friend's neck. In his mind, that meant the two of them had already kissed.

He wasn't sure why they would need extra time to sort out their feelings after that, but he decided not to interfere. Whatever was going on, he wished them well.