Chapter Text
I sleep in the following day. By the time I become properly aware of my surroundings, the light is stronger than it has any right to be.
I pull the blanket to cover my face, willing myself to go back to sleep. To forget the previous day.
My stomach grumbles, stopping that idea right away.
Grumbling alongside my upset stomach, I get up. A quick shower and new clothes makes me feel marginally better, a sentiment that goes away the minute I see my empty cabinets and fridge.
I forgot I was counting on Josh to help me with this stuff since I got hurt. Things have just been so crazy.
I sit on the couch for a moment, desolated, listening to the rain outside. Maybe I can go for a walk…in the rain. Might help me clear my head, honestly.
Can't be worse than what I am already feeling.
Dressing warmly and grabbing a raincoat and an umbrella, I let myself out of the house and into the streets, walking aimlessly, for once not caring if Deukalion finds me. Let him.
He does not.
What I happen to find, however, is food from some miraculously open street carts. Upon walking further, I notice a quaint bookshop - right as I am about to turn back home with the rain getting worse.
Looking through the foggy windows, I see a flash of red hair inside.
Medusa? Can’t be… that would be too much of a coincidence, wouldn't it?
I push inside, the bell on the door sounding slightly muted against the rain.
“I'll be right with you.”
A voice comes from behind the counter, confirming it was indeed Medusa's shop.
“It's alright, no need to rush.”
As the door closes behind me, the noise stops. Both from the rain and from whatever she was doing further inside the shop. Medusa's head pops up.
“MC?” She sounds as surprised as she looks, and I give her an awkward small wave and smile. She responds with a beaming, yet confused expression.
“Not that it is not great to see you again so soon, but what are you doing here? Should you not be resting?”
“I… couldn't stay home.”
Her expression turns sympathetic.
I clear my throat.
“Didn't have any food. Got something on the street.”
She chuckles at that, approaching me.
“Nightmare. I can see why you left now.”
“Yes.”
We stay silent for a while.
“Oh, you are soaked. Please, come in.”
As she helps me out of my raincoat and gives me an absurdly soft blanket, I feel myself start to relax, the ambience from the small bookshop and Medusa's presence doing what the walk in the rain did not.
She offers me tea, which she brews from scratch, not the little bags I usually use. She offers me a tour of the bookshop while it brews, and she offers me conversation about the many books she's read, picking up on the thread we left yesterday as if no time had passed at all.
I remain utterly distracted, oblivious to all outside of that little bookshop; to all that has been happening at work, to the pouring rain outside, to everything but whatever our topic of conversation is-
Until my phone rings, making us both jump, straightening from our relaxed positions on the chairs.
With an apologetic glance towards Medusa, I get up to take it.
“Josh? Is everything okay?”
“Is everything okay?! Where are you?”
I stop for a second, finally staking stock of my surroundings. The sky seemed rather darker than when I had arrived, despite the rain. Huh. When did that happen?
“Oh… what time is it?”
“Almost 5! Where have you been, why haven't you been answering my messages?”
I briefly take my phone from my ear to see over 10 messages… from Josh, May and A-Cyprin. I clear the screen.
“Sorry, I left for a walk and got… distracted.”
There is silence on the other end.
“Distracted?”
I could not make out his tone.
“Yeah, I was walking and found a bookshop… that belongs to a friend of mine” for some reason, as I said that, I could feel blood rushing to my face, and I very consciously tried not to look towards where Medusa had moved to. The quiet of the bookshop made me sure that she could hear everything I was saying.
“Okay?”
“We got into talking and I became distracted, sorry. Is everything okay?”
“Distracted?”
“Josh.” I know my voice contains a warning, and thankfully, my brother heeds it.
“Everything is fine… I just got to your place and as you didn't answer me, I got worried. And since other people didn't hear from you, I got even more worried.”
“I am sorry for worrying you.” I do regret worrying my friends, but I was not sorry for having left the house. This has been good for me. Very good. More than I thought it would be, and the walk was not the cause of it.
But if it was almost 5, I should probably get out of Medusa's beautiful red hair.
…wait, what did I just-
“Well, I am guessing you did not eat properly, so how about you get to the restaurant and I'll whip something up for you?”
My stomach decided to complain again at that moment.
“That sounds good.” It sounded great. An evening with my brother, eating his food, sounded heavenly right now. A perfect end to what turned out to be a very pleasant day.
“Okay! The rain is quite strong, so try to come by now before it gets worse.”
“Okay, I'll see you soon.”
As I turned the phone off and turned back towards Medusa, I saw her already looking In my direction, a pensive look on her face.
“My brother. Apparently I forgot messages were a thing and he got worried.”
“Understandable. And cute that he worries about you like that.” There was a flash of something behind her eyes before she shook her head. “I had not noticed the time, I am so sorry to keep you so long.”
“No, don't apologise. I had a really great time. I am the one that should apologize for monopolising your whole afternoon.”
“Don't be. I” is she blushing? “I had a great time also. It is very easy to talk to you.” She is. Adorable.
But so am I, oh gods, why.
I give her a shy smile, which she answers in kind as we both lapse into an awkward yet not silence.
This feels like… does this feel like. Was this a… dat-
Before my mind can finish the thought, my phone chimes. A notification on the weather app.
“Oh, the storm really is getting worse, apparently. It'll make it harder to get there.”
I mumble out.
“Get where?”
“Oh, Josh, my brother, invited me to dinner. He is a chef at this fancy restaurant. He knows I had a rough few days and wants to pamper me a bit.”
Just like that, the awkwardness leaves, and we're talking again.
“That is very nice of him. Where is the restaurant?”
I give her the name and address and she lights up.
“Oh, I adore that place, I always ask them to send compliments to the chef! But it is very far isn't it? And in this rain… I worry about you getting there alone.”
“Why don't you come with me?”
I do not know what possessed me to invite her. Other than not really wanting to leave her company.
She is silent.
“Oh, sorry, you probably have other plans and I already monopolised your time as it is and you don't have to, don't answer, I-”
“I'd love to. I just don't want to intrude on your time with your brother.”
“Oh… you said you liked the restaurant, my brother always loves hearing from his ‘fans’”
I made air quotes with my fingers and gods just how lame am I?
Medusa laughs though. Is that some redness on her cheeks? Surely not.
“Alright. Let me just close shop. I'll feel better accompanying you as well. If you don't mind me saying that? The weather looks really rough right now, but I don't want to overstep.”
She looks down, bashful. Definitely a blush still in place.
Her asking me if she is overstepping by offering to protect me warms me from top to bottom, leaving a pleasant feeling buzzing under my skin.
“Not at all. I actually really appreciate it. Thank you.”
We remain in comfortable silence as she goes about turning everything off and closing all that needs to be closed.
This would be nice. Just Josh, me and Medusa. No work talk. No Gods talk. No Cyprin talk.
The drive goes by quickly despite the chaos and the rain, Medusa charms the driver to drive as carefully as possible, and I am charmed alongside him. We talk lightly about food preferences and restaurants the whole drive.
At the front desk, the receptionist smiles at me and points towards the back.
My plan for a nice relaxing evening falls through really quickly as I see Cyprin and Josh by a table, both looking as surprised as Medusa and I when we get close.
So much for a perfect ending to a very nice day.
Gods.