Page 62 of Alchemy of Souls

Only he doesn’t gloat the way I expect. “What happened this year?”

I look at him sideways. “You don’t seriously want to know.”

“And if I do?”

I give him acome onlook, but he doesn’t waver. So, I tell him the story of how Naomi swooped in and stole the tart from Delilah and how my mom stopped me from arguing about it.

His grip on his cup tightens. He doesn’t immediately say he’s sorry or some other platitude. In fact, he looks mad.

When he does open his mouth to respond, he gets interrupted by the grumpy Gran voice:Breakfast will only be served until eight a.m., students. Things don’t run on your schedule. They run on mine. Make haste.

Grayson pulls open our suite door and I bring my latte with me. But the moment we enter the hall, my nerves get the better of me. It’s our first full day of pulling off this fake dating ruse.

Maybe he can tell I’m nervous, because he slips his arm over my shoulders and the weight of it is strangely calming. But the calm only lasts a handful of seconds before awareness sets in. Awareness of his side pressing into my shoulder and my arm dangling between us with nowhere to be. My heart beats a thousand times a minute and I know logically that I’m breathing, even though it doesn’t feel like I’m getting any air. Also,everyone is staring.

He leans down by my ear and whispers, “You can put your arm around my waist if it’ll make you more comfortable.”

“Comfortableis a relative term,” I say quickly, and he chuckles.

But to prove I’m fine with this, I do it. I put my arm around his back and rest my hand on his hip, and the feeling of his muscles shifting under my fingers makes me immediately regret my decision. Especially because I can’t stop thinking about how strongly he reacted to Adrien’s ring and I keep wondering if it meant maybe this could be more real for him than he lets on.

“They’re all looking at us,” I say, generally flustered.

“That’s the idea,” he replies with a smile. “You blush a lot. Did you know that?”

“I do not,” I say in full denial, probably blushing harder.

“I beg to differ,” he says, and winks at me.

To top things off, as we pop out of the stairs in the main foyer we run directly into Maggie. I disengage from Grayson like I just got caught by my gran, even though Maggie’s the main audience I’m doing this for.

Thankfully, Grayson doesn’t laugh at me.

Maggie’s copper hair is loose and there’s a pillow crease on her cheek. She looks from me to Grayson and back again like she didn’t miss a thing and has more than one opinion about it.

But all she says is, “Feck me, it’s early,” in a voice still heavy from sleep. “I need coffee before I die from lack of caffeine.”

My mood immediately levels out. Maggie magic. “Imminent death, huh?”

“Exactly. Take me to the dining hall before I expire—” she says, but stops, her face going a little pale as she glances past me. She immediately tries to smooth her hair.

I turn as Adrien and his sister, Sofia Sharma, enter the foyer. Maggie’s great love. And she’s every inch as impressive as I imagined—movements like flowing water and thick shiny hair that reaches all the way to her butt.

Adrien lifts an amused eyebrow. “Sofia, this is Eloise, a first-year Alchemist. You know Grayson and—”

“Maggie,” Sofia says with her French accent through naturally rosy lips. “How could I forget?”

For the first time ever, Maggie doesn’t say a single word. Not evenhey, how have you been. She just stands there staring at Sofia like she forgot how to speak.

Grayson looks back and forth between the girls with a curious expression.

“I’ve got to run, but you should invite them to our party tonight,” Sofia says to her brother.

“Already on it,” Adrien replies, and Sofia leaves with a quick goodbye.

The moment she’s out of earshot, Adrien grins. “Smooth, Maggie.”

I laugh, and Grayson frowns.