Page 64 of Colton

As silly as it sounds, she prefers chewing with her front teeth, she isn’t a big fan of red wine, no matter how much she tried convincing me that it was fine, and when she truly enjoys the meal, her entire body relaxes. She’s not a big fan of carrots, but she devours everything that has tomatoes in it. She likes her food on the spicier side and well-seasoned, too. She likes her ketchup on the side, so she can dip the fries, rather than having it on top of them.

It’s all I learned in the first thirty minutes, by merely observing her.

“What about your family?” I ask, taking a small sip of the wine. “Do you visit them often?”

“I try,” she smiles. “But I don’t want to worry them too much. They already worry a lot about me.”

“Why?”

“Because they know how I’m feeling deep down,” she sighs, a solemn look taking over her features. “I love my parents and siblings to death, but at times, I do feel like a burden, at least, financially. They feel it too, and despite how many times they try to convince me it’s not like that, I can’t help but feel that way. My siblings have been nothing but supportive of me, which is why I’m aiming to get a job as soon as I graduate, so they can go to university without having to take out student loans.”

“Do they want to come to Saint Valley, too? Because I can arrange for it to happen.”

Avalon shakes her head with a chuckle. “Thank you, but that will not be necessary. They have no interest in boarding schools, and even if they did, they’d want to get in on their own merit.”

I could offer to pay for their entire schooling if she so wished, but that would be pushing it too much. It’s too early, however, I do hope that one day. Avalon will feel entitled to everything I own because from the moment we kissed, everything was hers by default.

“That’s admirable,” I take her hand across the table, watching as blush spreads over her cheeks. “You’re a fantastic older sister.”

“Tell me about your sister,” she says, with genuine interest on her tongue. “What’s she like?”

“Dahlia is very… spirited," I chuckle. “At first, you’d think she’s shy, perhaps even timid, but that’s far from the truth. She has sharp teeth, she isn’t afraid to use them if necessary. However, she has excellent control of her emotions, and you wouldn’t know she’s furious until she wants you to.”

“You also seem very soft,” Avalon points out, and my brow quirks. “I mean, you’re a powerful figure around here. Sure, you do seem rather unapproachable and stoic, but once you start speaking, you’re not as rough as you’d want people to think.”

“Oh? You think this is a facade, then?”

She shakes her head. “It’s more of a… business face? I’m not sure how to explain it, but it’s what makes you so appealing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you get angry in these four years since I’ve been at the Academy, or Lord forbid, raise your voice.”

“I don’t think raising my voice is a solution to anything. If you need to shout to get your point across, you’ve already lost the argument. Besides, there are more effective ways of ensuring you’re heard than violent tendencies.”

“Oh?” She lifts a brow. “Such as?”

“You’ll find out very, very soon.”

25

I don’t think I have ever seen this amount of clothes in one place. This isn’t just a regular boutique; it has three floors — all one store. My eyes are wandering around, and the fact that there aren’t many people inside is making me feel more at ease. This way, no one will notice how out of place I feel.

“Have you found anything to your tastes yet?”

Colton’s voice comes from behind me, and I smile. The dress I’m looking at is soft, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it were made out of pure silk. It has that shine, and it seems very lightweight.

“It’s just that… there aren’t any sizes to pick from.”

Colton nods. “That’s because everything inside this store is handmade. When you settle on an item, it's first sent to the owner to be tailored to your size. Which reminds me to get your measurements taken whilst we’re here.”

My eyes widen like saucers. “What? You could’ve taken me to a regular mall, and I still would’ve been grateful.”

“There are no malls in Saint Valley.”

“What?” I blink, completely taken aback. “What do you mean? Why?”

“There’s no need. People around here despise mass-produced clothes, fast fashion, and everything related to that. So, they get their clothes tailored most of the time.”

“And everyone has the money to do that?”

“Pretty much,” he shrugs, and I’m baffled by this entire notion. “So pick everything you like, and before we go back to the Academy, I’ll have it prepared for you.”