An hour later, Evran found himself back on school grounds. The sun had long since fallen below the horizon, and the campus was illuminated in the pale blue glow of magic crystals. The long days of summer had yet to arrive, so students could still be expected to be dining at this hour. If Selsey wasn’t there, he’d probably have to wait until tomorrow’s dinner to present her with the flower. The thought of having to stew in his own anxiety the whole day hastened his every step.

  Evran paused before the doors to the dining hall and summoned all his courage. Tonight he would win over the prettiest girl in the whole school. He took one last look at the small pink flower with its four extra long petals jutting out in all directions. Evran held his precious flowerpot tightly to his chest and pushed open the doors.

  The dining hall was half-full with students enduring plates of uninspired food. Evran scanned the hall for Selsey, but his eyes were first drawn to a familiar elf girl sitting right by the entrance. His friend and fellow fifth-year, Kaila Krewt, sat alone prodding at a small green vegetable on her plate. She tucked a loose strand of her long white hair behind a pointy ear as she glanced up from her meal to see who had entered. She looked up at Evran, then down at the flower he held. Her eyes went wide.

  “That’s…” she started shaking with excitement. “That’s lover’s bloom!” She screamed that last part. Of course, she did. The whole hall went quiet and stared at her and Evran.

  “Hey Kai, do you know where Selsey is?”

  The screech of a chair across the floor broke the heavy silence, as a girl at the back of the room shot to her feet. Kaila pointed in her direction, with a devilish grin on her face. Evran nodded in thanks and started walking in her direction.

  The room erupted in chatter. “I bet he takes the left one.” Said a nearby fourth-year girl to her friend. “He is already Lerrum’s pet.”

  “Take the right one!” one third-year boy cheered, earning him a harsh elbow from the girl next to him.

  “Good luck!” cheered a shy girl, clenching her fists in excitement. Her friends began teasing her over the uncharacteristic outburst.

  Evran heard nothing of what was said around him. He was too focused on his goal. After completing the arduous journey across the dining hall, he found himself face to face with a cute girl who kept forgetting she had to breathe.

  “Hey,” Evran said.

  “Hey,” replied Selsey, her face a bright crimson.

  “This is for you.”

  With all the charm he could manage, Evran held out the potted flower for Selsey. She squeaked with excitement as she took it from him. After briefly admiring it, she glanced up at Evran. A deep breath steeled her for the moment she had longed for.

  Selsey held the pot in one hand and carefully plucked the large petal closest to her. With practiced motion, she drew the petal to her mouth and seductively placed it on her tongue with one finger. Then she offered the flower back to Evran.

  “Huh?” Evran stood there with a confused look on his face. Selsey soon wore one as well, which quickly turned to a look of annoyance.

  “Well?” she probed.

  One of the Selsey’s friends put a hand over her mouth in feigned shock. “Oh my, he doesn’t know what he’s doing!”

  “Did Lerrum put you up to this?” asked another.

  It began to dawn on Evran that he was expected to do something. Perhaps he was meant to take one of the petals as well? Maybe they would take turns eating petals around the flower until they were all gone? And then they would kiss! Evran smiled at the thought and reached his hand toward the flower Selsey held. The smile returned to her face as she watched intently for which petal he would choose.

  Evran plucked the large petal on his right. He pushed the petal into his mouth and forced his mouth into an awkward grin. Her smile disappeared instantly. She looked to her friends and found them both aghast at Evran’s selection. She blinked out a few tears before glaring her eyes at Evran.

  “Ugh!” Selsey growled in frustration as she slammed the flowerpot onto the floor. She followed this up by slapping Evran across the face. “Fall off, Evran Wright!” Selsey spat out the petal in disgust and stormed out of the dining hall, her friends scrambling to keep up.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Evran stood in a daze, oblivious to the jeers and laughter of his fellow students. His precious flower, as well as his dreams of getting a date with Selsey, lay shattered on the ground in front of him. He slumped down to the floor and began fidgeting with the shards of the flower pot he’d painstakingly decorated hours before.

  He felt dumb for getting his hopes up. It was pathetic. Why should he have expected any different? Good things do not happen to Evran Wright. That was simply the way of the world. He couldn’t help but join the crowd in their laughter, making light of his own folly.

  After groaning out his pain and frustration, Evran closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. When he opened them, he found himself staring up at Kaila, who had a very concerned look on her face.

  “What the hell just happened?” Evran asked, tossing a shard from his hand.

  “You picked the wrong petal, duh!” she replied straightforwardly.

  “Oh… of course.”

  “Wanna get out of here?”

  “Yeah.”

  ***

  As they made their way down the castle corridor, Kaila explained the ritual of the lover’s bloom to Evran. Her long white hair glowed faintly blue in the ethereal light of the magic crystals adorning the walls.

  “So if I had just taken the middle one…” Evran lamented.

  “She’d have kissed you on the spot! Selsey always wanted someone to give her that flower.”

  “I guess I blew it. Still, she could have told me what to do.”

  “Ugh, that’s not the point!” Kaila shouted. She spun around and began poking Evran in the chest. “You have to get these things right, you know?”

  Evran stopped and sighed. “Clearly not.”

  Gazing into his hands, he imagined how things would have gone had he chosen the middle petal. He’d be strolling around the campus with Selsey, holding hands, exchanging glances, and maybe sneaking a few kisses when no one was looking. Evran cursed himself for messing it all up.

  “Wait a second…” Kaila interrupted. “If you didn’t know about the ritual, how did you know about the flower?”

  “It was Lerrum’s idea. We went out to some island to get it, but he never mentioned anything about a ritual.”

  “Sounds like him. I bet he thought you already knew all about it.”

  “You give him far too much credit, Kai. I doubt he knew either.”

  They shared a laugh at Lerrum’s expense and resumed their journey. After exiting the main keep, they traveled along the covered walkway toward the dormitories. The chill of the spring night assailed them as they walked.

  “So you and Lerrum were out adventuring on some island all day?” asked Kaila.

  “Yeah. We had a good time,” Evran replied.

  “How come I never get invited to these things? I swear, ever since Kestie left, it’s like the two of you forgot all about me! I guess I was only ever your friend’s friend,” she said, laying it on thick.

  Evran slowed, feeling somewhat guilty for having left Kaila out of all their plans. They really had grown apart in the last year, and with graduation fast approaching, they didn’t have much time left to make things right. Once they went their separate ways, there was a more than decent chance they’d never see each other again. Even exchanging a letter or two would be unlikely.

  “Friend’s ex-girlfriend’s friend!” he teased, earning him a glare. “But yeah, you’re right. Anything coming up that you’d like us all to do together?”

  “I’ve heard a few rumors going around that we’ll be having a practical after the Tempest hits.”

  “Oh? They just observed the second stormsign. That’ll be in a week or so, then. Any idea what it is they’re planning?”

  “Well, if it’s right after a Tempest, I imagine they’ll be taking us to a virgin island, same as they did last time,” Kaila said eagerly.

  “Guess I forgot. They only took continuing students, though. We were still only second-years then.”

  “Yup! I’m really excited to go this time!” Kaila pumped her fist.

  “Aren’t you a little nervous? I mean, we’ll be fighting a lot of monsters. It’s not like the preserve.”

  “Oh, it won’t be too bad. It’s not like we’re going into the labyrinth. We won’t come across any surface monsters that a team of mages can’t crush. I also hear they’ll be teaming us up with the washouts.”

  “You really shouldn’t call them that,” Evran scolded. “That reminds me! I just bumped into Narro at the docks. Guess that means that we can get what’s left of our old squad back together!”

  “Awesome!” Kaila skipped with excitement. “One last hurrah before we all graduate! I’ll be looking forward to it.”

  “Me too!”

  Evran and Kaila arrived at the entrance to the boys’ dormitory in far better spirits than at the start of their journey. Kaila leaned in and gave Evran a small hug. As she pulled away, he looked into her silver eyes. A strange feeling of warmth washed over him. Confused, he timidly glanced away.

  “Well, goodnight, Kai. Thanks for helping me out back there. I feel a lot better now.”

  “What would you do without me?” she said with a smug look on her face. “See you tomorrow!”

  Kaila turned and strutted off to the girls’ dormitory. Evran stood there for a while contemplating the mysterious warm feeling that had overcome him. A moment later, the warmth had fled. Unable to explain it, he gave up worrying and made his way inside the building.

  Thankfully, no one here would know of the disaster at the dining hall. Evran offered terse greetings to his classmates in the common area before retreating to his dorm on the third floor. There he spent the rest of the evening in study, all the while dreading the moment Lerrum would return. How was he going to explain his failure after all they had gone through to get that flower? Evran escaped into sleep before Lerrum's arrival, and his awful day had finally ended.

  ***

  The deep, hollow clang of the morning bell echoed off of castle walls. Evran woke to their sound with a yawn and stretched his legs. He could scarcely recall the dream that enthralled him only moments before, though its pleasant feeling lingered. That too began to fade as the realization dawned on him.

  Lerrum stirred in the bed across the room. Evran would have to face him and deliver an account of last night’s failure. The overwhelming shame of it all consumed him. Still, it had to be done. Evran took a deep breath and turned toward his roommate. The dreaded moment had arrived.