Chapter 164: She… Can’t

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: She... Can’t

Chapter 164: She... Can’t

After finishing dinner, Daphne Whitlock looked at Cyrus Calder’s still-damp hair and hesitated for a moment.

Then she asked, "Would you like me to dry your hair for you?"

Cyrus looked at her.

The anticipation in Daphne’s eyes was almost impossible to miss. She clearly wanted to do something for him, even if it was something as small as holding a hair dryer.

For some reason, refusing outright felt unnecessarily harsh.

At this point, if Daphne suddenly copied Rhea and put a collar around her own neck before handing him the lead, Cyrus was not sure he would even be surprised anymore.

"Sure. If you want to."

Daphne’s expression brightened immediately.

She picked up the hair dryer and moved behind him.

Warm air passed gently through Cyrus’s hair while Daphne worked her fingers carefully through the strands.

The texture brought back an uncomfortable amount of familiarity for her.

His hair felt exactly the same now as it did when his Frostborn body became younger.

Cool.

Soft.

Far too pleasant to touch.

If Daphne were not deliberately maintaining the careful role she had chosen lately, Cyrus sitting this close and this defenseless would have made temptation much harder to ignore.

If she wanted to act now, she probably could.

That was precisely why she could not.

Cyrus wanted this version of her.

Patient.

Dependable.

Safe.

So that was the version he would get for now.

Cyrus, unaware of the calculations happening behind him, found the entire experience unexpectedly comfortable.

Daphne kept the dryer far enough away that the heat never became unpleasant.

Her fingers moved carefully rather than tugging at his hair.

After several minutes, even Cyrus had to admit he was enjoying it.

Daphne lowered the dryer slightly.

"Is the temperature all right?"

"It is comfortable."

Cyrus nodded.

She continued until his half-dry hair became soft and properly dry.

When she finally switched the dryer off, disappointment briefly crossed her face.

Cyrus ignored it.

Nothing else happened that evening.

That was the important part.

He returned to his own apartment, closed the door, and immediately yawned.

Even then, he did not go straight to bed.

Cyrus opened his diary first.

He recorded the important events of the day, compared the recent entries against what he remembered, and confirmed that nothing was missing.

Only then did he allow himself to lie down.

He slept without dreams.

By the time Cyrus opened his eyes again, it was already around eight in the morning.

He felt far better.

If he had not promised to visit Faye Larkin’s house today, he probably could have slept another two hours without regret.

Cyrus got dressed.

Over a short-sleeved shirt, he pulled on a gray sweater that looked warm while actually trapping very little heat. Then he added a jacket.

The appearance was appropriate for late October without making him miserable.

He had one more stop to make before Faye’s house.

A cake shop.

Cyrus stepped into the hallway just as the neighboring apartment door opened.

Daphne appeared carrying a small bag of trash.

She looked at him.

"It is your day off. You are not going to sleep longer?"

"I still have work later."

That was true.

His shift was not until the afternoon, but Cyrus saw no reason to explain the rest of his plans.

Daphne nodded.

Their accidental meeting did not slow him down.

She watched Cyrus walk toward the stairs until he disappeared around the corner.

Her eyes darkened slightly.

He had work later.

That much was probably true.

But where was he going now?

Daphne knew Cyrus was not helpless around women.

If anything, the diary had proven the opposite.

Still, perhaps seeing things with her own eyes would be better than continuing to guess.

She could always tell herself she was worried.

Cyrus, meanwhile, noticed the city changing the closer he got to the bakery.

The streets had looked mostly normal when he came home the previous night, but daylight made the decorations impossible to miss.

Pumpkins appeared in store windows.

Fake cobwebs stretched across awnings.

Orange and black decorations hung from doors.

The strangest were the carved pumpkin faces scattered everywhere.

So this was Halloween.

From what Cyrus had read, the holiday became much more active after dark.

He found himself slightly curious.

Human holidays were still new enough to him that even decorations felt novel.

The bakery had gone much further than most businesses.

Its display was filled with small ghosts, candy-shaped decorations, and cakes decorated for Halloween.

Cyrus chose a large seasonal cake.

It looked good enough that he immediately felt confident Miles and Lena would approve.

Faye probably would too.

The employee behind the counter was unusually friendly and even handed Cyrus a small bag of candy with the cake.

"Happy Halloween."

Cyrus accepted it.

"Thank you."

He continued toward Faye’s townhouse.

The route had become familiar enough that he no longer needed to check directions.

He rang the bell.

A short while later, the door opened.

Faye stood there.

Cyrus paused.

Her appearance was slightly different today.

Normally, when she was at home, she wore her hair casually and pushed her bangs back without much thought.

Today, a simple clip decorated one side of her bangs, while the rest of her long hair had been gathered into a loose side braid resting over her shoulder.

The style was understated.

It still made her look noticeably softer.

Then Faye noticed the size of the cake in Cyrus’s hands.

A trace of helplessness entered her expression.

"You brought another cake?"

"It is a Halloween special."

Cyrus lifted the box slightly.

"If we do not eat it today, apparently we have to wait another year."

Faye stepped aside to let him in.

"If it is only that kind of cake, I could make one too. You really did not need to spend that much."

Cyrus entered.

"It is fine. As long as everyone enjoys it."

Faye did not argue further.

She carried the cake away while Cyrus entered the living room.

Miles Larkin immediately noticed him.

The boy stared.

"Who are you?"

Lena looked equally confused.

Cyrus smiled.

He reached up and pulled the shorter strands of hair over his forehead as much as possible, roughly recreating his old school appearance.

Miles’s eyes widened.

"Big brother!"

"That is right."

Cyrus laughed quietly.

He had expected this reaction.

Neither child had seen him since he stopped hiding his appearance.

Miles immediately circled him.

"Is this Halloween magic?"

Cyrus considered the question.

"No. It is more like a prince’s curse."

Miles apparently heard the most important part.

"A prince? That is so cool!"

The boy looked delighted.

Lena reacted differently.

Her excitement faded.

She walked over and lightly grabbed the hem of Cyrus’s sweater.

Cyrus looked down.

"What happened?"

Lena’s lips turned downward.

"Our secret is gone."

Her eyes already looked suspiciously wet.

Cyrus froze.

He had no idea how to respond to a child about to cry over his haircut.

Making Lena cry inside Faye’s own house seemed like an excellent way to get himself permanently removed from the guest list.

Then Cyrus remembered the candy from the bakery.

He pulled out the small bag and selected one piece.

Crouching slightly, he placed it in Lena’s palm.

Then he raised one finger to his lips.

"This can be our new secret. You cannot tell your sister."

Lena immediately brightened.

She nodded rapidly.

Cyrus had unknowingly chosen the perfect bribe.

Recently, Faye had been limiting Lena’s candy because of a small cavity.

Lena closed her hand around the candy as if protecting treasure.

"Remember to share with your big brother."

She had already turned and run toward her room before Cyrus finished speaking.

Apparently that part of the deal had not been accepted.

Miles stepped forward next.

"Big brother, play with me."

Cyrus straightened.

"I am much better now."

"So am I."

Miles immediately accepted the challenge.

From farther inside the house, Faye listened to the living room become noisy within minutes.

A beautiful smile slowly appeared on her face.

Cyrus ended up playing with both children for quite a while.

Later, all three joined Faye in preparing lunch.

Having four people in the kitchen was objectively less efficient than simply letting Faye cook alone.

Fortunately, the other three were not completely useless.

They were not particularly useful either.

Still, lunch turned out well.

After everyone finished eating, Faye brought out the Halloween cake.

Four generous slices barely removed half of it.

Cyrus took a bite and immediately approved of his purchase.

While eating, he looked toward Faye.

"Are you taking them out tonight?"

Faye shook her head.

"No."

A small trace of disappointment appeared in her eyes.

The city would probably be lively tonight.

Faye would have liked to let Miles and Lena experience more of it.

Unfortunately, going out into a crowded Halloween evening was not simple for her.

The two children overheard the conversation but did not complain.

They continued eating their cake quietly.

Cyrus thought for a moment.

"Then maybe we can do it differently."

Faye looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I read about Halloween."

Cyrus gestured toward the windows.

"Kids are supposed to go door to door for candy after dark. It is not dark yet, but we can close the curtains and pretend."

He glanced around the house.

"The sun is not especially bright today anyway."

Miles immediately raised one hand.

"We should make it hide-and-seek too."

Cyrus considered it.

"Hide-and-seek trick-or-treating?"

Miles nodded enthusiastically.

"That sounds good."

Cyrus approved.

Then he remembered something and looked toward Faye.

"I will stay in the living room area. You do not need to worry about me wandering through the house."

Faye shook her head.

"You can go beyond the living room. I trust you."

Her answer carried the same warmth Cyrus had become accustomed to.

The four of them finished their cake while deciding on rules.

Then Cyrus and Faye closed the curtains enough to dim the house without making it genuinely dark.

Their improvised Halloween game began.

Miles lost rock-paper-scissors, so he had to search first.

Faye disappeared with Lena.

Cyrus looked around the large living room and realized there were surprisingly few places suitable for hiding.

He eventually settled behind a curtain.

Miles found him first.

The boy pulled the curtain aside triumphantly.

"Trick or treat!"

Cyrus looked down at him.

"Then choose trick."

Miles immediately scooped a little leftover frosting from his plate and smeared it across Cyrus’s cheek.

Cyrus stared at him.

Miles laughed and ran away.

When he eventually found Faye and Lena, his excitement doubled.

"Why did Lena get a costume? I want one too."

Lena had a thin blanket draped around her.

Faye had tied the top so two small points stuck upward like cat ears.

The result made Lena look like a tiny jellyfish wearing an improvised ghost-cat costume.

She looked extremely pleased with herself.

At Miles’s demand, Faye quickly made him something similar, except his blanket became more like a small cape.

Soon the two children were running around the house in their improvised costumes.

Then it was Lena’s turn to search.

Cyrus attempted to use the couch to block her line of sight.

It failed.

She spotted him immediately.

"Trick or treat."

Cyrus accepted defeat.

"You can choose trick too."

Lena smiled.

Instead of reaching for frosting, she leaned forward and gave Cyrus a quick peck on his clean cheek.

Then she giggled and ran away to find the others.

Cyrus watched her go.

Apparently that counted as mischief.

By the time they took a break, both children were exhausted from running.

Faye looked at Cyrus and laughed when she saw the frosting still on one side of his face.

She stood and reached toward him.

"I will get that off."

Her fingertip wiped across his cheek.

Unfortunately, she seemed to forget that using a bare finger did not actually remove frosting very effectively.

It only spread it.

By the time Faye realized, the white cream had been smeared into an even larger mark.

Cyrus watched her struggle.

A little amusement appeared in his eyes.

"So Faye has a mischievous side too."

Faye froze.

A faint blush appeared almost immediately.

She looked at what she had accidentally created.

The frosting had been spread into something suspiciously close to a heart.

Faye said nothing.

She grabbed a tissue far too quickly and wiped at Cyrus’s cheek.

Her hand trembled just enough that she failed to remove everything cleanly.

At least the heart shape disappeared.

Faye turned her face away before Cyrus could notice how red it had become.

Cyrus eventually went to wash properly.

When he returned to the living room, the atmosphere had completely changed.

Miles and Lena had apparently reached their limit.

Both were already asleep in the bedroom.

The small cape and strange jellyfish costume had disappeared with them.

The curtains remained closed, leaving the once-noisy room strangely quiet.

Only sounds from the kitchen remained.

Faye had returned to clean the dishes they left after lunch.

Cyrus approached deliberately enough for his footsteps to be heard.

He joined her at the sink without making a big announcement and started helping.

As before, he kept a comfortable distance.

Not too close.

Not unnecessarily far away either.

Faye glanced at him.

"Thank you for today."

"You do not need to thank me. I had fun too."

That was true.

This was the first human holiday Cyrus had ever genuinely participated in.

It had been unexpectedly enjoyable.

Faye looked at him for a moment.

The gray sweater made Cyrus seem unusually relaxed, almost lazy compared with the distant student everyone saw at school.

She quickly looked away.

The small smile on her face faded when another thought appeared.

Only one plate remained in the sink.

Both of them reached for it at the same time.

The backs of their hands touched.

Faye stopped.

Cyrus simply took the plate and washed it.

Once they finished, he stretched lazily.

He thought he finally understood why people bothered celebrating holidays.

As Cyrus started leaving the kitchen, he looked back.

Faye seemed as though she wanted to say something.

"Is something wrong?"

"There is something I have been wondering about."

Cyrus leaned lightly against the doorway.

"What is it?"

Faye hesitated.

The uncertainty in her eyes was obvious.

Cyrus waited without rushing her.

Eventually, Faye took a breath.

"Are you and Audra Sloane dating?"

Cyrus answered immediately.

"No, we are not."

Faye stayed quiet.

Cyrus thought the answer might sound too abrupt, so he explained.

"For a few reasons, Audra has been helping me study. My grades have improved a lot because of her."

"Yes, they really have."

A little pride entered Cyrus’s voice without him noticing.

Faye relaxed.

So they were not dating.

If Cyrus really had been in a relationship with Audra, Faye would probably need to start refusing Miles and Lena whenever they asked her to invite him over.

Continuing like this would not feel appropriate.

Fortunately, that was not the situation.

If it was only tutoring, then perhaps she could help him too.

The thought appeared naturally.

Then Faye looked at Cyrus’s back as he walked into the living room.

A strange bitterness followed.

She lowered her eyes.

Actually, maybe she could not.