Without meeting his eyes, I reluctantly handed him my practice cloth. Darius studied it carefully, tracing over each distorted stitch. “Here’s the problem: you’re using a chain stitch here when it should be a daisy stitch.” He tilted his head. “Would you like my invaluable assistance?”
The warmth he often made me feel quickly soured. I scowled. “Not if you make me beg.”
He laughed. “Very well, but just this once.” He pulled out fresh cloth, needle, and thread from his bag before he settled beside me, so close our knees practically touched. My heart pounded at his proximity. His presence radiated surprising warmth, and he smelled of caramel apples. Instinctively, I leaned closer.
He flexed his fingers. “Watch the master.”
For the next hour he tutored me step-by-step with a patience I hadn’t thought him capable of, explaining it much more clearly than Weaving Unbeatable Dreams. At one point he even guided my hand, his fingers light over mine.
I shuddered at his touch. Stardust—who’d arrived to return me to the Dream World partway through his tutoring—monitored us through squinty, suspicious eyes, which narrowed further at every stolen glance and accidental touch Darius and I shared.
“That’s it, keep your stitches tight and even,” Darius murmured, his face so close his warm breath caressed my shaking hand as I wove, which made it rather difficult to concentrate.
Finally I completed the stitch without mistakes. I held up my cloth, now displaying a row of perfect star stitches. “I did it!”
“Excellent. Use it to group similar details together; when you attach them at each point of the stitch, they’ll stay together more securely and you’ll be able to avoid a repeat of tonight’s disaster.” His crooked grin became rather mischievous. “I’m ready for my thank you.”
I should have known Darius wouldn’t render his amazing services for free. “You know I don’t have enough dream dust to share any with you.”
“I don’t need your dream dust. I want you to tell me I’m amazing.”
I bit the inside of my cheek; paying dream dust would be less painful. “Look in the mirror and tell yourself.”
His lips twitched. “Hilarious. Now please, won’t you humor me?”
I wanted to resist, but the strange pull that always existed between us compelled me to play along. “You’re amazing.” The words both burned and danced on my tongue.
“Finally you admit it.” His teasing vanished in an instant. “I have another payment in mind, if you’re agreeable.” Darius cast Stardust a sideways glance before leaning closer. “I was hoping I could take you somewhere. If you can manage to slip away from your protective cloud, meet me in front of the fountain on the Dream World Main Street. Please?”
My stomach twisted with a strange fluttery feeling and I managed a breathless nod, the sudden bubble of joy I felt dispelling the last of my disappointment from the evening. His eyes lit up as he smiled, lopsidedly and rather sweetly, and I smiled back.
Foreboding tightened my pounding heart as I made my way through the throng of Dreamers crowding Main Street, searching the vibrant styles for Darius’s spiderweb attire. My anticipation was nearly swallowed up by my sense that I was doing something forbidden. Surely Dreamers didn’t go on outings with their weaving partner, no matter how charming they might be or how friendly or warm they tended to make one feel…
But my hesitation vanished the moment I found him leaning against the fountain. His gaze lit up when he caught sight of me, causing my heart to give a strange tumble. If this was forbidden, the experience was so far rather pleasant.
“Hello, Eden,” he greeted the moment I reached him, his grin soft.
“I hope wherever you’re taking me is worth the effort I expended to slip away from my rather observant cloud.” I tried to sound stern, but I couldn’t quite contain my teasing grin.
“Somewhere more private than the middle of Main Street.” He frowned as his gaze flickered across the crowds, and only then did I feel the heated stares of the passersby, narrowed suspiciously at me standing so close to a Nightmare.
In an instant the joy he caused me to feel vanished, replaced by the feeling I hated above all others—the general sense of being different, and thus not belonging.
I lowered my gaze to the white cobblestones, my cheeks warm with a blush. Darius sidled closer. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I should have had us meet in a less conspicuous place.”
Despite my discomfort, I already couldn’t regret meeting him. “You promised to take me somewhere. I’m sure you’ll make it worth my while.”
He nodded. “You’ll love it.” He seemed truly thrilled at the prospect.
He led me away from the watching crowd. The moment we had more privacy, he tucked my arm through his, causing my heart to pound wildly. I’d never been escorted anywhere before, and even though this was Darius, I liked it, perhaps a bit too much.
As we walked, Darius leaned over to whisper into my ear. “I’m afraid that throughout our outing, we’ll have to maintain a guise for why we’re truly together; since I’m the Head Nightmare’s son, it would be improper for us to be seen as friends. For all intents and purposes, I’m here under my mother’s orders to investigate you.” He winked.
I managed a weak smile, but I couldn’t help but wonder… “Did Head Nightmare Ember really give you such an assignment?”
His teasing grin faltered and he sighed. “She did, but I have no intention of following through. I’ll simply report to her how elusive you were being with imparting any useful information and keep the details I do learn about you all to myself.”
Darius led me past the shops lining the street in tidy, colorful rows. We passed Pins and Needles, where I’d purchased my weaving supplies, and Mirror Mirror, where Angel and Iris had helped me discover my style, before turning onto another street where the rows of gaudy shops sat snuggled close together.
Despite having walked this street a
