Chapter Seven: Echoes in the Rain (ii)
1310 Words
Ava turned to the machine again just as the door opened a third time.
The shift in the air was immediate.
The warmth deepened, heavy and slow, like the moment before lightning strikes.
Ryder stepped inside.
He wasn’t smiling. He never really did.
Water slicked down his copper hair, darkening it to bronze. His hoodie clung to him, the damp fabric outlining the lean muscle beneath. When his eyes found Ava, the hum in her chest roared to life, an invisible tether tightening between them.
He moved closer, and the overhead light flickered.
Ava’s hand stilled mid-motion on the counter.
“Hey,” she managed, quieter than intended.
“Hey.” His voice was low, rough smoke over embers. “Didn’t think you’d be working in this weather.”
“Someone’s got to keep the caffeine flowing,” she said, forcing lightness. “Coffee? Same as last time?”
He nodded, and when their fingers brushed as she handed it over, the spark leapt again warm, electric, and impossible to ignore. The same pull. The same drain.
Ava felt her pulse stutter, her breathing shallow. Ryder’s eyes flickered, literally flickered as if fire burned behind them for a split second before dimming.
Mia’s gaze flicked between them, quiet and knowing.
“Are you two going to pretend that didn’t just happen?” Skylar interrupted, grinning. “Because I definitely saw a spark. Literally.”
Ava blushed furiously. “Static.”
“Sure,” Skylar teased, leaning into her brother. “Static that makes the lights dim. Normal.”
Ryder shot her a look. “Sky…”
The door opened again, cutting him off.
Tyler Voss walked in, and suddenly, the café didn’t feel as warm.
He was tall, lean, and carried himself like he owned whatever space he entered. His dark hair dripped down over sharp cheekbones, and his smile was easy, too easy. Trouble wrapped in charm.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the Hale twins,” he drawled, brushing rain from his jacket. “And new faces too. Guess the storm’s not the only thing brewing today.”
“Tyler,” Skylar groaned, though her grin betrayed affection. “You just had to make an entrance.”
He smirked. “Would you expect anything less?”
Tyler dropped onto a stool, his eyes sweeping the room before landing on Mia. His smile sharpened. “Still haunting cafés, Everen? Thought you’d float away by now.”
Mia didn’t flinch. “Still mistaking arrogance for personality, Voss? Some things never change.”
A beat of silence. The tension rippled beneath the laughter.
Ava could feel it, an undercurrent of something old, some hidden history that threaded through their words. Tyler’s grin widened, all teeth and mischief, but his eyes were cold. “Careful. One day your little spells might backfire.”
Ryder’s voice cut in, calm but edged. “That’s enough.”
Tyler shrugged. “Just catching up. No harm done.”
But Mia’s gaze lingered on him, wary. Ava noticed. She also noticed the faint shimmer under Mia’s skin when she was angry like sunlight on water.
Ava’s chest pulsed again. The hum swelled, syncing with the rhythm of Ryder’s heartbeat she could feel it. Her knees went weak, the world blurring at the edges.
“Whoa! hey.” Ryder’s hand caught her arm, steadying her as she swayed. “Ava?”
Her breath hitched. The lights flickered again, brighter this time, before steadying. The smell of ozone filled the room.
“I’m fine,” she said, though her voice trembled. “Just dizzy.”
Skylar was instantly on her feet, worry chasing away her usual brightness. “You’re pale. Sit down, seriously.”
Ava sank into a chair, pressing her palm to her chest. “It’s nothing. Really.”
“Doesn’t look like nothing,” Mia murmured, her golden eyes narrowing slightly as if she could see something the others couldn’t.
Ryder crouched beside her. “This happen before?”
“Sometimes,” she whispered. “When I’m around certain people.”
He stilled. “What kind of people?”
Ava hesitated. She didn’t know how to explain it, the strange pull, the way energy flowed between them, how her chest hummed louder when Ryder was near.
“Forget it,” she said quickly. “It’s stupid.”
But Ryder didn’t look convinced. The air between them was heavy, charged. He could feel it too the same connection, the same surge he couldn’t control.
Tyler leaned back, watching them with thinly veiled curiosity. “Interesting,” he said. “Didn’t know humans could short-circuit.”
Skylar glared. “Tyler, not now.”
He raised his hands in mock surrender, but his smirk lingered. “Hey, I’m just saying, something’s off, and I don’t think it’s the wiring.”
The tension didn’t ease until he finally stood, tossing a few bills onto the counter. “Fun as this was, I’ll let you lovebirds get back to your mystery ailment.” His grin was sharp. “Try not to burn the place down.”
When the bell jingled behind him, the silence that followed felt almost sacred.
Skylar sighed, rubbing her temples. “He’s impossible.”
Ryder’s eyes lingered on the door. “He’s worse when he’s trying to figure out something.”
“He’s always figuring out something,” Mia muttered, finishing her drink. Her tone was casual, but her gaze drifted to the window, where the rain streaked down in silver lines. “You all should be careful. Tyler’s charm hides sharp edges.”
Ava wanted to ask more, but her body still felt heavy, like something inside her had shifted slightly out of place. When she finally looked up, Ryder was watching her again, his expression unreadable.
“Thanks,” she said softly. “For catching me.”
He gave a faint nod. “Anytime.”
Skylar’s smile returned, small but genuine. “You’re one of us now, Ava. Friends don’t let friends pass out on café floors.”
Ava laughed weakly. “Good policy.”
~~~
The storm had eased to a drizzle by the time the café emptied. Mia stayed to help close, the silence between them companionable. They moved in sync. Ava wiping counters, Mia stacking chairs, the sound of rain filling the spaces words couldn’t.
As Mia reached for her coat, she paused. “You ever feel like the world’s… listening?”
Ava blinked. “Listening?”
Mia nodded slowly. “Like it’s holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.”
Ava hesitated. “Lately, yeah.”
Mia’s smile was sad, secretive. “Then maybe you’re closer to hearing the truth than you think.”
When she left, Ava locked the door behind her and climbed the inner stairs to her room. The city was quiet now, the rain’s rhythm soft, almost comforting. She pulled the folklore book from her bag, its pages whispering like old paper secrets.
The illustration of the Aetherborn shimmered faintly under the lamp light, silver/purple eyes streak, silver light, wings of energy unfurling behind them. Stabilizers of the elements. Guardians of balance.
Her own reflection stared back from the mirror across the room violet eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
A chill crawled up her spine.
The hum inside her chest pulsed once, twice, then steadied.
Outside, lightning forked across the clouds, the flash illuminating her window and for the briefest instant, her reflection smiled after she did.
Ava froze.
The hum whispered through her veins, clearer now.
Balance seeks fire. Light craves shadow.
Thunder rolled. The world held its breath.
And somewhere in the drenched streets below, a lone figure walked beneath a flickering streetlight, Tyler Voss, his reflection rippling darkly in the puddles. His eyes gleamed silver for a fraction of a second before fading to black.
The storm, it seemed, had only just begun.
- Writer
