The day slipped away at a carefree gait, too relaxed to bother rushing towards its end.
Myth and I still lay upon the ground. But we had moved to a new spot; my sensitive skin had absorbed all the sun it could handle. Now we lay in some shade that a nearby tree gifted to us.
“This reminds me of when I was a girl,” said Myth. “My friend, Olwen, and I used to lie beneath one of the trees in the Faerie Square and gaze at the sky for hours. Well, I gazed at the sky. Olwen was more interested in watching boys.”
“I did that back in Dusk,” I replied. “Sky-gazing, I mean, not boy-watching. I’d even skip school with my girlfriend, Ynnifer, just to—”
“Wait!” Myth interrupted me as she sat up quickly. “Y-you have a girlfriend?”
Silly Izzy, I berated myself. Why did you mention Ynnifer?
Sitting up, I said, “Not anymore.”
“Oh,” uttered Myth. She breathed deeply and a small smile appeared upon her lips.
I thought she looked relieved. But that does not make sense, I told myself. Why would Myth be relieved that I no longer have a girlfriend?
“What happened?” Myth asked me.
Frowning, I wrapped my arms around my knees, cradling them against my chest.
“Oh,” said Myth. “I’m sorry for prying, Iz. It’s none of my business.”
“No,” I said, staring at the ground, “it’s okay. It’s just… That was a bad time in my life. Talking about it is hard.” I sighed. “Some… things happened in Dusk before we met…”
I paused. This conversation was making me uncomfortable. Ynnifer was not a suitable topic for such a lovely day.
But I had piqued Myth’s curiosity. “These things,” she said, “are you talking about the unpleasantness you’ve mentioned?”
…Do you remember that, Buster? Well, let me remind you. When we first met, I told Myth that some unpleasantness had occurred in Dusk. Now she was about to learn that Ynnifer had been the source of that unpleasantness…
Feeling glum, I nodded my head. “Yes. But, um…” I shook my head from side to side. “I’m sorry, Myth. It’s too nice of a day to talk about that. Okay?”
Myth nodded and said, “Sure, Iz.”
“Thank you,” I replied. “Long story short—some unpleasantness happened and now Ynnifer and I are not together.”
I lay back on the ground again and watched the leaves of the tree jump about in the breeze.
Myth lay down, too.
Neither of us spoke for a while. But I suspect that Myth was not enjoying the day as much as she had been. Based upon the conversation we were about to have, I think she was still wondering about Ynnifer.
“Um, Izzy?” said Myth quietly.
“Yes, Myth,” I replied.
“Can I ask you one question about Ynnifer?” said Myth. Then she added, “It’s fine if you don’t want to answer. Just tell me to mind my own business, and I’ll leave you alone.”
I huffed. Talking about Ynnifer threatened to ruin my day. Still, there was no harm in Myth asking one question. I did not have to answer it, after all.
“Okay, just one question, though” I said. “What do you want to know?”
“Well, um,” said Myth. She paused and fiddled with that annoying strand of hair. “Do you still love her?”
I thought about Myth’s question for a while, thoroughly mulling over my feelings for Ynnifer.
“Ynnifer was a big part of my life,” I said at last. “I used to say that she was my world. Losing her hurt me so much—almost as much as when I lost Daddy. And I was still besotted with her when I met you. That’s part of the reason why I followed you. Returning to Dusk meant that I would have run into her. What would I have said to her? What would I have done? Worse still, she might have told me that I was her girlfriend again. I-I would have leaped at the chance, even though I would have known it was a mistake.”
Pausing, I frowned at the leaves. “Ynnifer had too much control over me. She used me. And I let her. Now, I’m certain that Ynnifer is a good person. But she is not the right woman for me.”
I glanced at Myth. “Being out here with you has shown me that.”
I smiled at Myth and went on, “So no, I don’t love Ynnifer. I’m not sure I ever did. I wanted to be in love with her. I convinced myself that I was in love with her. But I don’t think my feelings for her were ever anything more than a girlhood infatuation.”
Myth smiled at me. “A girlhood infatuation can be a real pain in the bum.”
“Absolutely,” I replied.