My Beloved Has Risen from Death's Embrace novel Chapter 184

"What do you want to watch, Xan?"

"Anything's fine."

As if granting a favor, Xanthea speared a piece of trout and placed it in his bowl. "Just nothing with Isabella in it. I can't stand her."

Can't stand her?

Orion glanced at the woman on the TV screen. Noticing his gaze lingering, Xanthea quickly snatched the remote and switched the channel. "You don't know, she used to mimic me all the time when we were little. She wanted to do everything just like me; it was like having a shadow, which drove me absolutely nuts."

"Really?"

"Yep!" Xanthea nodded vigorously, eager to assure him since Isabella was one of his talents. She even held up two fingers as a vow. "Cross my heart; if you had been my classmate back at Crestwood Elementary, you would've known! Everyone there knew."

He knew.

Orion's gaze dropped slightly; he never felt anyone could match her, not even one in ten thousand. A firefly's glow could never compete with the sun and the moon.

"Hey, this looks good; it's a movie. Let's watch this one!"

Xanthea stopped at a film with a classic Hollywood vibe and set down the remote.

In the movie, the main characters were having dinner at a restaurant. Midway, the actress pulled out a gift box and slid it across the table to her co-star.

Such a coincidence? She was also planning to give a gift—it was perfect timing!

Slyly, Xanthea pulled a small box from her pocket and, with a magician's flair, circled it around Orion's face before revealing it with a flourish. "Ta-da! Orion, this is for you. Open it up and see!"

"A gift?"

Orion eyed the elegant light brown box resting in her palm, feeling a surge of undefined emotions welling within him. "Why are you giving me a gift?"

"Xan, do you consider me a good friend?"

"Of course!"

Xanthea saw a flicker of doubt in his eyes and frowned slightly. "What's wrong? After all this time, don't you think of me as a friend?"

"No, it's not that." He lowered his gaze; his thick lashes cast shadows on his cheeks. "Didn't you used to hate me, Xan? If it weren't for Realm of Illusions."

"What? I never hated you! Sure, there were some misunderstandings, and I got mad, but I never hated you. You don't think I started looking after you just because you handed over Realm of Illusions to me, do you?"

Xanthea cut him off, eager to clear the air. Mid-sentence, she suddenly remembered, was he talking about when they were kids?

She remembered back when they were kids, one time he had approached her carefully with a doll, trying to make peace, but she had thrown it to the ground and stamped on it, proclaiming she hated him and would never be friends with such a crazy kid!