by Weil, J. L.
Chapter 14
I HAD MY HEAD PROPPED on my hands daydreaming about nothing in particular when I heard the door to the shop chime. Tugging on my red turtleneck, I slapped on a smile and glanced up. A sprinkle of magic danced along my skin, announcing my guest was a witch. I was getting better at recognizing the feeling. The warm greeting I had on my lips never made it out. My smile lessened as I stared at the greenest eyes like rolling plains.
Lukas.
This was unexpected. What was he doing here, at the shop nonetheless?
I watched him saunter leisurely across the shop until he stood in front of me with a saucy grin. It wasn’t nearly as lethal as Gavin’s but effective even so. He was apparently really fond of college t-shirts. This one was grey and stretched across his wide chest. I would have to be dead to not appreciate his hotness.
“Hey.” My voice gave away my surprise. I wasn’t going to lie, I was shocked to see him, but really I had this coming. I’d been sort of avoiding him all weekend, and now looking at him I was guilt-ridden. Apparently he found another way to catch me after I dodged all his calls and texts.
Seriously, sometimes I could be such a shitty friend and procrastination should be my middle name. It was mostly the practicing that I had been eluding, not Lukas.
Well maybe Lukas a little.
“I hadn’t heard from you. I hope it is ok that I just popped in?” There was such a sincere and boyish charm to him.
I smiled. “Of course. I’m sorry I didn’t return your calls. I’ve been super busy.” I cringed inside. What a lame excuse.
His hip leaned against the counter, bringing our faces closer. “Busy with Gavin?”
Did I detect a hint of jealousy? Hmm. I wasn’t entirely sure that I liked his implication. Or that he in fact was spot on. Was I really that readable?
“Maybe.”
He raised one of those emerald eyes at me. God, he was like a walking lie detector, and I stunk at evasion.
I stepped back putting space between us. “Fine. I had to talk to him, okay. I needed to make him understand,” I defended, sounding slightly desperate.
“And how did that go?” he asked with a tint of sarcasm, as if he already knew the answer. It put me on the defense.
I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to suppress the pout I could feel coming on. “Just fine if you must know.”
“Liar,” he accused smirking.
Grrr. He could be so infuriating. And perceptive. This time I gave him a full out pout. “Why is my life so complicated?” I mumbled mostly to myself.
Walking around the glass counter, he closed the distance between us. He trailed a finger under my chin causing a tiny spark. “Because you skipped practice.”
I rolled my eyes. Practice. Ugh.
Ignoring the fluttering in my chest, I realized I wasn’t doing a very good job of making an effort. I guess it was time to change that, especially after my new heritage discovery. Plus, his close proximity was sending out the wrong signals. I just wanted to be friends, and it was past time I started lying down the ground rules. “Your right,” I conceded and retreated a step.
He followed suit. “You free after work?” he asked kind of cornering me with more than just his muscular body.
I knew I had to stop avoiding this… magic. And it would give me the chance to tell him I just wanted to be friends. Nothing romantic. So I heard myself say, “Yeah why not.”
He grinned like sunshine. It was startling and potent. I swallowed, trying not to get caught up in his smile. “Don’t sound over enthused. You know how to make a guy feel special.”
“Whatever.” I playfully pushed his chest. He didn’t budge. “You know what I meant. I am not exactly a pro at this magic jazz.” I lowered my voice over the last bit. You could never be too careful, especially with my aunt lingering just in the back room.
And what perfect timing as my aunt strolled through the workroom area into the shop. Lukas and I both turned our heads at the squeaking hinges. We were pretty close, our bodies almost brushing, and his arm had to steady me. I practically gave myself whiplash with my aunt’s sudden appearance.
There was inquisitiveness in her eyes as she assessed the situation. Oh yeah. I was going to be answering buckets of questions after he left. Running a hand through my dark hair, I cast my eyes to my feet. Lukas casually stepped aside and flashed my aunt a dimpled award winning grin.
He turned the charm on and had my aunt laughing like a school girl. I could tell that she liked him, but was still confused by what was going on between the two of us. Numerous times I caught her glancing back and forth at us as she tried to figure out our relationship. The easiness Lukas and I had together was apparent. It was obvious that we really knew each other. I guess which made sense, I never been as open with someone as I had with Lukas in my dreams.
But my aunt didn’t need to know that.
He bumped my hip with his, bringing me out of my own lost thoughts. “I’ll see you later?” he asked.
My aunt raised a brow. Peachy. I just nodded and watched him walk out the door.
As soon as the coast was clear my aunt pounced like a cat. “I guess I’m not the only one who has been keeping secrets,” she said. I had that coming, I really did. “I take it that was the other guy.”
Oh man, if she only knew that half of it. I shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”
Smooth. Real smooth. There was no way in hell she was going to buy a line like that. Not after the way she saw us together. It was evident that we knew each other on more than just a friendly basis. Not that I blamed her. Hell I didn’t believe me.
“That…” she indicated to the door. “Was definitely a big deal. Does Gavin know about Lukas?”
The dreaded question. “Yes,” I replied like it should have been obvious they knew about each other.
“And he is okay with it?” There was disbelief in her voice.
Did she have to ask all the questions I didn’t want to answer? I leaned an elbow on the counter, drawing circles into the glass. “Define okay.”
“Brianna,” she scolded in a stern voice.
I hated that voice. It meant that I’d done something wrong. Immediately I felt like I had let her down in some way. It was a horrid feeling. She was the one person I never wanted to disappoint. I dropped my head onto my arms. “I’m so confused,” I finally admitted in a small, weak voice.
I felt her run her fingers down my hair. “When did this happen?”
I sighed heavily into the cool glass, steaming it up with my breath. “Just recently. A few weeks.” Well that was partly true, the whole Lukas not being real. Then suddenly boom… two guys. “I don’t know what to do.” At this point I wasn’t above whining.
“Well, I can’t tell you who to choose if that is what you are asking. That is entirely up to you.”
She wasn’t being much help here. Maybe it was too much to ask her to make such a decision for me, but I was really desperate to get my life back to simpler days, with simpler problems.
Her fingers continued to stroke my hair offering me comfort. “I’m not sure I am cool with you seeing a college guy. And I am for sure not cool with you dating two guys.”
I groaned, lifting my head. “First, I am not seeing Lukas. At least not in the way you think. We’re…friends. And second he is only a year older than me. I will be in college next year.” Well I think I will. The jury was still out on my plans after high school. It all really depended on this whole witch thing. It had me all screwed up in the head, but I wasn’t about to reveal that tidbit to my aunt. It would most definitely push her over the edge. “Third, technically I am not dating either of them.” But a huge part of me wanted to – desperately.
But which one? I was pretty sure I already knew the answer. I had known all along.
At this rate, I was going to send her to an early grave. My senior year thus far has been anything but uneventful. What other kinds of trouble could I possible get myself into?
�
�Hmm,” she said, totally sounding unconvinced. “If you say so.”
Who could fault her? I was hardly that persuasive. But that was the end of the discussion for now. I am sure I wouldn’t be hearing the last of it.
After my shift, I left my aunt at the shop to close. That gave Lukas and me at least an hour to get some magic mojo in. Joy. I really needed to get my game face on.
Even in the dark twilight sky, Lukas was like a ray of sunshine. He was leaning against my house when I pulled into the driveway. I killed my lights and cut the engine, and sat there staring at his majestic dimples. My heart warmed. It was a slow languid feeling, not like the thunderstruck stuff I got when I was with Gavin. This was gentle, soft, safe.
Our hour together went much smoother and faster than our previous practice. I was easily able to move furniture across the room. No object was too large or small, too heavy or too light. Once I was able to locate the source, I found the act of controlling magic at my fingertips. In no time, I should be able to master the art of moving shit.
Turns out, Lukas was a pretty darn good teacher. Or maybe it was that he got my magic. I still didn’t understand how our magic was similar exactly, but I couldn’t deny that there was something different in the air when we used magic together. We really hadn’t explored it much.
I was kind of anxious to test it out. A part of me was pulled by it, a call that was begging me to answer. There wasn’t time today as my aunt was due home any minute, but more than ever it was in my head. Probably it was after effects from my expending energy.
“That was awesome.” I totally sounded like a geek, but there weren’t any words I could come up with to describe the feelings of wielding magic. It was just freaking spectacular. I felt amazing, a rush of exhilaration.
His eyes were bright and brimming with vigor. I could tell that his source was just at the surface, ready to come out and play. He wanted to use magic, magic with me. “You did amazing.”
Suddenly he was a whole lot closer than he had been a second ago. I hadn’t even seen him move. My cheeks were flushed from concentration, and I knew that my eyes mirrored the glow of magic. They shimmered like the aurora borealis on a cool autumn night. Splendid.
His hand slid across my back, curving around my waist. I held my breath for what I knew was to come. My mouth opened, but no words came out. A retreat should have been on the tip of my tongue. There was just the need to lose myself, to go with this feeling of being on top of the world. Untouchable.
And maybe a little bit of anticipation.
Could the boy next door make my world burn like Gavin? Make me forget the loneliness and sadness? It was for all the wrong reasons, yet it still happened. Again. This time there was no dream as an alibi.
I closed my eyes, and Lukas whispered my name. His lips brushed lightly over mine at first. He was gentle, testing my response. With the slightest pressure at my waist, he inched me closer. I placed my hands on his arms, and his lips swept over mine, deepening the kiss. My fingers tightened on his muscles, overwhelmed by the elation. He kissed like his lips were born for kissing.
Yet I kept waiting on the edge of his breathless kisses, waiting for anything but emptiness and restlessness. No matter how much I wanted to wash away the sadness, anger and hurt – this wasn’t the way to go about it. I was not only using Lukas, I was hurting myself more.
I broke our lips apart, staring up at his clouded dark green eyes, and he was breathing heavily, studying me. There hadn’t been anything wrong with the kiss. Sure it lacked the wow factor, but I could blame that on Gavin. The rest was all me. I was turning everything into a gigantic mess, making one bad decision after another, just so I could feel better. It was wrong, pathetic and not me. Guilt poured through me. I had a funny way of trying to make things better with Gavin. Kissing Lukas was totally going to win me some trust points. To top it off, I was leading Lukas on. My heart hadn’t been into the kiss for one good reason.
I was totally hung up on Gavin. I was more than just hung up – I was a goner. I was head-over-heels crazy about him. My heart had been lost to him the day I smacked into him while ditching school.
Lukas read the string of emotions galloping through my amethyst eyes. I didn’t want to hurt Lukas any more than I had wanted to hurt Gavin. Slowly he tucked a strand of loose hair behind my ear. “I’ll call you later?” He left the question dangling in the air between us.
I just nodded, dumbfounded.
Chapter 15
THANKSGIVING DINNER.
Well it wasn’t going to be dull, that’s for sure. Not only was my aunt bringing the new guy, she had also insisted that I invite Lukas. Once she found that he was going to be spending the Holiday alone, she had pressed me relentlessly until even I felt guilt-ridden.
So here I was preparing for a very awkward evening.
How do I even get myself into these situations?
Lukas and I had talked a little since the kiss, but never about the kiss itself. I was much better at ignoring things than I was at lying. Still, seeing him face-to-face for the first time since was going to be…challenging seemed like an appropriate word.
This past week at school had been short one due to the holiday, so I still had seen very little of Gavin to my hearts dismay. I had been hoping to find time to get his attention again, somehow prove that I missed him terribly. I really wanted to get things back to how they had been instead of this indecisive insanity I was always feeling.
As it turned out that hadn’t happened, and truthfully I should have tried harder. I just wasn’t sure what steps were necessary to repair this kind of damage. There really needed to be a witch guidebook. I know I sure as hell needed one and a good spell.
Blow drying my soaking wet hair, I sat in front of my mirror wrestling with the tangles. My stomach was twisted in loops. This thing must be more serious with the new guy for my aunt to have him over for holiday dinner. I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about that. It might sound selfish, and I am sure it was, but I was used to have her all to myself. Now I found that sharing her with a guy didn’t exactly sit well in my belly. Not that I didn’t like him. He seemed nice enough, and he made her happy. That should have been adequate.
I threw on a pair of jeans and a glitzy black sweater. Only applying a light coat of make-up, I wasn’t really feeling the holiday spirit. My phone buzzed on the vanity as I finished my mascara. Unlocking the screen, it was a text from Sophie wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving.
I don’t know why but it made me sad, but I guess thoughts of Gavin were never far from my mind. Sending her a quick text back wishing her the same, I shook the depressing thoughts from my head. This wasn’t the time to be ungrateful.
Heading down the stairs, I heard my aunt whistle cheerfully in the kitchen. The holidays were one of the few days that we were both at home, no duties to the shop. I treasured the holidays, even if this one felt a little funky.
She was at the sink, her caramel hair in a messy bun with a stylish apron tied at her waist. Well as hip as an apron could be. She had the silly, spacey look of someone on the brink of love. I had that same look not too long ago. Watching her season the turkey, unnoticed my heart warmed inside seeing that lovely glow of happiness shine on her beautiful youthful face. Aunt Clara looked freaking good for her age.
Hopefully I will be so lucky. It was all in the genes, right?
Quietly I stepped beside her and hopped up on the counter. “Hey. You need any help?”
Grinning at me, she came down from cloud nine. “Sure I would love some help. Think you can handle the table?”
Thousands of memories bombarded me. I rolled my eyes. “Please. It’s only been my job since I was five.” I jumped to the floor.
“Brianna?” she called my name before I stepped out of the room.
I spun around. “Yesss?” I drawled out.
“I know you said that you were okay with having Chad over for dinner, but are you really…okay with it? This is your home too, and I don’t want yo
u to ever feel uncomfortable or put out.”
I gave the biggest, best, reassuring smile I could. Whether she would say it or not, I knew this evening was important to her – a monstrous step. I even believed that the invitation to Lukas had been her small way of trying to make me more comfortable, so to speak. Even though she hit way off mark, it wasn’t her fault I’d screwed things up so badly. “Of course it is. This is going to be the best Thanksgiving. Just wait and see.”
She beamed at me, satisfied that I was truly cool with it. Something told me that this would no doubt be a memorable holiday.
My aunt was all about visual appeal. It was just as important the table be decorated as beautifully as it was for the food to be scrumptious. Spreading a glittery gold tablecloth on our dining room table, I put my mind to setting the places. Each seating had a deep cherry placemat with cream colored china and a gold glass goblet. I still wasn’t sure why we needed so many forks, spoons and knives. Why couldn’t I use the same fork for my salad and dinner? I wasn’t much for fancy, but it appeased my aunt. I should be thankful she didn’t insist I wear a dress. That would have been a battle.
Of course the centerpiece was straight from Mystic Floral. Setting the table was a mindless chore. Just the kind I needed.
A tiny meow at my feet caught my attention. Some sneaky little kitten had escaped like Houdini from my room. He was forever doing that. If I didn’t know better, I swear Gavin gave me a charmed kitty, if there was such a thing.
I scooped up the neglected feeling Lunar in my arms just as the doorbell rang. Nuzzling his cozy warm fur, I walked to the door. “Here goes nothing. Let the fun and games begin,” I mumbled sarcastically to Lunar. Then I hollered through the house, “I got it.” My aunt was still sweating it out in the kitchen.
Turning the knob on the door, my heart raced a little. Then it dropped to my socks as I saw the new guy with his saggy brown hair.
He had a name I reminded myself, Chad something or other.
