“That was a lot of fun,” I said. “We should do it again sometime.”
Straightforward and friendly, pushing away any expectation on my part.
“I’m not done with you,” she said, putting both hands on my shirt. Tessa brought me closer to her. Closer to her face. I closed my eyes and…
We kissed. Tessa’s soft lips met mine. A barrage of fireworks exploded around in my head. Our lips parted, and I took a moment to appreciate her beautiful face. Rosy cheeks, purer than the mightiest diamond. Sleek brown hair that melted around my fingers.
“That wasn’t so hard, now was it?” she said.
I went in for another kiss. It took a moment for Tessa to react. She reached out and wrapped her arms around my back. Slowly I guided her to the sofa, tossing aside the sad excuse for a blanket that I use as a bed sheet. I put my arms around her waist and could feel the tension escape her body.
We breathed in sync. Short, ragged breaths punctured the silence of the apartment. No lights were on, but at that moment there was nothing brighter than Tessa. With her, the Twisted Cauldron was a distant dream. The worries of everyday life were lost in her sunlight.
Tessa leaned forward, pushing my head to the sofa seat. Her body climbed over mine, and before long, her lips were pressed against mine. Delicate fingers caressed my cheeks, plunging me further into her spell. Love was the most potent witchcraft of all, and I was an easy victim.
“Tessa, I…”
And just as quickly as it started, it stopped. Tessa pulled away, brushing back the strands of hair that had gotten misplaced in the last few minutes.
“I’ve been hiding something from you,” she said, now sitting on the other end of the sofa.
“What is it?” I said, bracing for the worst.
“The call yesterday, it was from the witch council at my colony. They’re ordering me to go back.”
This can’t be happening. I waited to make sure it wasn’t some ill-timed joke, but the punchline never came.
“You’re not serious, are you?” I said.
“I am,” she said, putting her hand to her forehead. “I am being serious.”
“Why would they make you return? Wasn’t this supposed to be a learning experience? There’s so much for you to learn still.”
I wasn’t lying, but I was hiding my true feelings. You can’t leave, Tessa.
“I don’t know,” she said. “They didn’t want to say, even after I asked them.”
“Do you… do you want to go?”
She paused. She knew that whatever she said would impact my feelings. Don’t do this Tessa, not for my sake.
“I don’t want to. I want to stay here with you.”
As she said that, the bundle of knots in my heart eased up. Enough to let me breathe again, at least.
“But I don’t have a choice,” she continued. “Even if I say no, they have ways of forcing me. These are witches with power beyond your wildest imaginations, Raul. They could tear up half the city looking for me.”
“I want you to stay,” I said. “I know it’s not fair of me to ask this of you, but please stay.”
She’s not your lover, Raul. I knew I wasn’t in any position to ask this of her, but it pained me to see her go. Three minutes ago, we were locked in an embrace. Now I found out I might never see her again.
“I can’t do this, Raul,” she said, wiping away a tear. “I want to stay here with you but it’s out of my control. I’ll be leaving in a month.”
Tessa left the sofa and moved to the kitchen. Her teardrops turned into steady streams. I could barely contain my own emotion, either.
“I know you want me to stay. I know you’d… You’d let them destroy the Twisted Cauldron if it meant protecting me. But I can’t!”
I was an idiot. Tessa understood how I felt just as much as I understood myself. Caught between a rock and a hard place, and here I was, pushing the rock.
“I’m sorry,” I said, putting my hand on her back. “Sorry for being so inconsiderate.”
“I need to leave.”
Tessa headed towards the door. I pulled on her wrist.
“I’ll go,” I said, grabbing my keys and wallet. “You stay here tonight. By yourself.”
“Go where?” she said.
“To the café. I’ll sleep there.”
“In the floor of the storage room? You’ll catch a cold.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “Take it easy tonight, alright? Call me if there’s anything wrong.”
I left through the door without a second thought.
Half an hour later, I settled into the storage closet of the Twisted Cauldron, eating a granola bar I got from a 24/7 convenience store on my way here. I found a comfy corner and settled in. For hours my mind wandered to alternate futures, to worlds where Tessa could stay with me. I knew I was in over my head. I knew that my relationship with Tessa went back less than three months. But, despite that, I understood that losing Tessa would mean losing a part of myself in the process.
Chapter 10
I was woken up by tapping on the door. I picked up my groggy self and unlocked the door, finding myself face-to-face with Tessa. She was dressed in her work clothes and looked as determined as ever.
“You don’t need to come today,” I said. “You can go home.”
“This is my job, Raul. Now let me through.”
The witch then dropped a plastic bag in my hands. It had a bundle of clothes, along with a toothbrush and toothpaste.
“Figured you’d like these,” she said.
“You went through my underwear drawer?” I said.
“I rummaged through far more than that,” said Tessa, laughing. She patted me on the shoulder and went to work, taking down the chairs from their tables.
At least she hadn’t lost her sense of humor. I observed her for the rest of the hour. She diligently checked to make sure everything was stocked and that every table was spotless. I, on the other hand, couldn’t get the fact that she was leaving out of my head. How could I have been so stupid? It was so obvious throughout our date.
Don’t do this to yourself, Raul. Tessa only has a few weeks left with you. Make the best of it.
“I’ll take the counter for the morning, OK?” said Tessa. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t suck in my feelings.
“Can we at least talk about yesterday?” I said, desperate to say anything to her.
“We can’t,” said Tessa. “Not here. It’s almost opening.”
With those words, Tessa made sure she wouldn’t hear anything else about that from me for the rest of the workday.
Halfway through the morning, I took a short break sitting by one of the empty tables. Tessa had been taking orders and preparing them at a surprising rate, giving me the opportunity to take quick breaks like this.
“It’s nice to see Tessa all fired up,” said Elise as she took a short break next to me. “The café has been a lot busier ever since she got here, don’t you think?”
I knew that was the case. I meticulously studied the weekly sales reports. For all my attempts at getting new ideas rolling, the café’s sales had stagnated for the last six months. After Tessa showed up, the café bucked the trend. Now there were more people visiting the Twisted Cauldron at all hours of the day.
“Yeah,” I said. “She’s been a real asset.”
“You don’t look too good,” said Elise. “Date didn’t go well?”
“It went great, but… Turns out she’s leaving at the end of the month. To go back home.”
“For good!?” said Elise.
“I think so.”
“I’m so sorry, Raul. I know you really like this girl.” Elise put her hand on my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.
“Thank you for the support,” I said.
“Hey, slackers! We have an order for table 14 over here!” said Tessa.
“Comin’ right up,” I said on instinct. The rest of the working hours went by quickly. I tried to leave my feelings behind and focu
s solely on the job. Even tried experimenting with new coffee bean mixes during my downtime. Despite my best efforts, however, I couldn’t stop thinking about Tessa.
Every couple of minutes I found myself glancing in her direction. Her focus was unyielding. She danced from table to table, the end of her plucky hat bobbing with every step. The customers smiled at her and she returned the gesture.
In those moments I wished I had her powers. To be able to understand how she was feeling and find the best reply. I stopped myself before taking that line of reasoning any further. Even with the knowledge of how someone was feeling, I wouldn’t be able to offer any more help. Tessa’s been reading people all her life. I couldn’t come close.
When it came time to close the shop, Tessa and I worked independently to tidy the café. As soon as the last spot was washed off, I spoke up.
“I think I’ll stay here tonight,” I said.
“You don’t have to do this,” she said. “Come home.”
“You need your space, right?”
“Don’t assume what I want, dammit!” said Tessa. She slammed her right hand down. Her eyes narrowed and locked with mine. I had never seen her so confident before. The witch took another step.
“I’m sorry,” I said in a soft tone.
“Stop apologizing! Stop beating yourself to death over me! Stop being so… so… so weak!”
Her words cut through my bones like a knife through paper. A switch flipped inside me. I couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“And what? You’re strong because you use your magic to understand how people think? You think that’s OK? That you can see into people’s emotions like that? Well, Tessa, you’re the one who thinks you understand, but you really freakin’ don’t. I was just fine until you came along! Then you fucked me over.”
That was a lie. I wasn’t fine until she came along. I thought I was. It was only after Tessa came along that I realized exactly how lonely I was.
“You don’t mean that,” said Tessa.
“If being weak means that I’m going to miss you, then I’m the weakest guy in the entire planet. If being weak means that I’m going to miss that smiling face, then that’s what I am! But you can’t do this to me. You can’t come in here, make me fall for you, and then up and leave. You can’t…”
Tears dropped onto the hardwood floor in front of me. Before I could react, she put her arms around me.
“Come home,” she said. “I want you there with me.”
The two of us walked home holding hands, dragging our feet on the way there.
I kissed her as soon as I locked the door behind me. She returned the feeling. We kissed on the bed, her hot breath breaking me down. We spent the rest of the night curled in each other’s arms.
“Tessa,” I said. The witch’s eyes flickered, half-conscious. She worked extra hard today. No wonder she was more tired than usual.
“Hm?”
“I can’t visit you, can I?” I said.
“I want you to,” she said, stifling a yawn. “But we can’t. Having an outsider come into the colony would be unprecedented.”
“I thought so,” I said. I just had to accept it. Within a few weeks, Tessa would be gone for good.
Chapter 11
The next morning, I woke to find Tessa changing out of her pajama shirt in front of me. Her upper half was bare, exposing skin even whiter than that on her face.
“Sorry for staring,” I said as I turned my head away.
“Go ahead,” said Tessa. “We’re all adults here, right?”
“Right,” I said, putting my feet on the ground. Being an adult means knowing when to give up. Seeing her act as if this is the next stage in our relationship… I would be lying if I said it didn’t hurt. We’re moving into a brick wall is all.
“OK, now your staring is starting to get a little creepy,” said Tessa.
“Oh, sorry. Was thinking of something else.”
“Unbelievable,” said Tessa, pouting. She put her hands on her hips. “A half-naked woman and you’re stuck inside your head.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone who takes so long to change their shirt,” I said with a smile. “Finish the job so we can head out.”
On our walk to the café, Tessa edged closer and closer until we were shoulder to shoulder. Next thing I knew, we were holding hands.
We opened the Twisted Cauldron like we had done dozens of times before. The smell of freshly brewed espresso helped calm my nerves.
“You two seem chipper,” said Elise. She walked in on the two of us only a foot apart behind the counter.
“Everything’s good,” said Tessa.
“Yeah,” I said. “Same here.”
“There’s something weird going on here… but I don’t care enough to find out,” said Elise. She put on her apron and shuffled into the storage closet.
“Should we tell her you’re leaving?” I said.
“No… not yet,” said Tessa. “I don’t want to bother her.”
The first customers of the day were Don and Julie. Don came in with a walking stick, something I’d never seen him carry before.
“New toy?” I said.
“I’ll smack ya over the head with it if you keep talking like that,” said Don. He raised his cane over his head. It made him lose his balance, but I managed to grab onto his shoulders before he could tumble forward.
“Oh goodness,” said Julie. “You have to be more careful honey. The doctor finally convinced him to get it yesterday.”
“I don’t need it,” said Don.
“Careful Don,” said Tessa, holding onto his other arm. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of opportunities to smack Raul over the head once you’re sitting down.”
“Ah, you’re right, Tessa. Your smile calms my old weary heart. And now that your coffee is as good as this guy’s, you don’t really need him, now do you?”
“Ouch Don,” I said, only half-kidding. “I’ll be sure to pick a new favorite customer that knows how to walk.”
“Quiet down, you two,” said Julie.
“Thank you, Julie,” I said. “You’re my favorite.”
“I know, dear,” she said, winking.
Tessa didn’t seem to have any intention of telling anyone else about her leaving. A part of me thinks that she won’t tell anyone, forcing me to deal with the fallout. You can’t do that, Tessa. People here care about you.
“Raul!” said Tessa from behind the counter. “We’re all out of the chocolate croissants. Can you go get some from the back?”
“Sure thing,” I said. I served Don and Julie their drinks in porcelain cups. Don, as promised, tried to take a swing at my head with the cane.
“Maybe next time,” he said, laughing. I turned and headed back to the storage room.
A sharp crack echoed across the room. I turned to see Julie falling to the ground. Her body hit the floor with a loud thud.
“Julie!”
I ran to her side, surrounded by gasping customers.
“What’s going on?” said Elise.
“Honey?” said Don, trying his sharpest to crouch down next to her. “Julie?”
“I think she might’ve had a heart attack,” I said. I’m not a doctor, dammit!
“I’ll call 911,” said Elise.
“Sounds good,” I said.
I checked Julie’s pulse, but there was no response. No signs of breathing, either.
“They’ll be here in a minute,” said Elise.
I put the CPR training I had to use. I tried and tried, with nothing to show for it.
“Damn!” I shouted, stepping away from the scene.
All around us were somber faces. Men and women were crowding in a circle. Some were biting their lips, others shaking their heads.
“Please give her some room, everyone,” I said, gesturing people to step back.
Elise stood by Don, putting her hand on his shoulder. The poor man was nearly shaking in place. You can’t die yet, Julie. Don needs you.
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In the minutes between the incident and the ambulance showing up, Julie showed no signs of life. As they loaded Julie onto a stretcher, I went over to Don.
“Please call us with any updates,” I said, giving Don a hug. The old man’s eyes were even more sunken than usual.
“I will, boy… I will.”
Inside the Twisted Cauldron, its clientele had returned to their seats. Elise took customer orders with a worried expression.
“How was he?” she said.
“Pretty shaken up,” I said. “Told him to call me with any news. I’m no doctor, but… Well, let’s wait for news.”
I looked around but found one obvious piece of the café puzzle missing.
“Where’s Tessa?”
“I don’t know,” said Elise. “Haven’t seen her at all since it all started.”
“I need to go find her,” I said.
She was inside the storage closet, tucked away in the most cramped corner of the room. Boxes of recyclable cups and plastic toppers surrounded the girl, sitting with her leg between her knees.
“Tessa…”
“It happened again, Raul. Dozens of people, all reacting to an emergency. I could feel all the anxiety, understand all the pain…”
“Tessa, I'm sorry. Is there anything I could do?”
I slowly approached her.
“Stay away from me!” she shouted, stopping me in my tracks. “It’s too much, Raul. Too much. Do you know what Julie felt in the moments before she died? She felt, above everything else, regret that she would leave her husband behind. It came faster than she was expecting. Julie wasn’t ready.”
“We don’t know if she’s gone for sure,” I said.
“She is! I couldn’t feel anything from her anymore. The spark of life was gone, Raul. And Don…” said Tessa, gripping the shirt over her chest. Her breathing became laborious. “He’s so lost right now. A void that just keeps on getting bigger and bigger.”
“It’s going to be OK, Tessa,” I said, rushing to give her a hug. “It’s going to be OK.”
A Witch's Guide to a Good Brew Page 11
