I grunt in response, hoping it sends a clear message that I didn’t want any thanks.
She keeps on talking. “For Dick and for staying here with me.”
Carefully side-eyeing her, I wonder how I could have refused when she asked me like I was her last hope.
“I’m sure you have other things to do, but I’m just?—”
I start talking before she starts apologizing for something that wasn’t her fault. “I wanna be here. Move on from that, Nora. I am where I want to be. Is that clear?” It’s probably not the best approach, but this is the only one I know. And I don’t want her to feel obligated or guilty, I just want her to… To what exactly? To relax? To forget about the douchebag who grabbed her? To just feel safe in my presence?
“Yes, Jericho.” Her face brightens with a true smile. “It’s very clear.”
The soft sound of little bells coming from the right makes me turn to look up. “Do they help?”
She follows my eyes. “With what?”
“The nightmares.”
“You remember that,” she says softly.
“I do.” Since I learned she has nightmares, I started paying more attention to the dreamcatchers around her house. I always make sure to untangle them if they get caught around nearby trees. “So, do they? Help?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” Shifting her attention from me to the skies where the moon is bright, she notes, “It’s a full moon soon.”
“Again?”
“Yes,” she giggles, making my dumb heart skip a stupid beat for no reason at all. “It happens every month.” She points her finger at the sky and makes a circle. “It all comes around.”
I know she’s talking about the moon, but for the love of everything, I can’t focus on anything else but her face. The moon is really bright, illuminating tiny freckles on her nose. Her hair seems even redder under the moonlight. She takes a sip from her cup, and that little tongue pops out for a second to lick a drop of chocolate from her bottom lip. And that lick goes straight to my groin.
I pull the sides of the blanket over my lap, pretending to be cold when in reality I need to hide a very inappropriate reaction to someone who just had a traumatic experience. My head is totally fucked up.
“Should I expect you in my backyard?” My voice sounds tight.
She turns her face toward me with a mischievous smile. “Why? Do you want to join?”
“Not really.” I let out a forced laugh. “I don’t want to run around in this cold dangling my balls; they might freeze off.” Sounding cheesy even to myself, I take a sip from the cup, even though I don’t like cocoa.
“Such a pity,” she tsks. “I bet it would have been something to see. Or not.”
And this is when I choke on that sip. Nora moves a little closer and starts patting my back. “Oopsie. Didn’t mean to spook you.”
I raise my hand in front of me, trying to stop coughing, but she just keeps talking. “I’m sure your balls are magnificent. Just like the moon itself. Right?” She hits my back particularly hard when I almost stop coughing. “Bright and shiny. And very round. Very.”
“Nora,” I wheeze out. “Just stop.”
“Okay,” she replies, barely able to contain laughter. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself. But to answer your question, no, I won’t be coming tomorrow.”
“Why not?”
“Is that disappointment I hear?” She laughs again.
This evening can’t go any weirder, so I decide to tell the truth. “Maybe.”
She bites her lower lip, trying to hide her smile. “It’s cold. Even witches can get frostbite. Plus, your light,” she points her finger toward my backyard, “is broken. And I need the right ambience.”
“I’ll fix it,” I blurt out, wondering how she knew about the witch thing since I’ve never called herwitchto her face.
“We’ll talk about that when it’s done.” She winks and goes back to staring at the moon. Her profile draws my gaze to it and holds it hostage. It’s quite frustrating, and I have zero idea what’s happening, but I can’t stop staring at her. The tip of her nose is pink from the late frost in the air, her cheeks match its color.
