My lips parted for another comeback. I wasn’t sure exactly what to say. Talking with Ryan was easy, and I didn’t know how I felt about it. Then, add in the compliments.
If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve assumed Ryan was trying to get into my pants. Of course, in this scenario, he was much more likely trying to get into my brain than my pants.
Sweatpants.
I tuned myself out as I gestured down to the books spread out on the table.
We were both back at a respectable distance from one another.
“Well, you definitely have your five sources here, and we can probably look up another on the school database if you need an electronic one too. Like you said before, an extra will also take up some more page space if you decide to quote directly.”
“Probably smart. One more thing checked off.” Ryan grinned, much less out of breath than I felt. He swiped his blue pen over what was clearly a previously empty box.
“You use a planner?” I tried not to sound surprised.
“Yeah,” Ryan said. “I might not get things in on time, but at least I know that I have to do them. You don’t use one?”
“I have everything online. I run my coven’s calendar, so it seemed easier to have everything in one place.”
“Coven.”
Shutting my mouth, I paused before letting myself sink back into my seat. Right, I had just said that. It wasn’t a secret of coven extracurriculars, but for a minute, it was easy to forget the Ryan from three years ago.
The crazy soul-stealing witch.
“Is that what they call your church?”
Slowly, I nodded. “Kind of. More like a church group if you think of it like that. Less chanting, more chatting.”
“Who else is in your coven then?”
“It’s me and about five other ladies. There’s Gertrude, Celeste, Essie, Ana, Faith—”
“Faith, the librarian?”
I stared at him, surprised he’d put that together, let alone knew who any of the librarians at Barnett were. Librarians were almost always witches. I didn’t need to open that conversation right now, however.
“A few of them tote along their kids too. I usually drag along Vadika a few times each year.”
Ryan snickered. He didn’t look upset or anything other than interested.
“It used to be more structured. Nowadays, we end up just eating snacks and talking about the ways of life.” As well as possible solutions that didn’t come from the charmed snack cake or cinnamon bread for lively abundance and luck.
“The ways of life?”
I nodded.
“Have you figured that out yet?”
I snorted. I couldn’t believe I was laughing with Ryan Gardner now. “Not in the slightest.”
“So, you don’t really, like, cast spells and do magic then?”
“No, we do,” I said. “Just not like the movies.”
“What do you mean?”
“Magic is in the intention, which is then transformed through manifestation, an understanding of the physical and metaphysical world.”
