I didn’t ask.
She definitely wasn’t going to tell.
“For the love of Olympus,” she croaked, rubbing her eyes, “what’s going on?”
“I have news. Big news.” I paused for dramatic effect. “Oh, and I kissed Roman again.”
Cassie grinned and padded toward the kitchen. “Okay, maybe this was worth getting up for.”
I followed, dropping onto a stool at the bar counter as she rummaged through her apothecary of enchanted teas.
“What should I brew this morning?” she mused. “Something for fertility? Because you’re glowing.”
“Uh, no. We only kissed. And the jury’s still out on whether he’s my true love or not.”
Cassie paused, one brow arched. “Wait. I thought you told me last night—after your interview—you were sure he wasn’t.”
“Well,” I sighed, “I changed my mind. Again.”
She pulled out her special teapot—blackened and gleaming, forged in the underworld by her mother, Hecate—and set it on the burner with a hiss.
“You’re giving me whiplash,” she muttered. “We need a brew of clarity. Maybe with a splash of grounding.”
“Yes, please.”
My head was spinning.
From the kiss. From the terrifying thought that maybe—just maybe—Roman and I had been torn apart unnaturally. And now the universe was trying to stitch us back together.
Cassie grabbed two teacups—each painted with tiny torches that flickered like real flames, enchanted to keep your drink warm and your secrets warmer. “Spill, sister.”
I didn’t even know where to start. So I didn’t, really. I just let it all tumble out.
Roman playing hero.
Roman playing twenty questions and making it feel like he actually wanted to get to know me.
Roman admitting something was missing in his life. Was it me?
Roman quoting his dad about soulmates and unnatural deviations and devotion sodeep it bordered on mythical.
And the kiss. Definitely the kiss.
Yes, I’d lied to him again about how good it was. I couldn’t hand him the key to a door I wasn’t ready to open. And I wanted him to keep on knocking because every time we kissed, my heart sparked. I missed my heart so much.
Cassie didn’t interrupt. She just poured the tea, steam curling between us, and waited for me to finish my tale.
When I was done, I let out a deep breath and grabbed the cup Cassie had placed in front of me.
She leaned on the counter, studying me. Her cheeks twitched as if she were holding back ten different smiles.
“What?” I asked, suddenly nervous.
“I’ve just never seen you like this,” she said, voice soft but amused. “You’re bubbly. NotI’ll stab you if you look at me the wrong wayanymore.”
“Was I really that bad?”
“Oh yes, darling. But I dug it.” She winked. “But . . . I think this is more you.”
