“Interesting wedding dress choice. Will the groom be here soon?” the plain-looking woman behind the desk asks.
“What?” I reply.
“Bless your heart, you’re here to get married, right?” she says and I blink at her and look around in the stale government office that hasn’t been updated since 1975.
Me? Getting married? What in the seven depths of hell is going on? I try to back away and my body won’t let me. It’s evident a strong magical force is holding me here specifically.
What could possibly be holding me here, wanting me to get married? This woman probably thinks I’m deranged, wearing a nightgown, boots, and my hair probably looks a mess. I blink a few times and think about the last few days, has anything been different?
My mouth drops. No… no fucking way.
Silas.
“Miss?” she asks, interrupting me putting all the dots together.
“Yes, he’ll be here soon,” I whisper, looking down at my hands. Not knowing if he will actually be compelled here. Is sitting in the office for marriage licenses for the rest of my life my new form of purgatory?
There’s no way. I didn’t even know I was a witch when I made that pact with Silas. I didn’t have a wand, and I was sixteen, for fuck’s sake, I don’t even remember what was said. I didn’t mean the pact literally.
Well, I guess I did when I said it. But right now, I absolutely need to figure out a way to prevent this from happening.
Luckily, my body does let me walk into the ladies’ restroom. I lock myself in a stall and take out my wand. I try every nullification spell I can think of, but the issue is I’m not even sure how I cast the first spell.
That is, if it was a spell. What if I cursed us, or placed a hex on us instead? I’m wracking my brain trying to remember what was said that night, what could possibly undo this very wrong situation I’m in.
It was so long ago, and so much happened that night. I can just remember the basics. We promised each other that if we were single at thirty, then we would marry each other.
Well, I guess that answers my question on if Silas had found anyone in these years apart. We’re both single and thirty and whatever my magic did that night has come back to haunt us.
The air in my lungs feels like it’s leaking out, and I realize that my body is tired of hiding out in this bathroom. I cast a quick spell to smooth down my hair and reduce the dark circles under my eyes before my feet drag me out of the bathroom with a force so strong I’m not sure how I’ll find a way out of this.
I go back to my bench and sit there with my head in my hands.
Maybe Silas won’t have this pull? Maybe I just need to outlast the day and we’ll be free and clear.
It seems I’m not that lucky as a messy haired Silas opens the door to the clerk’s office and glares down at me. Relief fills me, like I’m no longer in pain now that he’s near.
“There you are,” I say in frustrated relief. “We’re so fucked.”
Silas looks around at the humans who are staring at us, wondering what the hell is going on. Then he looks down at my very scandalous nightgown before clearing his throat.
“What the fuck is going on?”
I look around and scoot over on the bench; he takes up most of the space and it’s weird having him this close again. His body is basically radiating heat as he crosses his arms, which are very large, not that I really noticed, and glares down at me.
“What did you do? It’s like I was in a trance on my way here,” he whispers.
“It was the same for me.”
His brows furrow, and he rubs his beard. It makes this scratchy sound that I pretend to hate.
“What do you mean? You clearly cast some petty spell to get back at me for yesterday’s meeting.”
I shake my head and swallow. “No, I cast this spell fourteen years ago, without even knowing it,” I say, picking at my black nail polish.
He sits back on the bench, my words clearly not clicking right away.
“The night I left,” I say, trying to refresh his memory.
