“Thanks,” Ria said, snuggling into the soft yarn.
It might have been wishful thinking, but Lissa was pretty sure she saw Ria take a quick sniff and smile.Suppressing a grin that the witch apparently liked her scent, Lissa pulled Ria into her living room before the skittish woman could bolt.
Ria perched on the very edge of the couch, her gaze sweeping around the room, taking in the small home.
Lissa kicked herself when she saw a handful of glass blown pieces on her shelf.She’d remembered to hide the ornaments and most of her large artwork, but in her hurry to get ready, she’d apparently missed a few.Oh well, maybe Ria wouldn’t even notice.At this point, she didn’t even know if Ria would take a shower before dashing out of the cottage and out of Lissa’s life.
She didn’t know when things had gone so horribly wrong.One moment she was telling herself she only wanted the marketing secrets, and the next she was risking frostbite in some very important areas just to keep kissing Ria.If she wasn’t certain magic was all nonsense, she might have believed the Elixir Enchantress actually had cast a spell on her.Though, even if Lissa was willing to entertain such an absurd idea, she had been captivated by the woman well before the “spellcasting” ever happened.The issue now was her emotions had long since escalated from captivated into something more like actual serious feelings.Andthatwas a huge problem for Lissa and the studio.
“I like your place,” Ria whispered, and Lissa almost missed her tiny voice over the sound of the crashing waves outside.
“Thanks,” Lissa replied, taking a seat on the opposite couch despite the fact she was dripping wet.She lived on the coast; sand and salt water was part of life, and trying to keep either out of her home was an exercise in futility.
“It’s very…white,” Ria commented.
Lissa frowned, unable to discern if the observation was positive or negative.“Um, thanks?I think.”
Ria’s eyes widened.“Oh, I’m sorry if that came off as rude.I only meant that I like how light and open it is.I’m sort of living with my mom for a bit, and her place is like a cave of clutter.This is a nice change of pace.”
Lissa toyed with her lip piercing to hide the wide grin on her face.“Oh, well, in that case you’re welcome to stay as long as you like,” she said, aiming for a casual, “yeah I have buddies hang out here all the time” vibe.
Apparently, she failed.
If possible, Ria scooted even further off the edge of the sofa, her body angled toward the door.“I should probably be going.I’m feeling a lot warmer now.Maybe you could give me a ride home?”
Lissa suppressed a sigh as she moved over to sit near Ria on the other couch.“If you really want that, I will, but I’d rather you took a shower first.Even with my grandma’s blanket wrapped around you, there’s still a tinge of blue to your lips.”
You’d think the blanket was covered in fire ants with how fast Ria yanked it off.“Crap!I don’t want to get sand all over a family heirloom.Why would you give this to me?”She shoved the knit throw at Lissa who just waved a hand.
“Stop.It’s not an heirloom, it’s seen more than its fair share of sand, and more than anyone, my grandma would want you to be comfy and warm.”
Ria gingerly wrapped herself back up, treating the blanket more like a prized possession this time.“Sounds like you have a good relationship with her.”
A tiny arrow of sadness lodged itself in Lissa’s stomach, but she brushed it away like every other time.“Had,” Lissa clarified.“She passed away shortly before I moved to Seacliff.She was actually the one who told me about this place.”
Ria shifted off the edge of the couch to sit down beside Lissa, sympathy filling her large eyes.“I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Lissa briefly debated leaning into the sympathy, but she was already going to hell for the lies she’d told and had to draw the line somewhere.“It’s okay,” she replied.“Grandma Parker was older, and it was her time.I miss her, but I try to focus on the good memories.I never really got along with my parents, so I used to spend all my time at her place.She never cared I was a lesbian, while my parents always thought there was something wrong with me.”
“That’s awful,” Ria cried, placing an arm around Lissa’s shoulder and making it really hard for Lissa to not lean over and nuzzle the side of Ria’s face.“I guess I was always lucky my mom was nothing but supportive of me.”Ria paused.“Well, about my sexual preferences anyway.I got more than enough judgment about other things.”
“Family,” Lissa laughed out.“Can’t live with them, can’t—”
“Live without them?”Ria supplied.
Lissa shrugged.“I was gonna say ‘can’t throw them into the ocean at high tide,’ but I think we already established you had a better relationship than I did.”
They both laughed and leaned back against the couch, their bodies nestled against each other, their heads so close they were practically touching.
Lissa wanted to stay like that forever—in this comfortable moment where she felt like she could tell Ria anything—but she felt her own little shiver slide through her and knew Ria was likely just as cold.
“Come on,” Lissa said, dragging herself up off the couch.“Let me show you to the shower.I’ll even throw your clothes in the dryer for you.”
She watched the hesitation roll over Ria’s face, and Lissa held her breath while she waited to see what would happen.
“Okay,” Ria conceded after a moment.“But after the shower, I really should get going.”
“Not a problem,” Lissa replied, holding out a hand.“Follow me.”
