“I thought she didn’t,” Ria answered, looking possibly more confused than Lissa.
“Alice Parker did have a child,” Mixie answered.“She was married to a fisherman named John Parker who impregnated her before leaving on a year-long voyage.A few months later, she faked an illness that kept in her bed.She had the child in secret, aided by her lover, Mary Warren, and some family members.Fearing the growing rumbles of witchcraft would land on her doorstep and her child might suffer as well, she had the family members take the child away.Unfortunately that meant none of them were there to testify on her behalf when the charges came down.Most likely the child grew up never knowing she was capable of magic, and so the power faded over the generations.It’s unlikely you would ever be able to do magic, Lissa, but you are still a witch by blood.Nothing can change that.”
The room fell quiet, save for Jenna’s slight sniffling.“Alice’s story is just so sad,” she explained when a few heads turned her way.
“Huh,” Lissa said, as the last brick in her Jenga brain was pulled free and everything crumbled, causing her to lose the ability to form coherent thoughts altogether.
“Ria, maybe you should take Lissa out to get some fresh air,” an older woman offered, the one who had told the story about her daughter and the wormwood potion.
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Ria agreed.“I think we both have a few things to talk about.”
Still numb, Lissa allowed Ria to pull her from the chair and guide her out of the cottage.The witch tugged her off to the left, and Lissa followed blindly, her legs moving of their own accord since her brain was beyond occupied at the moment.
They’d been strolling down the sidewalk in silence for a few minutes, or possibly a few hours—time had lost all meaning to Lissa—when Ria finally spoke up.
“Will you say something?I can practically see steam coming out of your ears with how hard you’re thinking over there.”Ria slipped her fingers through Lissa’s, pulling her to a stop.“Talk to me, Lissa.I’m over here trying not to dance a jig with how happy I am there’s no spell on you, but I can’t enjoy it with how much confusion I see on your face right now.”
Lissa finally looked up at Ria.“I think I’m still processing this whole ‘magic is real’ thing.It’s a lot to take in.Plus the part where I’m a witch but at the same time not a witch?”
Ria grabbed Lissa’s other hand and pulled them both to her chest, leaving only the smallest gap between their bodies.“Let me ask you a question.You cared about me yesterday, yeah?”
Lissa nodded.
“Now that you’ve accepted I’m actually a witch, do you still care about me?”
“Of course,” Lissa said, her mouth responding before she even had a chance to think about it.Not that she needed to think about it.Of all the things that just changed for Lissa, her feelings for Ria were not on the list.
“Okay, so then shouldn’t you be happy we can be together now?”Ria chewed on her lower lip, drawing Lissa’s attention to Ria’s perfect mouth.Sheshouldbe happy Ria wanted to be with her now, so why wasn’t she?
Because you haven’t told her the truth about your lies yet, her brain insisted, apparently having emerged from the cave it had disappeared into after learning she was a witch.
You can’t be happy because you know it won’t last, her heart added sadly.
Shit.How could she even get Ria to forgive her after everything?No, best not to think about that right now.She should be focusing on the craziness that magic was real.Anything to keep her thoughts away from the conversation that actually needed to be had.
“I am happy,” Lissa said, finally pulling herself from the maelstrom of thoughts bouncing around in her brain.“All I’ve wanted lately is to get you to admit my feelings were real.”
“And I do admit that,” Ria replied.“I am so sorry I ever doubted you.Spells and rituals are something I’ve always struggled with, so of course I naturally believed I screwed it up.But I shouldn’t have.I should have been able to look into your eyes and see the truth of how you felt about me.”Ria dropped Lissa’s hands and draped her arms around Lissa’s neck, pulling her close.“Can you ever forgive me?”
“Stop,” Lissa murmured, squeezing her eyes shut so she wouldn’t have to face the affection shining on Ria’s face.“Please stop apologizing to me.”
“I’ll stop apologizing if you agree to go out with me.On a real date.No spells, no magic, no pretending to be friends.Just you and me acknowledging there is something real here, and it’s worth exploring.”
I know what I want to explore, Lissa’s vagina teased, doing a happy dance at the idea of a proper date.
Shut up, we’re having a moment, her heart replied.
“Okay,” Lissa croaked out, knowing she was going to have to confess eventually.“On one condition.”
“Name it.”
“You let me plan the date.”There was a chance Daria’s idea of putting Ria in the best mood possible before breaking the truth would still work.Unlikely, but worth a shot.She just needed to figure out what was more romantic than feeding sea lions.
“If that would make you happy, then done,” Ria stated, pressing a quick kiss to the corner of Lissa’s mouth before heading back in the direction of the cottage.“You let me know when and where, and I’ll be there,” she called over her shoulder.
“Great,” Lissa said, trying to summon an adequate amount of enthusiasm.She really was ecstatic about getting to go on a proper date with Ria, but now she needed to make sure their first date wasn’t also their last.
“Nofreakingway,”Dariagushed, staring at the scone in her hand as if might suddenly grow legs and start dancing.“Like, actual real magic?That’s so cool!”She stuffed half the pastry in her mouth, a near-sexual groan slipping out.
