She laughed, throwing a hand over her mouth to collect the sound, the bubble inside of her chest growing and knowing what it meant.
She was undressed and lowering her body into the hot water, letting the delicious warmth shiver over her and then the sounds of singing birds filled the room in a gentle melodious chorus turning this small, downstairs bathroom into a magical forest.
And that bubble inside of her chest finally popped. With her head resting back, her body submerged in the lovely water andthe overhead canopy of twinkling magic, she closed her eyes as the tears fell again.
She cried for a while. With birdsong and magic covering her.
And then once the water had cooled she lay there staring up into the beautifully lit birch tree and let out a sigh.
She wasn't better.
But she wasn't worse.
And there was a kind of gentle lethargy that came with crying and letting your body feel whatever it needed to feel. She worried she wouldn't be able to sleep that night, but a half hour later she was tucked into her large four-poster bed, the comforter perfectly hugging her body and she drifted off, thoughts of Theo kissing Astra stinging in her chest, and then without her permission, she fell asleep to the memory of him kissing her.
23. Living Room Tigers, Oh My
"Don't let it get to you."
Bess pressed her lips together nodding. Todd was trying to make her feel better after the last customer wouldn't take a drink directly from her. She had to hand it to him to give to the customer. She wouldn't speak to Bess, wouldn't look her in the eye.
The treatment from some was making it clear that this town was being influenced by the signs and petitions against Cora.
Against them.
Every day articles came out about protecting them from unnatural occurrences in Salem. Every day there is a warning reminder that they should aim to be home and inside by nine each night. Every day the friendly smiles on the street, between taking orders and handing off coffees, became less, replaced by looks of unease and suspicion until they became outright hostile glares.
"Seriously. They're just like, you know," he shrugged his wide, lanky shoulders. She could appreciate Todd being kind. He was quiet, had been in more than a handful of her classes over the years, always respectful. He was familiar with the popular crowd, though more of a side character.
Not dark, wavy hair offsetting clear blue eyes, athletic and from an affluent family popular.
The thought of Jeremy made her groan. It made her think of him coming into The Black Cat a few days ago during her shift and buying her coffee while she was working.
She'd kept herself busy in the background for her shift until Todd turned around with a black mug and set it on the bar in front of her. She frowned.
"Thanks, Todd." She had been about to make herself her afternoon coffee and with one sip she smiled at him. "You made me exactly what I like. Impressive."
He threw his thumb over his shoulder. "Not me."
Her smile fell flat when over his shoulder she saw a boldly smiling Jeremy Bracker. He sat at the bar, hands cupped around his own drink, a book laid out in front of him.
"You ordered me a coffee?"
"I did," he replied with a cheeky grin.
"I work here."
"Charming right?"
Her eyebrows dipped as she leaned a hip against the bar. "I'd say convenient."
He made a look of weighing her words as he drank from his cup. "Or since you won't go on a date with me, scrappy and working with what I've got."
"Hmm. How did you know what I'd like?"
His blue eyes lit the slightest. "I guessed. Figured, second or third coffee of the day so you'd want something lighter than straight coffee, but stronger than a latte. Three shots. You seemlike a caramel girl, but just a little, not too sweet, with a little sea salt and excellent foam."
It was exactly what she liked as her second coffee of the day. And she was a little freaked out. It had to be the magic.
