His eyes are wild, as stormy as the night outside, and no sooner has the thought crossed my mind than another peal of thunder rattles the windows.
“Too fast?” The side of his mouth quirks up into a grin. It looks good on him. Everything looks good on him.
“It’s just a lot,” I say, pushing a lock of damp hair that’s drying in a strange wave behind my ear. “I didn’t mean to trauma dump on you.”
“Ivy,” he says, “you told me you’re a witch. I am not sure how that’s trauma dumping. And even if it were, I think I just proved that I liked it. Unless you told me you do human sacrifices or something.” He cringes. “You don’t do that, do you?”
That earns a little laugh from me, and the rest of the tension dissolves like I’d imagined it.
“No, oh my God, of course not.”
How much of the tension have I been imagining? Could it have been this easy the whole time and I’ve made it harder for myself?
“That’s good. That might be a red line for me.”
“Might?” I ask. “Human sacrifice might be a red line?”
“Well, it’s you, Ivy. I’d want to know more details before I passed judgment.”
“It’s a red line for me,” I say on a laugh. I lick my lips, wondering about another kiss. But knowing that if I do anything else tonight, I’m going to talk myself out of being around him more. But I’ll tell myself I got swept up in emotion and hormones and needing something from his body that I haven’t had in a very long time.
“I don’t think the kiss was too fast,” I tell him. “Honestly, I think it was a long time coming. And I’d like to do it again. But Ithink maybe we should take it slow. It’s been a really long time, Caleb. I don’t know if I’m the same person I used to be.”
He laughs, the sound low, rasping in a way that does something to make my belly flop, heat rising all the way up to my face at the sound.
“Well, that’s good,” he says, “because I’m definitely not twenty-one anymore. And thank God for that.”
He rolls his eyes and it’s my turn to laugh, because he’s got a damn good point about that.
I settle back, staring at him kneeling in front of my chair, Gunner’s tail thumping on the wood floor, rain pelting the window panes.
“It’s funny, huh?” I ask. “We thought we were so old when we were twenty-two, twenty-one, even. I thought I was grown. I look back and I think I was a baby.”
And he nods knowingly, and I know that we’re both thinking of all the times that we shared together.
Maybe it’s a good thing we broke up when we did — like it gave us time to become who we are.
I don’t say it out loud. The thing between us is too new, too tender to say something like that to it, like some spell that could undo this fragile bud. I don’t want it to wilt.
“Are you going to drink your cocoa?” he asks. “Spent a lot of time making that from scratch.”
He nudges the cup towards me and I laugh as he gets up off the floor with more grace than I would have. When he finally sits down next to me, I realize I’ve been staring at him.
A slow grin kicks up the corners of his mouth.
“Like what you see?” he asks.
I cut my gaze to my cup, feeling a blush heat my cheeks, and I grab it for support, taking a long drink. Thankfully my little confession sob kiss combo gave the cocoa time to cool down so I don’t burn off all the taste buds on my tongue.
“I have to say—” he pauses, leaning back in his chair, then takes a sip of his own drink. “I am dying to know more about the magic thing. So there’s not like a witch and wizard school you went to or anything? Flying broomstick? Use toads and eyes of newt or whatever? You know, I also think that it makes sense that you’re magical because I’ve never had anything like the candy you make at Sugar & Salt.”
I put the mug down and grin at him.
“The magic definitely gives my work a certain something. As far as broomsticks, no, don’t know how to do that. Not sure if it’s possible, but that’s not how my magic works. Maybe witches that have wind power could do that, but I don’t know. We’re all slightly different.” I shake my head, coming up short on explanations.
Maybe I should have planned this speech better. I probably would have practiced it in front of the mirror if I thought I was ever going to actually tell anyone.
I rub the little charm on my necklace before soldiering on.
