“Well, they might be almost seventy years old, but these appliances look to be in decent condition,” I say with false bravado.
Idon’tknow why I said that. Healmost definitelyneeds to replace everything in the house, butI’mmore of a glass half full gal, and Idon’twant to overwhelm him.
I take one of the tattered curtainsabove the sinkbetween my fingers and inspect the fabric. It used to be brown gingham. “These should probably go.”
He chuckles. “Probably.”
“What about the living room?” I ask, brushing past him. Our arms clumsily brush as he moves out of the way, andI’mstruck by that familiar tingling sensation again.
Everytimewe’vetouched,I’vefelt it. Even in our spirit forms in the void, I remember the feeling of my fingers falling asleep when he took my hand.Ican’texplain it, butI’mtempted to reach out and touch him again.
Theo has his thumbs tucked beneath his suspenders ashefollows behind me. He waits patiently in the middle of the living room while I make my inspection. The scratches on the hardwood are much more noticeable now that the thick layer of dirt and grime is gone. It too willprobably needto be replaced, but I sayit’sgot character. The windows have been scrubbed, andit’snow much easier to see through the glass. A nearby treehas split from the trunk because of the heavy ice and snow, and I can almost count the rings in the stump.
“I should start the fire,” Theo suggests, moving to the fireplace. Currently, it’s the dirtiest thing here, given the pile of soot that’s collected at the bottom of the grate.
Theo takes his time scooping and scraping the remnants of wood and ash out of the way. After making sure the area is free of debris, he places a new log in the center.He takes a moment, peering thoughtfully into the grate, as if preparing himselffor something.
Then, out of nowhere, it catches fire.
I jump back. “Did you do that?”
His shoulders go rigid. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” He gets to his feet and faces me.
I’m not sure what I just saw, but I’m pretty sure he just performed magic.
“You’re a witch,” I blurt out, backing away.I’mnot scared of him, butI’mnot exactly comforted either. “You’ve had magic this whole time?”
“My father was a warlock,” he explains, hands raised slightly as if in surrender. Or topossibly calmme down, because it feels like I just saw a ghost create fire.
“I have very little magic, but there are some things I can do,” he continues. “Idon’tuse it often. It drains my energy.”
“Okay, this changes everything.”
He scoffs. “Why?”
“Umm, hello!” I let out. “You could have snapped your fingers and turned this house into a resort spa.”
Now he’s actually laughing.His smile stretches all the way to his ears, and I can see all of his teeth.“I’mnot that powerful, Kennedy. I just told you, I can only dosmall things.”
I stop my retreat and shuffle my feet. “Like starting the fire,” I suggest.
“Yes,” he says calmly. “And I may have charmed the mop to scrub the floor while I dusted.”
Now I’m laughing. “That’s some Disney Princess shit right there!”
“It’s silly,” he insists. “My magic is miniscule compared to those women who summoned you. Itwasn’tworth mentioning.”
I bite the inside of my cheek andreturnto whereI’dbeen standing before. “Sorry for freaking out.”
I watch the long column of his throat as he swallows. “You didn’t freak out.”
“I kinda did.”
He relents. “Yes, you did.”Our joined laughter fills the house.
Talking to Theo feels easier than ever before. But to be honest, Idon’tthink it was ever hard. Sure, he needed someone to force him out of his shell, but even in his moments of doubt, he was never cruel.He’sbeen kind from the start, andit’sa qualityI’mbeginning to grow fond of.
But above all that, there seems to be something else at play here. Ican’tquite describe it, but wheneverI’mnear him, I feel a tug in the pit of my stomach.Almost likeI’mbeing pulled toward him, the universeurgingme forward.
