Did he disapprove of me eating with my fingers? Is he concerned that he’ll no longer be the tallest man in town?
… Does he think that I’m a threat for some reason?
It was ludicrous – the only threat Max was posing was to his own wallet. Still, the idea that anyone was perceiving him when he didn’t want them to, let alone seeing him as a threat, was extremely disconcerting.
Uneasy, Max dialed up his powers, willing himself to fade into the background.
After a long moment, the man blinked, looking confused, before shaking his head and turning away.
Max breathed a sigh of relief, sinking down into his chair.
What the hell was that?!
At that moment, Sylvie returned with an enormous slab of the banoffee bread and butter pudding, and all concerns hemay have had about the mystery man flew out of his head as he instead concerned himself with devouring the deliciously warm, buttery goodness, which practically oozed with melted chocolate, gooey banana, and sinfully rich dulce de leche.
Is there a rating I can give that’s above five stars?he thought dazedly, so caught up in the experience of the pudding that he found himself picking up the bowl with the intention of licking the last of the caramel sauce and melted ice cream from the bottom.
Feeling a little sheepish, he reluctantly lowered the bowl back to the table.
But I’m sure everyone here would understand.
Raising his eyes to see if anyone had noticed his little faux pas, his heart skipped a beat as he realized that the man with the toddler was staring at him once more.
That… that hasneverhappened before.
He’d never once had the effect of his powers fade like that. Ever.
The man narrowed his eyes, and Max began to feel increasingly unnerved.
What iswiththat guy?!
“Gale? Honey? Is everything okay?”
Carrying over the muted din of the bakery was Sylvie’s voice as she came up to the mystery man. Looking at the two of them together, it was quickly clear that they were the parents of the little girl – she looked so uncannily like both of them, despite being a pudgy little toddler, that it was obvious.
The man – Gale, apparently – took his eyes off Max for a moment to look at Sylvie, and Max took the opportunity to boost his powers again, willing himself to seem as boring and unremarkable as the dirty dishes on the table.
Gale looked back at him, then shook his head, confused.
“Everything’s fine. I just had the strangest feeling…” He shook his head again.
Sylvie’s forehead creased slightly. “I’ve learned to trust your strange feelings. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Gale nodded. “Yeah, all good.”
As Gale turned away once more, his daughter turned to face Max, looking over Gale’s shoulder – andlocked eyes with him.
Max stared at the baby with a feeling of bewildered horror.
Not horror at the kid itself – it was a baby, neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things. Well, aside from the fact that it wasverycute, with chubby rosy cheeks and big green eyes. But he still had his powers running. Nobody should’ve been noticing him, least of all ababy.
The baby gurgled happily, waving at him. Unsure what else he could do, Max waved back, still staring in bafflement.
First, there had been Kieran looking at him in confusion. Then there had been Poppy, completely unaffected by his powers at all. Then Gale had been suspicious of him and semi-immune to his powers, and now this child was staring at him.
Are my powers so far gone that they won’t work on a toddler?he thought in mild despair.Is this the end of Aubrey Z.?
His stomach dropped.Or, even worse… is this the end of my get-out-of-jail-free card for pointless small talk?
