“I don’t want to hex him,” Iris said. Then, after a little consideration: “Yet.”
“Attagirl. So, spill. What did The Suit do?”
Iris let it all spill out, this time letting the tears flow when they threatened.
Selene just listened, bringing her tissues, then her cup of tea.
When she was finally done, Selene took a deep breath. “Hmm.”
“Hmm? That’s all you have to say? Hmm?”
“Well, see, I feel like Finn would have to be monumentally stupid to do something he had to know would upset you just when the two of you had seemed to make some progress. And as much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think he’s an idiot.”
“Are you taking his side?”
“Listen, you know how much it pains me to defend a man,” Selene said, making Iris’s lips tease up ever so slightly. “I don’t think this was Finn’s doing. This has that smarmy, self-serving, sneaky-ass campaign manager written all over it.”
That did make a certain kind of sense, when she thought about it.
“It still doesn’t explain why he didn’t come after me,” Iris insisted. “Why he chose to stay with the cameras instead of making sure I was okay.”
“No,” Selene agreed, leaning back in her chair. “No, it doesn’t explain that.”
Iris watched the steam dance from her cup. “What if he always chooses his career first?” Iris warmed her hand on the mug. “If I want to be with him, does it mean always being second in his heart?”
“I wish I had the answer for that. Maybe what you need is a little time and space to get your mind and heart in check.”
“Yeah,” Iris agreed.
“You can crash here. I end up sleeping on the couch more than the bed anyway, so it’s all yours. And I can loan you something less … nipple-prominent to wear.”
Despite the sinking sensation in her chest, Iris’s lips curved up.
“I’m afraid to take the stickers off,” she confessed.
“I think I’d rather drink a truth potion at a family dinner than pull those things off.” A full-body shiver racked Selene’s system. “But I will soak in a tub until I’m pruny to make a bandage peel off, rather than pull it off myself. Oh, speaking of. That’s the bathroom, obviously.” She waved toward the only door in the space. “You can touch all four walls from the center. And you have to leave the door open if you want to do something like blow-dry your hair. But it has a pretty nice soaking tub. For elaborate bath rituals, a good cry, or replaying that stupid thing you said twelve years ago until your stomach is in knots.”
“I really appreciate this, Selene.”
“Don’t mention it. I never got to have sleepovers as a kid. This is kind of nice.”
“Why couldn’t you?”
“You try having a friend circle when your mom summoned a demon to help her bake sourdough, and the thing stuck around and possessed the toaster. Then it whispers things like ‘Crumb by crumb, I shall return,’ when you’re just trying to make a toaster grilled cheese at two in the morning.”
“Are you close with your mother?”
“I moved out of New England to put some buffer between us. Otherwise, she would be dropping in for full-moon rituals every month. Naked. But, yeah, I love her.And my sisters, aunts, cousins. They’re just a lot more … magical than I choose to be. I mostly just like my books. And convenience spells. Like the one I am doing … right now,” she said.
Selene waved her hand in the air, writing something on the air that Iris felt breeze past her, making her hair kick up and a tingle move across her skin.
“What did you do?”
“Cast a spell for a bath that stays at the perfect temperature, no matter what. Go relax. I’ll get the bed all changed and comfy. Then you can get some sleep and look at this whole situation from the right side of morning.”
Some part of Iris wanted to stay and talk, to hear more about Selene’s upbringing and crazy family. To get to know her friend, sure, but also as a distraction.
But the siren call of an endlessly warm bath had her rising and making her way toward the bathroom.
