“Waiting for you to have breakfast fixed. Is there a reason why it’s late?”
I couldn’t sleep last night.
I bark a laugh at that. “You don’t sleep.”
Besides the point. Again—what are you doing?
I sigh. “I hope this isn’t about Blair.”
This is definitely about her.
I slip on a crisp white shirt and roll up the sleeves. “What I’m doing is making sure that I get the vision to help me solve the problem that you haven’t been able to help me fix.”
Hands drums one set of fingers on the floor impatiently.And how’s that?
“Our powers got switched. Her grandmother, who’s come back as a ghost—don’t tell anyone.” Not that Hands would. His social circle consists of me, me and me. “Her grandmother switched our powers. Blair’s got mine and I’ve got hers.”
You’re not going to use it to bed the whole town, are you?
“What is it with everyone thinking I’m a man whore?” I snap. “Yes, I’ve dated several women, and yes, I’ve often taken two to a party on more than one occasion. But I haven’t slept with anyone since…”
Since before the winter solstice. Since I last danced with Blair at the ball held by Feylin, the king of the fae. I’d asked her to dance with me plenty of times before then, but that was the first time that she had said yes in years.
And it ruined me for everyone else.
Gods, that was a year ago. I must really have it bad.
“I haven’t slept with anyone in a long time,” I correct as I button up my shirt.
Hands pauses for a long moment. Oh no, here it comes. I brace myself, because when Hands decides to get real, he doesn’t mince words.
Are you going to tell her the truth?
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
But now she has your power. Surely you can see the problem.
“No, I can’t.”
Hands does a series of acrobatic jumps, catapulting himself on top of the dresser so that we’re eye to…um…hand.
But now she has your gift.
“I know.” Where is this going?
She might see what you saw.
Oh, that’s where this is headed. “I doubt it.”
I don’t. She’ll see exactly what you saw, and she’ll put two and two together.
My rib cage becomes a steel trap, grabbing my heart in its tines and closing down hard. “She won’t have the same vision. Blair won’t have my power long enough for that to happen.”
But don’t you think that you should just tell her about?—
“No, I don’t,” I snap. My house is big, but it’s not so big that Blair won’t hear our conversation, so I drop my voice. I place my palm on top of the dresser beside Hands. “Yes, Blair and I dated a long time ago. I’m not with her now, and I’llneverbe with her again. Do you understand?”
But it could be that the vision will still happen.
