I’m still processing, obviously.
Ro nods decisively, tugging me back to his chest, and bracketing a hand on the back of my head to cradle it under his chin again.
“Yep, the more I think about it, the more I know I’m right.” His voice is arrogant, and far more assured than he has any right to be.
I scoff into his shirt, and his chest hitches with a suppressed chuckle. I hate to admit his strategy is working.
“After all, I’ll need a partner who can match my level of crazy,” he says.
That gets a short laugh out of me, and I turn my face up to his. “Your level of crazy, huh? What, like stalking me?”
Ro turns sheepish, his eyes darting to the side before meeting mine again.
“Yes, well, that… among other things.”
He shifts me into his side, still hugging me with one arm while rummaging around in his pocket with the other. When he finds what he’s looking for, he holds his hand up between us with something dangling from his fingers. It takes a moment for the sight to register.
“Is that my bracelet?”
I reach out, but before my fingers make contact, he jerks his arm away with a literal, godsdamnedhiss.
I gape at him, my mouth falling open as I stare in shock.
Ro cringes and pulls away, cradling the bracelet protectively to his chest with an apologetic look in his eyes.
“Shit, sorry.” He fights with his instincts as his fingers clench, and he forces himself to move his hand toward me, as though to give the bracelet back.
With gentle fingers, I take the silver strand from his hand.
“No,” I whisper, clasping the bracelet around his wrist instead of my own. “It’s okay. You can keep it.”
Ro freezes, his eyes leaping to mine as I gaze up at him. I see myself in his eyes. My heart is thundering in my chest as I wonder what this means, what’s happening, if I’m already losing my mind.
I clear my throat, a scratchy jolt of sound jarring us both back into the present.
“Is this what you meant by ‘among other things’ then?” I ask.
“Yeah, so uh, I kinda have some other issues besides just …stalking you.”
He stumbles over the word stalking, and it shouldn’t be nearly as cute as it is. He runs a hand through his already messy hair, avoiding eye contact with the admission.
My emotions are going haywire, and I feel like I could sleep for a week from this conversation alone. At the same time, I’m lighter, more energized with every moment. I want to soak up each of his words and lock them in a box to keep them safe with me forever.
“I have some klepto tendencies, and… Um… Pyromania is a thing I struggle with too.”
Ro shrugs like it doesn’t matter, but I know him too well for that now. Tension lines his eyes, and his fingers are fidgeting with the bracelet.
“I’ve already got issues, so I know what it’s like. You don’t have to try to protect me from you, Lor.”
His eyes meet mine, dark with emotion, and I suck in a breath. Then his skin starts to flicker like it’s lit from below, prompting me to look down. There’s a flame cradled in his palm.
My eyes widen and I take a step back.
“It won’t hurt you,” he whispers. “I would never let that happen.”
“I…” My fingers itch to reach for it, an urge I’ve never experienced before. Surely this must be the star-chaser curse eroding my mind already. “Can I touch it?”
Ro nods and his gaze lightens, a tenuous smile touching his lips. I dip my fingers into the flame and feel only a slight warmth, like sun rays through a window.
