He casts me a puzzled look.
‘I’ve always regarded it as a curse.’
He’s giving me a look of surprise. ‘A curse? What, like someone has put a spell on you?’
‘I see how love ends. Mostly I see break-ups, cheating and sudden deaths.’
‘That sounds intense.’ I watch him thinking about what I’ve said. ‘That’s why you don’t go out – isn’t it?’
‘Yes. It’s draining when all you see inside your head is a constant stream of dating spoilers.’
‘Why do you think you’ve been cursed? It sounds more like a special ability to me.’
‘My aunt says I have a gift, but I have always viewed it as a curse. I see so many visions. They always come true. When I touch someone, I get a flash of white light and then I see how their love ends. The visions always come true. There’s no time limit on them.’
I look at him and try to catch the words precariously balancing on the tip of my tongue. They tumble out of my lips. ‘I don’t see anything with you.’
His eyebrows arch with surprise. ‘Nothing at all?’
I shake my head.
A grin spreads across his face. ‘I always knew I was special.’
We both start to laugh.
‘What does it mean?’ he asks after we’ve both stopped laughing. ‘Wow – so with me, you have no spoiler alerts?’
‘No.’
He smiles. ‘You haven’t had your gift guiding you.’
‘That’s right.’
I think of Mum’s notebook and what she said about her gift and Dad. ‘My mum never saw anything with my dad.’
He lets out a mock groan. ‘Oh, I thought I was special there for a few moments. Like immune to magic curses.’
We both giggle, and he pulls me into a hug. ‘How do you manage this… gift?’
‘You’ve helped me a lot by encouraging me to give love a chance.’
He puts his arm around me and pulls me close.
‘That must be hard if all you see is how things end. I bet it put you off dating.’
Resting my head against his shoulder, I think about how tough it’s been. ‘The only way to survive was to lock myself away and avoid physical contact.’
I can feel him turning to face me. ‘Will you be my girlfriend, Nelly?’
‘Yes, I will, Oliver.’
Cupping my face with his warm hands, he kisses me. ‘You’re also the best kisser.’
As we kiss, my mind reminds me of my virginity. I decide to tell him everything when we break for air. ‘I will be your girlfriend, but there’s something else.’
‘What is it?’
‘You will have your work cut out with me, Oliver.’
