“With sorcery, clearly.”
“Dangerous territory then.”
She tilts her head, smirking. “You sound like you’d know.”
“Maybe I do,” I deadpan.
“Another riddle.”
We pause on a bench under a willow tree. I can’t count the number of hours we’ve spent in our lives, basking under willow branches, talking, laughing. Loving. The breeze carries the faint buzz of summer music and laughter from across the square.
Ash leans back, tucking one foot under her knees. “So, big guy. Tell me something about yourself thatisn’trelated to punching, magick, brooding, or looking menacing.”
“That eliminates most of my personality.”
“Exactly.”
I think for a moment.
“At home, I take care of stray kittens.”
“You what?”
I can feel my face heating. “I, uh… I take care of stray kittens. Well, cats. But a lot of the stray cats have kittens so I take care of them too.” Before she can recover, I nudge her knee with mine. “Your turn.”
She hums, pretending to think, but we both know there’s no way she would have asked without having an answer of her own already prepared.
“I tried to learn French once because I thought it would make me sound romantic. It lasted three days.”
“I would have lasted two.”
“I just kept saying “Je suis fatiguée”because it sounded pretty.”
I grin. “And what does it actually mean?”
She smiles mischievously. “I’m tired.”
“Oddly fitting.”
She laughs again, genuinely, head resting against the bench. “You know, you’re not what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“I don’t know. I figured you’d be louder, angrier. You have that look about you — like you’ve carried something heavy for a long time.”
“I have.”
She looks at me, not pressing for details. Just waiting.
“But lately, it’s lighter.”
“Because you’re here?”
“Because ofyou.”
Her breath catches. It’s subtle, but I feel it. The air between us thickens, full of things that neither of can give voice to yet.
Then she breaks the moment with a laugh, standing abruptly. “Okay. Enough heart-to-heart. I need more sugar. I’m pretty sure the candy shop is still open.”
