Page 108 of Hexed & Hazy

“I—good,” he says. “That’s good for you. I don’t expect you to help with the hex.”

“Then what do you expect from me?”

He’s quiet, staring at a wall. “To… wait for me, I guess, even though I hate asking for it. It’s the only thing we can do, right?”

Damn it all. He’s right, and it doesn’t even hurt to hear it. I press my cheek against his chest. He wraps both arms around me like it’s an instinct. Though my soul has never felt particularly romantic, I believe mine was meant for him.

“I’ll be waiting for you, too,” he whispers. “You’re the one for me, Ro.”

“And I’ve already been waiting for you for this long,” I utter. “A little more time can’t hurt.”

He makes a sound of objection. “It doesn’t sound good when you say it like that⁠—”

“Shh. It’s all right. Our time will come.”

He never confirms what I know to be true—that we’re not ready for what comes next for us, that it isn’t our time yet. Maybe we were functioning on borrowed time, fighting against a fate that wanted us to wait. Instead of cutting down the last of my hopes, he holds me—for a few moments, long enough that I cry into his shirt and he rubs my back. The tears are gone when he finally leaves, without saying another word.

Even so, I know it’s not the end.

My sisters have been walking on eggshells around me since Seth and I broke up.

Well, it’s not really a breakup. I don’t know what it is. But he’s not here, and I miss him. The only thing that comforts me now is knowing he misses me, too.

I’ve usually been good about keeping my affairs private, but it’s different with Seth. He’s so tangled up in our family. My sisters know him and love him, so, of course, they noticed something was off shortly after.

This one time, I couldn’t exactly avoid them knowing about it, but I do well at avoiding the topic.

I suppose it wasn’t hard, given that Seth stopped visiting. Even before we were together, he would visit Laurel, and now, with one notable exception, he’s gone.

Still, this is Starbrook. It’s difficult to stay away from each other entirely.

When I see him, I wave. I don’t smile. He does, and he waves back. It’s about as close to cordial as I could hope to be, and I think I’m truly waiting this time, but it’s not always easy. Sometimes, I’m waiting for him to come back to me. Other days, my insecurities get the best of me, and I’m waiting for him to have someone else on his arm, for a sign that he’s moved on in ways I can’t.

If the situation were different, if it were anyone else, I would call it pathetic. But it’s Seth. He’s worth the wait.

So, yes, all of my sisters have been coddling me.

Except for one.

“It’s been almost two weeks,” Laurel says, coming around the bar and poking my side.

I pull my spiked lavender lemonade cider closer and take a long drink, wiggling in my seat. Cold drink season is my favorite season, and it’s not yet summer, but I’ll enjoy the slight warmth outside before the next downpour of rain.

Today, Laurel is the only thing that can get in the way of my enjoyment.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, sipping.

“Yes, you do.” Her expression softens, but her words so rarely do. Laurel isn’t cruel, but she speaks her mind. Rude. I suppose that’s how I would describe her, if pressed. “Look, I was totally for you two taking some time apart to clear up the hex, but this has been going on for too long.”

“Just a few weeks.”

“Way too long. I don’t know how either of you are this patient. Why don’t you just talk to him? You’re both upset, obviously. You care about each other.”

It’s clear she doesn’t understand the situation. Seth and I aren’t upset. We’re not the problem. It’s everything else that seems to get between us.

I scoff. “It doesn’t matter how much we care about each other. Our feelings for one another have nothing to do with… any of this.”

Laurel’s relationship was hard at the start, and it was perhaps even more difficult than what Seth and I are going through, but she can’t understand. Nerissa picked Laurel over everything. Seth and I… we’re in a waiting game, and I still don’t know if he’ll pick me in the end. He has so many other options. Always has.