Page 11

“What?” Kassian asks though he’s not slick, I can see that he’s trying to hold back a smile, like somehow he already knows.

“Hazel said she’s not coming.”

“Oh no!” Kassian says. I narrow my eyes at him, watching in fascination as his golden eyes dart away and his cheeks turn red once more. He puts a hand on Nix’s shoulder. “This is perfect. You two can grab a table and enjoy some ice cream together!”

Nix narrows his eyes at his friend. “I am not staying unless you stay too.”

“That’s not how these things work, Nix.”

“Kassian,” Nix says slowly. “I am not staying unless you stay. That’s my final answer.”

“You are too stubborn for your own good.”

“And you aren’t making any fucking sense.”

“Don’t fucking swear at me.”

“Then stop being so fucking cryptic.”

“Gentlemen,” I say, clearing my throat. They pull apart, not realizing they were practically nose to nose just a moment ago. They breathe out, suddenly much more calm than they were before. “Would either of you like to fill me in on what’s going on right now?”

Nix looks at Kassian. Kassian looks at me, giving me a bright smile. “Nothing,” he says right away. “Just a little disagreement on what flavor of ice cream we want. Have you looked at their selection yet?”

To say I’m baffled would be an understatement. I text Hazel, asking her if she set me up. I get a message back with two emojis, a winky face and the little smile that’s doing the shush with his finger. I blink down at my phone before huffing and tucking it back into my pocket.

“Oh look, bro, they have caramel swirl,” Nix says, pointing into the display. “Your favorite.”

Kassian looks over at him with a soft smile. It’s an achingly gentle smile, one filled with affection and fondness. Does Nix even notice? Does he know how Kassian looks at him when he’s not paying attention? “I think I’ll get a scoop of that.”

“What about you, Dean? What’s your favorite ice cream?”

“Vanilla bean,” I say, looking into the display. They don’t have any plain vanilla. I hum to myself. “I guess I’ll try a scoop of the apple pie.”

“Oh, that sounds good,” Nix says, looking at all the options. “I think I’ll have the berry explosion.”

We all order our ice cream. Kassian nudges Nix. “You should pay.”

I pull out my wallet. “You guys take donations to pay for your services. Let me pay.”

“Oh,” Kassian murmurs, tucking some of his long hair behind his ear. “Thank you, Dean.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll call it an extra thank you for yesterday. You made Hazel really happy by helping her.”

The three of us take our ice cream to a booth and sit down. I wasn’t planning this, but I can’t deny that I’m interested in learning more about them. They’re interesting people who live very interesting lives. Far more than I do.

“I’m glad Hazel was happy,” Nix says with a grin, sliding into a seat beside Kassian. Kassian makes a frustrated noise but doesn’t comment on anything. He scoots into his seat across from me, blocked into the corner by Nix’s body.

“Are you happy as well?” Kassian asks, taking a bite of his ice cream and humming softly to himself.

I rub the back of my neck. “I’m not sure how I’m feeling.”

“That’s understandable,” Kassian says softly. “This has been a big change, especially since you’ve gone from thinking you have no magic to suddenly having it. We have the number of a counselor in the area. She’s an empath and works with others like you. Whenever we do our meet and greets, we like to make sure there’s someone local that can help out when we leave.”

“I’d like that. Thank you,” I say with a little nod.

“No worries, Dean.” Kassian pulls out his phone, giving me the number. I save it into my phone.

“So,” Nix says slowly, “what do you do, Dean?”