So I straighten my spine and stand rigidly in place with my fists clenched along the sides of my legs. He doesn’t need to know I’m only doing that to hide the shaking of adrenaline. “No,” I say firmly.
His head snaps around to stare at me, his eyelids narrowing into a glare. “No? Whydidyou come back here?” Adriel standsfaster than I would have expected someone of his size and closes the distance between us in three large steps.
I have to crane my neck to look up at him. It hadn’t occurred to me until now how much taller he is than me; he has to be at least 6’5”. Not that I’ve ever considered myself short at 5’9”, but next to him I feel diminutive.
“Because I have no friends in town,” I utter. Sort of a lie, not really sure where Abraham and I stand currently. Part of me hopes he’s still my friend, but with the kiss, I’m worried things will become weird between us. “I could help you,” I blurt out, hoping he doesn’t turn me away. “Maybe even retrieve things from town for you.”
That sounds legit. Perhaps? It has nothing to do with the butterflies that erupt in my stomach whenever he’s near me. Or the fact that he has no one around to tell him what to do, no expectations to be anything but what he is. The freedom is addicting. At least that’s what I’m going to keep telling myself.
Adriel’s posture softens, and his eyes sparkle with excitement. I bite my bottom lip, thrilled I’ve gotten to him. “I-I haven’t had a friend in a really long time,” he mumbles. The anguish in his voice twists my stomach into knots.
Ludo runs in a small circle nearby and stomps his foot adamantly.
“Aside from Ludo, of course,” Adriel corrects, making Ludo nod his tiny little head.
“Of course,” I agree, and chuckle lightly.
“Tell me what the village is like now,” he says, returning to his task of tending to his flowers.
Glancing down, I look over the little kangaroo rat who is just too cute for words. His little brown head turns sideways as he appraises me. As if he’s trying to decide if I’m worthy of Adriel’s attention.
He turns, rushing to be by Adriel’s side. I suppose that means I’ve passed his assessment. Adriel splays out his hand and helps Ludo onto his shoulder in a display they’ve clearly done numerous times. The whole thing curls a smile up on my face.
Limping to his side, I drop down to my hands first before carefully lowering to my knees.
“What do I pull and not pull?” I ask, not wanting to kill something I’m not supposed to.
He chuckles good-naturedly and shows me a small cluster of leaves barely peeking out of the soil. “These are the baby plants we want to be careful around.” Moving his hand over to a taller plant with white star-shaped flowers. He bends it to the side to reveal a line of thorns along its stem. “This is stinging nettle. Great for medicines and elixirs, but quite painful to remove if you’re not careful.”
“The rest is fair game to pull and add to your pile?” I ask for clarification, not wanting to fuck this up.
A simple nod is all he gives me before returning to his task.
Wrapping my fingers around what I hope is a weed, I pull it out of the ground with trepidation. Out of the corner of my eye, I meet his watchful gaze to make sure I chose appropriately. A smile graces his perfectly full pink lips, andmanis he devastatingly handsome. He dips his chin in approval and I find myself having to swallow the knot that lodges itself in my throat.
He’s a cursed witch trapped in the woods. And I’m an adult ward of my overly religious grandmother. A romantic relationship, especially one this complicated, is a luxury I can’t afford right now.
The two of us work in amicable silence for a while. I find the task to be monotonous but relaxing. It’s an easy routine to fall into, one I wouldn’t mind doing more often.
“There’s really not much to say about Sabletown,” I start, remembering part of my bargain to convince him to allow me tostay. “It’s like any other Southern town, I suppose. On my way to the library from my grandmother’s house, there’s this little park area with a duck pond. It’s really quite pretty. I like to stop there frequently and talk to the ducks.”
My fingers dig into the cool soil, following Adriel’s lead as we work our way through the massive field of flowers.
“The church is in the center of town and sits on the highest hill, so you can see it from just about anywhere.” It’s always felt more like a reminder that someone is always watching or that the church looks down on me—literally. But that could just be me as I’m fairly certain I’ve overheard Grandma Julia talk about how reassuring it is, like a beacon.Whatever.
“That’s where the one I remember sat too,” Adriel supplies.
“Really?” I ask, looking at him like a crazy person. ‘Cause why the fuck would he lie about that?
“I doubt it’s the same one. That one had one room and was already falling apart when I last saw it.”
I bob my head, now curious how old he is. But I feel like I’ve already pushed the boundaries on what I should and shouldn’t ask him. So, I don’t want to test my luck and set him off again.
Biting roughly onto my bottom lip to fight the urge to ask the question, I refuse to make eye contact and focus more on the weeds I’m tugging out. “I don’t do much exploring in town. Mostly just home and the library. But there’s this quaint little bookstore I like to visit. A friend of mine—well, I think he’s still a friend of mine.” I pause, staring at the way the dark brown soil tickles up my fingers as I get lost in my thoughts. “Anyway,” I mumble, and clear my throat. “It’s sort of my own little safe haven. He lets me hide from the assholes in the town.”
“There used to be a copse of old growth Hemlock trees on the Eastern side of town. There was a circle of mushrooms that always grew there that I used to visit and pray to Mother Earth.”
Hands still in the dirt, I slowly turn my head to stare at Adriel. It’s probably the most words I’ve heard him string together. He has a nice, deep timbre to his voice that I wish I heard more. One side of his mouth has a whimsical curl as if he’s remembering the spot vividly.
