Foreign emotions claw up my chest, demanding their place. Ludo, sensing my distress, abandons his food and stands up sothat his small forelegs are touching my arm. His strength flows through me, blending seamlessly with my powers and allowing me to control the tide of emotions.
Thanks, buddy, I think to him.
He dips his chin and returns to his bowl of seeds.
Rami shakes his head adamantly and copies my posture, leaning as close as he can toward me. “You weren’t unkind. I’m sorry I tried to push you into something you didn’t want to talk about.”
Now it’s my turn to shake my head. “You didn’t push,” I say softly.
We sit in silence, contemplating what was just expressed. Neither of us were in the wrong, and yet we both misread the other. I could blame this on being out of practice speaking with another, but I don’t feel like that’s entirely it. That would require me to have had any semblance of communication skills originally.
A quiet chuckle bubbles from Rami, drawing my attention back to him. “Miscommunication tropes are theworst,” he says, only confusing me further. I can feel my brows pinch in tight which earns me another adorable giggle. “In books. Tropes are what stories are about. Miscommunication is one of my least favorites. I always thought they were unrealistic.”
“Perhaps you judged these stories unfairly?” I tease.
Rami throws his head back with a boisterous laugh I’m compelled to match. The joviality of the moment settles over us, lowering both of our shoulders until the air around us is lighter than it’s ever been.
“Then maybe we should rectify this.” I stare deep into Rami’s gaze, curious where he’s planning to take this. “Since there’s no more work left to do tonight, how about we just spend the time getting to know each other?”
Part of me is screaming at how absurd the idea is, reminding me of all the reasons to walk away now.
He’s mortal.
It’ll break your heart when he leaves.
You can’t be touched.
The curse prevents you from speaking of it.
There’s nothing for you to offer him.
He’s too young and beautiful for your world.
You’re trapped.
“Okay,” I say instead, ignoring all the reasons to avoid him.
“Sweet,” Rami chirps. I open my mouth to ask him what he ate that was sweet, but he continues, unbeknownst to my confusion. “Do you want to just take turns pouring out our hearts, go back and forth with random things, or ask each other questions?”
I find myself even more confused as to why he’d want to remove our hearts. That sounds extreme. “What kind of questions?” I stick with instead, as I’m not a witch that uses sacrifices.
“I don’t know,” he shrugs, lifting one of his delicate shoulders. “Like what’s your favorite color?”
“Why does it matter what color I find most appealing?” That seems like a bizarre tidbit to discuss.
“It’s just one of those things people talk about, I guess. We don’t have to use that one. It was just an example.”
My lips quirk up into a half-smile, enjoying his rambling. “Blue,” I blurt out, making him meet my gaze. “Like that of a clear summer sky,” I add, my eyes never leaving his.
His chest rises and falls dramatically in response. “I’m finding myself more drawn to brown.”
“Oh?”
“Mmhmm. Especially when it has little flecks of gold sprinkled in it.”
“That’s the sign of my power,” I admit without prompting.
“Do all witches have gold in their eyes then?”
