He looked down at his hands in his lap for a moment, then spoke quietly. “Esmie, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not going anywhere that you aren’t.”
She blinked, uncomprehending, then blushed to the tips of her ears.
“Chad, really. I mean, anyone would have done the same.”
He shook his head without looking at her. “No, they wouldn’t. And it’s not gratitude. It’s not even admiration.”
“Although we do admire you,” Aaron said, his expression not changing from the frown of concentration, his thumb still scrolling on his phone.
“Hm?” Jerome asked, looking as if he’d just awakened from a dream.
“Nothing,” Esmie said, her face on fire.
“Why are you blushing?”
“I’m not.”
He gestured toward her face. “All evidence to the contrary.”
Aaron spoke absently without looking away from his phone. “Chad is explaining that we all fell in love with Esmie and want to be with her forever.”
“Oh. Gotcha.” Without protesting thisbon motin any way, Jerome went back to staring dreamily out the window, watching the world fly by below.
Esmie’s mouth opened slightly and stayed that way. She looked from Jerome to Aaron and, finally, to Chad, who looked at Jerome with annoyance… but not with denial.
“What?” she finally squeaked.
Aaron finally looked up from his phone, his brow clearing. “What? What’d I say?”
Chad rolled his eyes and finally turned in his seat to look at her full on. “He’s not wrong, okay? I know we probably should have built up to it, but… maybe it’s better this way. Get it all out right from the start.”
“But… what?” she floundered, her fingers twisting together in her lap.
He reached over and touched them lightly, stilling them. “Esmie, I’ll tell you right now that there will never be anyone else for me but you. I can tell you that with perfect honesty. Where else would I find someone who could free me from a literal curse without being tempted to demand something for themselves instead?”
“That’s not—” She cut herself off, practically choking on her embarrassment. “Chad, you can’t know that. You haven’t been in the Now for almost forty years.”
“I know what I know.” His eyes warmed. “And I know what I want.”
Aaron looked at her with endearing honesty. “I was a goner for you when you stood up for me to Jerome. You didn’t know he was only kidding. Hell, you didn’t know he wouldn’t chop your head off for the audacity. But you did it anyway.”
A little silence fell between them, and she swallowed hard, trying to digest their words. Surely, she hadn’t done anything so grandiose. She’d just done what needed to be done. What anyone would have done in the same situation. Right?
Then, Aaron elbowed Jerome in the ribs. Hard.
“Ow! What?” He rubbed his ribs irritably. “What the hell, man?”
Aaron tilted his head toward Esmie, eyes widening intently.
“What?”
Chad pinched his nose with the hand that wasn’t gently touching Esmie’s. “Why do you love Esmie, Jerome?”
“Oh, that’s what we’re doing?” He cleared his throat and intoned gravely, “Because she, my friends, is an absolute badass. She went toe to toe with the Headless Horseman, she figured out a three-hundred-year-old puzzle single-handedly, and she survived the crossing like a dozen times without losing either her mind or her grip. Badass.”
“Two hundred thirty—” Aaron started, but Jerome cut him off.
“Three hundred years, man. Rounding up.” He gestured. “She’s a goddess. How could I not love her? And she personally saved my delectable ass, so yeah.” He finally subsided a little, sitting with a bit less bravado. “Love you, lady.”
