If Loxley batted his eyes at me and asked to go to a party, I don’t think I could resist him. So yeah, this all checks out.
“Alright.” I wipe my face, and Seb beams at me. “But if any drama happens, I should leave.”
“What do you mean?”
“What if the new witches don’t accept that I’m a big turtle?”
“They’re magical beings, they’re going to have to deal with it.” Seb stops and approaches me. Putting his hand over mine on the counter, he asks, “What is this really about, man?”
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I manage to say. “Loxley. Didn’t Kai tell you what happened last weekend?”
“He told me you stayed over.” He shoots me a suggestive grin, but I shake my head.
“The next morning…Loxley…he ended up in so much pain.”
Seb’s face softens. “He’s an empath witch, yeah, I heard. But Lisbeth told me he’s honing that skill now. And that he’s happy to finally have his witch classification.”
I sink my head into my hands. “Those voices hurt him so much. What if I make it worse?”
“Aw, Gordy, buddy.” He taps my shoulder. “You can’t blame yourself for this. His witchy powers developed.”
“And it was awful. And it happened because we…” My words trail off, and I try to fight back tears. The guilt I’ve been bottling up for days is choking me.
Seb seems to understand. “Listen, didn’t you and Loxley have a good time on your date?”
I recall holding his hand on the Ferris wheel. Then I see images of him rolling in bed with me. “Yes,” I whisper.
“And has he blamed you, or said he doesn’t want to see you?”
I sigh. “No. He wants to.”
“Then that’s more important.” He taps my shell. “Talk it over with him tomorrow.” He walks back to his cauldron and mutters, “And stop being a worrywart turtle.”
We both laugh, and I walk out of the kitchen. As usual, Seb is right; I need to be a big boy and talk to the guy I like about my insecurities.
Two days later, I’m once again in the backyard of Boysen House. We’re all sitting at the table, chatting over drinks and barbecue. Seb opens presents, and Kai gazes at him like Seb invented happiness and joy. All the while, everyone chats and reintroduces themselves. The new witches are a pair of Japanese brothers, the dudes I met at the magical exam. They seem normal and not at all weirded out about my turtle form. As we eat meat, salad, and cake, Seb and Taina regale everyone with stories from college, and we all laugh.
This is ideal, since I don’t want any strangers inquiring about my turtle anatomy. I just want to be left alone to munch on a steak and gaze at Loxley diagonally down the table. In the summer sun, he looks gorgeous, but he’s barely looked my way. Meanwhile, my tail can’t stop quivering at the sight of him.
He doesn’t appear to be in pain, which I’m happy for. But I’ve hardly said two words to him since I got in. Avoiding his longing gaze makes my inner turtle thrash with rage, but this is for the best. Magic, my magic, made things worse for Loxley during our date. Keeping my space is for the best.
Tell that to my aching heart and my inner turtle that longs to cuddle in his arms.
Pretending to be almost-strangers with Loxley is torturous to my soul. So, I excuse myself to walk inside to the bathroom as everyone laughs over Seb’s story about some magical mishap.
Alone in the house, I recall being here on the night of my first date. I was so thrilled to finally get laid, and now we’re back to being acquaintances. In the bathroom, I wash my face and gaze at my reflection. Loxley could do a lot better than a big green reptile freak like me, so really, I’m doing him a favor.
With a sigh, I walk into the hallway only to stop when I’m met with a figure blocking my way. “Loxley!” I yelp.
He shoots me a challenging, determined look and takes my wrist. Without a word, he all but manhandles me down the hall into his bedroom. I’m back here where we first made love, and once again, he locks the door.
“Loxley, um…” I gulp and wipe my hands on my trousers. “How…how are you?”
He types on his phone and shows me the message: “You’ve been avoiding me. Do you not want to go out again?”
I frown and reply, “I do, I swear, I just…”
He steps forward and looks up at me with a challenging stare, and my heart pounds with shame and arousal. “I thought I was the reason you had that massive headache,” I confess. “You’re an empath witch now, and I don’t want to make this worse. I never want you to be in pain.”
