"Yeah, no kidding.I promised to install a doorbell at my bedroom window as well."My mouth tugged up in a smile."It's part of my proposal promise to him."
It took Faye a moment."Wait, you asked him to be your familiar?What did he say?Did he say yes?"
I let out an excited squeal."Yes!"
"Cass, that's amazing!I'm so happy for you!"Faye's whole face lit up for me and she darted forward, her arms held out like she wanted to hug me.She paused before she could reach me, clearly having changed her mind about how to congratulate me.She bounced backwards, pulled an adorable face and stepped towards me again, only to pat my arm."Congrats, umm.Yes, congratulations."
It was so adorable and awkward, I felt myself smile."Thank you."
"I'm glad he said yes.He's already practically your familiar anyway.He's got you under his thumb, that's for sure," she said, tilting her head sideways."Do cats have thumbs?"
"I think so," I said with a shrug.I didn't really care about feline anatomy.Instead, I was far more interested in the woman standing in front of me with a shy smile.It hadn't even been forty-eight hours since we kissed in the antique shop but it felt like forever ago.
Maybe because we hadn't really talked about it yet.
"Well..."Faye said, rocking back and forth in a way that showed she was a little uneasy and awkward.
I felt it too.
"Well," I repeated, not sure what else to say.
"How are you?Apart from the exciting news about Balthazar, is everything..."she paused, clearly dancing around the subject."Are you good?Cause we've not seen each other since..."she trailed off, gesturing with her shoulders.Somehow.
Butterflies tumbled through my stomach."I'm good.How are you feeling about it all?"I asked.I hadn't intended for us to have this conversation outside the coffee house but this was as good a place as any.
Faye brushed some of her black hair out of her face."Not going to lie, I'm half convinced I hallucinated the whole thing."
What an adorable answer, especially because she looked so adorably shy.Faye rarely looked shy.
I reached for her hand, causing her to look at me properly.As cute as she looked like this, I didn't want her to feel worried and unsure about this.My thoughts raced as I tried to think of something smooth and reassuring but it was hard to come up with something that didn't sound corny.
In the end, in an effort to convince her that this wasn't some fever dream, I brought her hand up to my lips and pressed a light kiss on her knuckles.
I regretted it instantly and heat rushed up to my face.Of all my options, this was quite possibly the corniest thing I could've done.
"When did you get so smooth?"Faye asked, her voice soft and thick with affection.
"You think that was smooth?"
"Better than finger guns," she mumbled.
A snort came out of my mouth, an unbecoming sound."I thought the finger guns were cute."
"You must really like me if you think that."
Something restricted in my throat when I looked at Faye."I do, actually."
"Oh."A smile appeared on Faye's full lips and while her cheeks remained their usual tanned shade, her ears got a tint redder."So...What does that mean for, you know, us?"
"I think that's up to us to decide," I said, stepping to the side to let some customers into the coffee house.I should go back in to help Mila but I was sure she could manage a few more minutes without me.This conversation with Faye was far too important.
I’d confessed my feelings to her on an impulse.Telling herI was in love with herwith finger guns, a mortifying memory.And she told me she liked me back.She’d kissed me and it had been amazing, like fireworks exploding in my stomach and liquid fire running through my veins.
And then we hadn’t seen each other or talked since and our friendship was now up in the air, floating somewhere between best friends and more.I didn’t know how to proceed and Faye looked a little uncertain of herself too, which was unusual again.She was always so confident and flirty but some of that was just a facade.There was a timidness to her that I knew she only showed to those closest to her.To me.
"Do you want to do it again?"I blurted out, cringing at how blunt my statement came out.I lowered my voice.“Kiss, I mean.”
"Now?"Faye asked, her eyes widening.
