His voice softened, reverent in a way that made my heart stutter.
“But you are so beautiful, Seph.”
From the open bedroom, a flutter of paper slid into the air — unsteady, playful — before drifting straight toward me. A tiny heart was drawn on it.
It landed neatly in my hand.
Ash barked a delighted laugh. “Now that’s my kind of ghost.”
A phantom breeze ruffled his hair.
He grinned, flicking out a pulse of air magic in answer.
The two forces — Echo’s subtle shimmer and Ash’s wild gust — met in the middle of the room, swirling like excited children.
My books rustled.
A pile of worksheets toppled.
“Hey—hey! You two.” I tried not to laugh. “Don’t mess up my room.”
A combined gust — absolutely intentional — knocked over one of my bead boxes.
Beads scattered like spilled stars across the floor.
“Echo!” I groaned.
Ash dropped into a crouch beside me immediately, helping scoop them up. “What are these?”
“Um… nothing. Just a stupid hobby.”
My cheeks burned. Why was everything embarrassing around him?
“Nothing you do is stupid,” he said simply.
My face got hotter. “I make jewellery. Necklaces. Earrings. Sometimes bracelets.”
“Bracelets?” His gaze flicked to the one on my wrist.
Instinctively, my fingers curled over it.
“I didn’t make this one,” I said quietly.
“Oh.” He blinked, accepting that without probing — which almost made it worse. “Well, I like the colours. I think I saw one the other day in our room—”
Knock knock.
We both jumped, heads snapping toward the doorway.
Dev leaned against the hall wall, spinning his blade between his fingers with absent precision. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes flicked over the scattered beads… then to Ash’s proximity… then to the bracelet I was clutching.
“Hope I’m not interrupting,” Dev drawled.
Which, coming from him, meant he absolutely knew he was.
“Hey, Dev. How are you?” I tried for polite, formal — the safer choice around him.
“Getting on.” His eyes flicked from me to Ash to the bead box on the floor. “I thought I’d escort you to breakfast. But I see you already have company.”
