Page 96 of Hexed & Hazy

Days have passed, I’ve barely been able to sleep, and we’re no closer to figuring out who hexed me. It’s impossible. All there is to do is wait for it to wear off, and who knows how long that could take?

It feels like my life is falling apart. Appetite? Gone. Working out? Don’t feel like it. At work, it’s like I’m going through the motions.

But a night with the people I care about may help.

This is a family dinner, not a romantic one. In fact, Rowan and I haven’t had a romantic moment in days. No kissing. No hand holding. She barely looks at me. Rowan is doing something I’ve never seen her do: avoiding.

My feelings are still here, and that’s something greater than the curse. Why couldn’t this be easy? It was always simple to let go of old flings, but there’s no letting go of Rowan. She’s burrowed her way into my heart…

And I know Rowan loves me, but we haven’t addressed that either.

She shows up last to the very non-romantic family dinner. Laurel and Nerissa are already chatting at the dinner table with my mother when Rowan steps inside, shaking off her wet umbrella.

“It’s going down out there, huh?” I can’t believe I’m talking about the weather, as if her hand wasn’t around my throat just a few weeks ago.

“Uh-huh.”

My gaze floats down to her lips. It would be too much to kiss her. Even a cheek kiss is pushing it.

I clear my throat. “You worked late.”

“I know.” She runs her fingers through her hair. “Free consultation with a client went longer than expected. She had a lot of questions.”

“That’s not good.” I furrow my brow.

Rowan was doing better at relaxing before, but it seems like she’s sliding back into old habits, and I don’t know if it’s my job to call it out anymore.

She lifts a shoulder. “It is what it is. What are we eating?”

Finally, some good news: “You won’t believe it. I made kare-kare.”

“Oh?” She smiles softly, tilting her head. “That’s my favorite.”

It is—and maybe it was too romantic of me to make it, but I have to do something. Even though we’re on this weird pause, I won’t let our relationship fizzle out.

I scratch the back of my neck, and Rowan leans in. My heart races. My fingers clench at my sides as I stop myself from doing more—touching her face, her ass, anything.

Her lips brush against the shell of my ear. “Thank you.”

All right… not too romantic… everything is fine.

She pulls away quickly, chuckling. “Let’s eat.”

Nerissa clears her throat, watching us with her red, demonic eyes. “Yes. Let’s.”

I’m sure she’s curious about our relationship. Some demons, like Donnie, spend most of their time on this plane—with the mortals, as they call us. Others, like Nerissa, live in the underworld. She doesn’t exactly have a choice. Her father died—something I watched happen—and she was forced to take the throne.

Now, Nerissa is the lord or ruler of some section of hell, or whatever. I don’t understand it all, but I know she’s busy—too busy to know what’s going on in my love life, probably. Laurel doesn’t seem to mind Nerissa being a lord. Maybe she has some kind of power kink, and Nerissa is definitely powerful.

Laurel hangs onto her whenever she’s around, and tonight isn’t an exception. I’m lucky she doesn’t sit on Nerissa’s lap. Instead, they’re close, their hands clasped on the table. My mom sits at the head, while Rowan and I sit on the other side of the rectangular table, and…

This. This is definitely too romantic, right? Sitting here, across from another couple. Rowan still says nothing as the dinner moves on.

She’s quieter around other people, even her family, only offering the occasional comment here and there. Laurel and I keep the conversation going, and my mom definitely helps. She asks about work—though she doesn’t know or understand what Nerissa does—and finally Rowan has something to say. Tax season. New clients.

Laurel and I exchange a look, but we keep quiet. Should Rowan really be taking on new clients when she’s already so burned out?

“How are you two doing?” Nerissa asks, her piercing stare wandering over Rowan and me.