Page 59 of Meet Cute Magic

Just friends. Friends who fuck and go on quests together, but as she loves to remind me, friends. And in just a few weeks, her family curse will be broken, so she’ll be free to bump into her soulmate or whatever the fuck, leaving me… I shake my head gently, not wanting to think about it.

“Oh, come on, Jack, don’t be a—” Clearly, she interpreted my need to clear my mind from a downward spiral with a rejection of her help, but the truth is, we both know I’m in no position to turn her assistance down.

“Sorry, no, I… yeah, I’d love your help.” She smiles wide and pure, making me happy I accepted her help, if only so I could get her beaming smile again. She hops off the counter and moves toward me quickly, putting her arms around my neck and pulling my head down to press my lips to hers as if I’m doing her a favor instead of the other way around.

“Oh, this is going to be so much fun! Can I stay for the event? I’ve never actually watched one of these games in progress, and I’m so intrigued.” A blush moves across my face, and I can’t help but smile, nodding and pressing my lips to hers.

“You want to hang out for my nerd event?”

“Absolutely,” she answers without hesitation.

“Then, yeah. You can be on my team.” She squeals with excitement and claps, and I can feel a part of her settle deep into me, so deep I don’t think she’ll ever be free, not even years after this mission is over and she’s settled in with her dream man and her two point five magical kids and their white picket fence.

But hey, maybe we’ll still be friends then.

I’m learning that I like having Rosie as my friend.

By the time five thirty rolls along, the nerves are still there, but they aren’t as all-consuming as they were before. I no longer feel like a large animal is sitting on my chest, stopping me from taking a full breath. Instead, nervous butterflies float in my stomach, but it’s the kind that is more excitement than genuine nerves. With Rosie’s help, I feel completely prepared to handle tonight. I know I would be in a much worse state right now, when the bell chimes over the door as my first guest walks in, if it weren’t for Rosie.

It also helps when the first person to show up is Ryan, whom I met at the fall festival. I’m glad that the first person I’ll have to greet and engage with is someone I’ve not just already met, but have talked to a good bit since we exchanged numbers.

“Wow, it looks great in here,” he says, smiling wide and looking around the decorated shop. I follow suit, taking in the transformation Rosie did over the last six hours. The tables where games will be taking place are draped in green and black tablecloths and decorated with some kind of garland, something Rosie took responsibility of, and they look better than anything I could ever have managed. She found some kind of printable decorating set online that I think was technically for a birthday party, but with her skill it looks professionally done. I stood in awe as she hung black and purple streamers along the ceiling with her magic from a stash she had in her store. Food is laid out on a table, and she even assembled gift bags with freebies and a pamphlet for tonight’s activities for each guest, different than the admittedly ugly stack of things I had planned to hand each of them.

“Ro—” I start, stepping to Ryan and putting a hand out to shake his, but Rosie cuts me off as he grabs my hand.

“Isn’t it amazing? Jack’s been working so hard on this, and I really think it’s going to be such a hit!”

“It is,” he says with a nod, turning to her. “How’s it going? Didn’t really pin you as a gamer.” She shakes her head and lets out a small, tinkling laugh.

“Oh, I’m not. Jack’s tried to teach me a couple of times and I’m totally lost. But you know if someone needs help, Heartwood Hollow steps in.” He nods like this is common knowledge everyone in town knows, and maybe it is: I’ve never made much of an effort before Rosie came into my life to learn. But that’s changed recently. The week after the fall festival, I met with Mrs. Hanna and we made plans for a joint sale weekend, where customers could get a Five Realms–themed craft and a pack of cards for a discount if they visit both shops, and late last week, I met with the owner of the local antique store to talk about comics, cards, and second-hand pricing. Even Ryan’s been chatting with me a bunch since then, coming to the shop a few times, once not even with shopping in mind: he just walked to talk about our shared interests.

I’ve been more engaged in this town in the past month than I have in the entire three years since I moved here, and I know there’s one person to credit that change with. My eyes are locked to her, lost in my thoughts, when Ryan speaks again.

“Anything I can do to help? Looks like you two covered everything yourselves for the most part. I wish you had called me up. I would have been happy to come early.” I shake my head and open my mouth to tell him no, but Rosie cuts me off.

“Actually, we ordered pizza from Prima in case anyone needs real food instead of just snacks, but their delivery is super backed up. Any chance you can go pick it up?” she says, and I turn to her, eyes wide with disapproval. She can’t ask a guest if—

“Oh, for sure! Anything else you need?” Ryan asks, looking at me. Again, I shake my head.

“No, no. And you don’t have to do that, either. I appreciate it, but it’s not necessary. You came here to enjoy a night of games and—” He looks at me, confused, and my words trail off.

“That’s what friends do, right?”

Over Ryan’s shoulder, Rosie smiles wide, nodding and giving me two big thumbs-up. I stumble on my words, and I think I say thank you through my shock and confusion as I realize he’s right. Somehow, I’ve made a second friend in just a few weeks, all thanks to the woman who can’t seem to contain her joy. I give Ryan some cash, and he heads out to get the pizzas. When the door closes behind him, I turn to Rosie, whose smile is still taking over her entire face.

“Look at you, finally being a real local, making friends and whatnot,” she says as she steps closer to me. I open my mouth to argue, but she shakes her head, her face going soft. “I’m proud of you, Jack.” Her words are gentle as she wraps her arms around my middle, looking up at me with soft eyes and genuine pride on her face. With the look, the panic that had started to build up once more in my chest melts away. “This is a lot for you, but you’re killing it.”

A million responses flood my mind, and then I come to the conclusion that none of them are appropriate for a friends with benefits situation like we have and would surely screw up whatever we have beyond repair. Instead, I lean down, pressing my lips to hers, my hands lifting to cup either side of her face. I kiss her, sweet and hard, and hope that somehow, in some small way, she understands everything that today means to me: her trust, her belief in me, her help, her kindness.

The kiss lasts long enough that I lose track of time, simply kissing this woman who, suddenly, I’m realizing my world is starting to revolve around, and letting myself forget about any kind of expiration date it might have. It breaks when the bell over my door chimes, and I spot three men entering, one of whom I remember bought three tickets for the event. My pulse pounds once more, and my gaze shifts down to where Rosie is smiling wide.

“Game time,” she says, then steps back and greets the customers with a happy grin.

Two hours later, I look around my packed shop in awe. The room is filled with more people than have ever been here at once, with each table full and people dotted along, watching the ongoing games. More guests stand along the side of the room with plates of the snacks Rosie set out and has been refilling before they can get too low, and I realize I did it.

We did it.

My first in-store event is a complete success, with laughter and talking and new friends being made. I’ve already had two people come up to me and ask if this is going to be a regular thing, and the sales from this night alone prove that I could even reduce the entry ticket fee and still make it incredibly profitable.