Page 47 of Rewitched

“I love him as if he were my own father,” Ari said sincerely as Mr. Ricci headed back to the counter. She added a few drops of milk from the small jug. “In fact, probably more. Fancy that new Halloween film tonight? There’s a midnight showing.”

Now that their initial meeting was out of the way, Belle’s lessons with Artorius were to properly begin that coming night. Her nerves were shot, so she’d been attempting to distract herself with reading up, but the feeling had been made entirely worse by all the caffeine. She could already see the slightest scratch of a crescent moon in punctures between the café shutters, silver and misted in the dark late afternoon. By sheer luck it was a new moon: the perfect time to begin anew, to embrace a fresh start.

“Can’t,” Belle said reluctantly.

Ariadne gave her a disgusted look. “I knew this day would come, and yet I did not expect it so soon. Belle, you cannot abandon me in singledom. I forbid it. You can’t leave me in solo spinsterhood.”

“I promise it’s not like that. We took a solemn vow to grow old and become haunted beldams together while everyone else gets happily married and has delightful chubby babies. I respect the vow.”

“And don’t you forget it. Matching warts, waist-length grey hair, clacking spinning wheels, the lot.”

“It was sealed in blood,” Belle said. “I take it very seriously.”

“I don’t know, I feel treason in my bones. Two nights in a row sounds pretty ‘reformed spinster’ to me.”

“And that is precisely why you have commitment issues with everyone but me,” Belle said, snapping her chocolate flake in half to offer out, as was the rule.

“I’m actually so happy for you. This feels kind of exciting. I think I want you to meet someone more than you do. But if Mr. Magical is keeping you out every night until the wee hours of the morning, I should at least know his real name. What if he murders you and I have to come and avenge your death?” Ari asked, chocolate crumbling over the table.

“Why are you so obsessed with avenging my death?”

“Because we are in love. So go on, what’s his name, then?”

Belle chewed at the inside of her lip. She could not offer up the name Artorius. For one, it was synonymous now with a smiley old man, and it felt wrong on many, many levels. For two, it was a name that Ariadne would rip to absolute shreds.

“Rune.” Not much better. She presented it as an answer before she could stop herself.

“Pardon?” Ariadne attempted to keep a straight face. “Rune? That’s not a name, that’s a noise.”

“You’re being rude.”

Ari snorted. “You are dating a man…who is called Rune.”

Belle nodded indignantly, spinning her coffee cup in an attempt to appear nonchalant. Where did that come from? His was the first face that popped into her head. She instantly regretted the impulsive answer. Ariadne pushed again.

“Rune? As in those little stones with symbols on them. As in ‘room’ but not. As in ‘rhymes with spoon.’ As in ‘the Rune in spoon stays mainly on the ploon’?”

“The ploon? You had me until the ploon.”

“Is he a son of Gloin?”

“Shut up, please.” Belle folded her arms on the tabletop. “I think it’s, like, German or something,” she muttered under her breath. Why she was getting so defensive, she wasn’t quite sure.

“I can’t believe the man who’s finally going to steal you from my grasp is named…Rune. I’ll never get over this. He had better be alarmingly hot.” Ariadne was no longer even trying to stifle her laughter and cackled loudly.

“Did you want a cinnamon roll?”

“Don’t change the subject. Where do you find these men?”

“They seem to find me all by themselves,” Belle said grimly, rummaging for her purse.

“It must be serious, though? With Rune.” Ariadne bit her tongue, emphasising the name while ripping off a chunk of sticky cinnamon dough. “You’re sneaking in way past your bedtime, cancelling our plans for him, and you look like you haven’t slept in months. No offence.”

“Wow, thank you for that.”

“Sorry, but it’s true. You can’t keep this up. Working all day, then spending all of your nights at his place, travelling back to ours, begin again, repeat. It’s ridiculous. Why is he making you do all of the work?”

Belle raised an eyebrow. “You can buy me more caffeine if it makes you feel better.”