Page 40 of Grave Expectations

“I slept almost a full day. I’m sure once I have some tea and a cinnamon roll, I’ll be fine.” She sat upright and was glad that her head didn’t swim. Alaric kept a gentle hold on her arms, guiding her.

He stared at her a long moment, his fingers tracing her cheek. “You don’t regret it?” he asked quietly.

“Not yet,” she said. “If you keep treating me like porcelain, I might.”

His lip ticked up in a half-smile before he smothered it. “We’ve no idea the long-term effects of this. What if⁠—”

Roz lifted her hand to his lips, pressing gently to silence him. “I knew the risks. I read the same thing you did.”

He took her hand in his and kissed her fingertips. “You’re always so selfless,” he said quietly.

“No, this was me being selfish,” she said. “Because I wanted you here. I couldn’t bear the thought of you leaving, of not seeing you again. I was willing to do the tether as long as it took, whatever it took. I did this for me, because I want you.”

Alaric swallowed, and when he spoke, his voice broke. “I was afraid to ask you. These last few hours, the last day…I kept thinking, ‘this can’t be the end of it! I need more time!’ But who was I to ask such a thing of you? I thought I overstepped when I told you how I felt in that bakery. I worried you’d push me away, and I’d have ruined something so wonderful.”

A tear tracked down Roz’s cheek. Alaric wiped it away. “I’ve upset you.”

“No,” she said. “I’m glad you’re who I’m navigating this with.” She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Are you okay with aging? With others seeing you? With being in the spotlight once more?”

Alaric twirled a piece of her hair absently, considering. “I suppose we will find out.”

“Tomorrow,” she said. “There are broom races, for the Pumpkin Festival. Will you be my date?”

“I’d love nothing more,” he said.

The string lights illuminated Main Street, making it look more like midday than evening. Food carts dotted the street, selling everything from candied apples to apple cider to Pumpkin Festival merchandise.

“Are you ready?” Roz asked, shifting her purse to her other shoulder.

“Of course,” Alaric said, though Roz wasn’t convinced. “I doubt anyone will recognize me.”

Roz looked pointedly to the statue of Alaric sitting on the bench just a few steps from them. “As you’ve said, they made me more handsome. No one will recognize me in the…well, not flesh. Whatever this is.” He motioned to his slightly glowing frame.

They intended to head to the Pumpkin Festival earlier that day, but instead spent the morning in bed and the afternoon exploring new facets of Alaric’s permanence. He seemed to exist somewhere between human and ghost, while Roz remained as she always had. Other than tired and sore, she hadn’t noticed any ill effects of the anchoring.

Roz took his hand in hers, interlacing their fingers. “Let’s go,” she said. Alaric nodded, and together they walked—hand in hand—down the street.

The first few people they passed didn’t give her more than a sideways look, resorting to their typical behavior of skirting around her and avoiding eye contact.

The next few looked a bit longer, squinting at the man next to her.

Then the whispers started.

“Subtlety is a lost art,” Alaric said. “In my day, you’d truly wait for someone to pass before whispering about them.”

“I’m used to it,” Roz said with a shrug. She approached the candied apple vendor and ordered two. The woman handed Roz hers, then paused, her hand halfway extended to Alaric. Her gaze travelled from his glowing hand, up his arm, to his chest, then rested at last on his face.

“Holy shit,” she said.

“I’ve been called worse, but I prefer Alaric,” he said, flashing a charming smile.

The candied apple fell from her hand to the ground, her gaze still trained on Alaric’s face. “It’s you.”

“Yes, yes. It’s I, beloved founder-adjacent. Do you have another of the peanut butter candy-covered apples? I’ve so wanted to try it.” The woman scrambled to grab another, her arm trembling as she handed it to him.

“Splendid,” he said, nodding down the street. “I fear that is just the beginning,” he said once they were out of earshot of the vendor.

“We can go home, do this more gradually,” Roz suggested.