Page 61 of The Soulmate Bakery

‘It’s fine,’ I said, with a wave of my hand. ‘I get it, I’m the mayor’s daughter. But I promise you, nothing is going to ruin tonight.’

Silas smiled down at me, and my heart leaped. Clearly it had been the right response. The conversation between the guys slipped into whatever jocks usually talk about – lots of rugby talk and loud laughter as they set up the lights around the grotto. Silas kept me by his side, as his helper; I passed him the lights, and he hung them around the grotto. I didn’t say much, not feeling the need to interject.

As I looked around to see how the grotto was coming together, I realized we were now closer to where Celine and Orion were standing. I tried not to watch them, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Were they standing even closer together? How was that even possible?

‘Maya?’

I startled and looked back at Silas, who was peering down at me, his arms empty, all the lights strung up.

I watched his gaze flit to Orion, only a few steps away. He hesitated before asking, ‘You and Orion, is there something there?’

‘Something there?’ I squeaked.

‘Yeah,’ Silas rubbed a hand against the back of his neck. ‘It’s just, I know you’re close to Raven. I saw him pick you up after school, and I heard you’re at their house all the time – I just don’t want to overstep.’

‘There’s nothing there,’ I cut in, sharper than I’d intended. Silas’s eyebrows lifted, and I softened my tone. ‘He was just asking for help with that – that love spell gone rogue.’

Silas’s shoulders relaxed. ‘He said the same thing.’

I nodded, ignoring that twinge in my chest. Orion had done exactly what he should’ve, and I had no right to think he’d say something else.

‘And, yeah, that curse really does need to be lifted. Diya’s now sending love letters to my house.’

‘Are they at least good?’ I asked.

‘They are actually,’ Silas said with a grin. Then it faded. ‘But still, I don’t like the idea of someone being lovesick over me – especially when I don’t return the feelings.’

Guilt slammed into me. Diya was acting like this because of me; because of what I’d done.

‘Hey,’ Silas said, ducking his head to catch my gaze. ‘You OK?’

‘I’m OK,’ I said, forcing myself to smile. His concern for me was sweet, and I focused on that instead of the sorrow pressing down on me.

‘Well, if you’re not, just let me know and we can leave whenever,’ Silas vowed, and I felt a rush of nerves. I should’ve taken the opportunity to ask him for a breather on the beach and then confess my feelings. But the words wouldn’t come out. ‘Until then, want to get something to drink?’

He turned and asked for two glasses of faerie punch that someone was ladling into purple cups while we waited.

‘So, next Friday’s your last game before half-term starts, right?’ I asked, filling the silence.

‘Yes,’ Silas said, and his eyes glittered. ‘Don’t forget my jersey – you promised to wear it for my next game.’

I felt my cheeks warm and groaned softly, covering my face with one hand. ‘You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?’

Silas chuckled, accepting the two cups and handing one to me. ‘Not a chance. A deal’s a deal.’

I raised mine, taking a sip of the punch to steady myself. ‘You’d better win that game then. Otherwise, I’ll look ridiculous cheering in your jersey.’

Silas’s grin softened into something quieter, more intent. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to win for you.’

I was flustered, and I didn’t know how to handle his gaze on me, so I took a big gulp of my drink. The faerie punch tasted like plums, lemonade and violets at first, but then, an almost metallic taste slipped into the undertones. I ignored it, taking another sip. And another.

‘Feeling thirsty?’ he teased, tilting his head to one side.

‘Shut up,’ I shot back, cheeks warmer than usual. ‘You know what you’re doing.’

‘What, making conversation?’ Silas asked, eyes tracing over my cheeks, which were getting redder. His smile dipped slightly, brow creasing.

‘What?’ I asked, suddenly nervous.