Page 75 of The Soulmate Bakery

‘From now on, only honesty,’ Silas swore, with the kind of voice that made it sound like an oath. I gave him a small smile, and I knew this wasn’t the right moment to share my feelings – not when he was still wound up from the movie, and I felt like a tornado had swept through me.

This wasn’t how I wanted our love story to start.

‘Only honesty,’ I agreed, hoping I sounded just as sure as him.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Rani arrived via the portal the day after the Starshow Cinemas disaster. Her arrival was a much-needed distraction, because things were looking a bit complicated with Orion. When I had arrived at the Treasure Trove after school, I found it was just Melodie, Raven, Sofia and me.

No Orion in sight.

Raven said he was busy with some project and that was that. I couldn’t help but feel concerned that something else was going on. But I wasn’t going to text Orion about it – I needed to focus on Silas and find the right time to confess to him. He’d cancelled our study session on Wednesday for extra practice for Friday’s match, so that gave me zero perfect moments. In school, we were always around people.

Everything that had felt like it had been going so well suddenly felt ten times harder. So, my big sister’s return was, like I said, the perfect distraction. Tonight, we were having a Reverie girls’ night in. Mum and Rani were getting comfortable on the couch, both in matching pyjama sets, hands curled around their bowls of ice cream.

I peeled myself away from the kitchen and made my way to the couch. We were going to be watching Creature House now that Rani was back.

When Rani left, my mother struggled to adjust to not having the rituals she’d built so much of her daily routine on. Watching Creature House, the reality show where magical creatures were housed in a lavish mansion and whoever used their magic first was kicked out, was one of them. The show was filled with all the things you’d expect: catty interviews, secrets that should not be spilled and some of the nastiest spell work I’d ever seen. I didn’t often watch it with them, but it was Rani’s first night back, so whatever she asked for was going to happen.

‘If you don’t shut your mouth, I will turn you into the trash can of gossip that you are,’ Carissa Calloway snarled from the TV.

The vampire she was screaming at – Maurice Temple, I think? – simply grinned at her, and that seemed to infuriate Carissa even further. A stupid move. Now the witch was throwing a hex that turned the vampire into the aforementioned threat:

A trash can.

Moments later, Carissa was hauled off our screens, and she didn’t go quietly. I winced as her voice climbed the octaves and she flung spells around at an alarming rate. I could appreciate that even through her hysteria, she was a pretty powerful witch to command her magic like that.

‘And that’s why we don’t turn people into things,’ Mum interrupted, from her place on the opposite side of the couch.

‘You’re absolutely right,’ I said, voice wooden with annoyance. ‘Good thing I don’t do that any more.’

Rani shot me a look over her ice-cream bowl. I know what she was telling me: be quiet. Just listen.

‘It wasn’t meant to be an attack, kiddo,’ Mum said, gently. ‘Just a reminder.’

‘Yes, well, another reminder that it’s been over a year since I got my second point,’ I argued, feeling a sudden heat overtake my veins. My magic felt angry, pointed, like I wanted to prove myself.

‘It has, but we shouldn’t even be at two,’ Mum countered, and now there was an edge to her voice. ‘Rani graduated with no points.’

‘You graduated with one,’ I shot back, because I couldn’t help but let my tongue run.

‘Don’t do as I do, sweetheart. Do as I say,’ Mum reprimanded, and I wanted to claw my skin off.

I was geared to argue back; my tongue poised with all the things I’d been holding back.

‘I –’

My arm jerked back, and my ice cream splattered down the front of my shirt. I yelped, jumping off the sofa, and Mum watched with an alarmed look in her eyes.

‘What happened?’ Mum asked, her eyes wide.

‘I don’t know, it was –’ Then my gaze landed on a smiling Rani. I gritted my teeth. ‘My arm jerked. I’ll go clean myself up. You guys keep watching.’

I went back into the kitchen and found Jinx curled up near the windowsill, licking his paw leisurely. He raised his head to glance at my mess and shook his little head at me.

‘Hey, I didn’t do this to myself,’ I retorted, and then heard the door to the kitchen swing open again. I turned to find Rani behind me, her arms folded over her chest. ‘You could’ve done something a little less dramatic to get me to shut up.’

‘Yeah, well, you could’ve just listened to what Mum said and not argued,’ Rani countered, reaching over to clean up the mess for me.