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“That’s exactly why. I’m still trying to lie low.”
“But wouldn’t being the Infinity Queen to my Infinity King be fun?”
“I prefer being the Infinity Independent Woman.”
“That doesn’t have a ring to it.”
“You would say that, Infinity Boy.”
“I prefer Infinity Man.”
“You would say that too,” she says, smiling.
For how powerless I’ve been feeling, Prudencia has been lighting me up the entire drive back into the city. I’m sure she’s being extra flirty and fun to distract me from everything that’s been going wrong and I really appreciate it. Partners shouldn’t only be there to witness your troubles. They should also help you get your mind off of them. I’ve got to make sure I’m doing the same for her moving forward.
There’s something big that’s been on my mind since the Cloaked Phantom, when everything changed between us. But I can’t wait around for some special constellations to give me permission to be bold.
“Can I ask you something?”
“That’s always been such a strange question. Are people really answering no and carrying about their day?”
“So your answer is yes.”
“Correct.”
“Do you love me?”
Prudencia is quiet until we stop at a red traffic light. “Maybe I should’ve asked what your question was about before answering. I wasn’t prepared for that one.”
“Sorry. It occurred to me that I said it to you and then we had sex, but didn’t get to talk about any of that because of my powers.”
“Saved by the powers.”
“You don’t have to answer. Never mind.”
Prudencia keeps driving and we’re getting closer to home. “I obviously love you, Brighton, and I’m clearly attracted to you. But I need some time to figure out if I’m in love with you. I’m an eighteen-year-old orphan who’s been on the run with my best friends for weeks and my head has been a little foggy.”
“Do you regret coming into my room that night?”
“Not at all. Don’t make me regret it.”
That’s a great start and it won’t end after everything we’ve been through.
Pulling up around the corner of my block makes me feel like the Brighton who used to live here is some past life of mine. It’s easy to remember the Spell Walkers fighting Stanton on this street the day Emil got his powers, but those childhood memories of playing around with the neighborhood kids feel so distant. I always knew I was going to grow out of those friendships and do better things, but to me that meant moving to Los Angeles and starting film school. Not becoming a local hero who’s too busy to respond to DMs from friends I used to play tag with.
“I don’t have my key,” I say as we start going up the stairs of my building.
“I really try not to use my you-know-what for personal reasons, but I’ll let it slide today.”
“You should let it slide every day.”
“Before I had to use my you-know-what to stop Orton from torching you and Emil, I went almost two years not using it,” Prudencia says as we reach the fourth floor and stop in front of my door. “But now Infinity Independent Woman has to strengthen up.”
She makes sure the coast is clear before telekinetically unlocking the door. I take down the eviction notice on my way inside.
The apartment is still messy. I was last here with Maribelle the night of the Crowned Dreamer. She posted about Atlas’s death on Instagram and then I pitched her my idea to steal the Reaper’s Blood; she was immediately on board.
“You know Maribelle was the last girl in my room? Pretty epic, right?”
