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“So, you really like him?” I pushed, taking another bite.
She nodded. “Yeah.”
I wanted to ask her if she liked him more than Tate. But I felt that I already knew the answer to that, and there was no point pushing her.
“Well, you have my approval.”
“Do I need it?” she snapped.
“Yes! What would you do if your best friend hated your boyfriend? The drama, the pain. Who would you talk to about this?”
This time, Simone rolled her eyes at me. “I have non-Wiccan friends, unlike you. If the rest of the circle saw how you really were—”
“How I really am? What does that mean?”
“You always act like the great and mature leader, with all her shit together, dedicated to the coven. Meanwhile, you are a mess—like the rest of us. In fact, worse than the rest of us. At least we are trying to figure out ourselves. You, on the other hand, just let yourself be berated by the elders every week.”
“That is dramatic. I’m not getting berated,” I muttered and drank my juice, glancing down at my food. “They just…they expect a lot out of me.”
“I know. We all know. You are Druella, the greatest witch of our time,” she replied, leaning over the counter. “But you are also Dru, our friend. We want you to have a happy life, too. And happiness means more than just hunting down vampires, meeting with elders, and going to work.”
“Oh, now you have a boyfriend and you pick on me.” I pouted. “I’ve dated. I’ve even gone on double dates with you. In school—”
“You were always pulled away by Axel and the coven to do something or fight something or defend something.”
“All of us have been, though,” I said defensively, not liking this little intervention. “That’s our duty as the ninth. We protect. We defend. We fight.”
“I agree.” She nodded and put her cup down. “But we also need to remember what we are protecting, what we are defending, what we are fighting. It’s our right to live our lives freely. To fall in love, to have children, and a community. To be free. I’m not saying you are doing anything wrong, Dru. I’m just saying, don’t let the coven take over all of your life anymore. You can have fun, too.”
“Thanks for the advice. But I’m not. I’m just focusing on work right now, and I’m getting that promotion next year,” I said to her as I rose from my chair and took my plate to the sink.
“Keep dreaming,” she scoffed. “I have seniority, and in the real world, that matters, so it’s mine.”
“Of all the jobs you could have chosen, why did you choose to become an art conservator, Simone? I swear you just wanted to do it because I always wanted to. Admit it,” I teased, rolling my finger over the dishes to make them wash and store themselves.
She poked the side of my head. “The coven may revolve around you but not the world.”
I grinned and linked my arms with hers. “Kidding, and thank you for the food.”
She frowned, yanking her arm back. “I’m leaving!”
“Wait, I need you to give me a ride!” I said, grabbing my bag and keys to follow her out the door.
“What happened to your car?” she snapped as she grabbed her keys. “Wait, I didn’t see it outside. How did you get here?”
I grinned and pointed to the golden-framed mirror. “Guess what I can do.”
“You mirror walk now?” Her mouth d
ropped open, and I just shrugged.
“What, like it’s hard?” I said in my Elle Woods voice, flipping the nonexistent hair off my shoulder.
“How is it possible you get more annoying?” Simone snapped, yanking open the door. “It’s not fair.”
I linked arms with her and followed her out. “Truthfully, I didn’t mean to. I really just didn’t want to stay home after storming out of the meeting this morning. I just wanted to be somewhere else. I ended up at your place when I tried to come out.”
“Wait, why did you storm out? Is everything is okay?” she asked as we walked toward the elevator.
