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Andre looked at me, searching my face. “Is that alright?”
“Of course,” I started, but then dropped my gaze to the floor because I wasn’t sure if it was alright.
You’re no good at relationships,I reminded myself.And you’ve already destroyed one friendship, so don’t destroy this one too.
“Poppy?”
I looked up at him. “Right. Sure. Dinner is... well, it’s fine.” But I didn’t sound like it was fine.
“Am I misreading this?” Andre asked.
“No,” I answered as I shook my head and took a few steps away from him, needing the space.
“We haven’t really talked about what this is between us,” he continued. “I understand that it hasn’t been the right time, and I’m not trying to rush you, Poppy. But perhaps, it’s time now?”
That one sentence, ‘what this is between us’, had butterflies taking flight in my stomach. Because just those few words told me that I wasn’t alone in whatever this was. The feeling like we’d known each other for years, that familiarity, the draw to be near him, it wasn’t just coming from me. It gave me hope that Andre felt it too. But along with the excitement was fear.
Regardless, he was right. We did need to at least talk about it. It had been eight months since Marty and I had ended things, and while I was still scared about screwing up yet again, I was still hopeful.
I really didn’t want to screw up again. And not just for myself, but for Finn. He adored Andre, and Andre was important to Finn’s future—to finding out just what it meant to be a Magician. And while I’d been really hesitant before, since getting involved with a traveling Magician sounded difficult and stressful, Andre had already decided to settle in Haven Hollow. And that had to mean something, right?
The anxiety inside me was ramping up, a nervous buzzing like bees in the back of my head, but I shoved it aside. He was just asking for a conversation, that was all. We might decide to just be good friends, which would mean I was worrying about nothing.
I tried to ignore the little sliver of disappointment that lodged itself into my heart at the thought of just being friends with this incredible man. Without even realizing what I was doing, I reached out my hand to him, only to find his strong fingers folding over mine. We’d reached for each other at exactly the same moment. Maybe it was a sign.
“I’d like that,” I told him, and I meant it.
Andre grinned, the skin at the corner of his eyes creasing. “Wonderful.”
His hand was warm, and when he squeezed my palm, it sent little tingles shooting all the way up to my elbow.
Inexplicably nervous, I wet my dry lips, and Andre’s gaze dropped to my mouth. The world seemed to hush, and anticipation coiled tightly in my chest as I watched him come closer. The breath caught in my throat as his eyes clouded over with an expression that looked a lot like someone about to kiss someone else.
The door flew open then and two older ladies stepped inside, chatting brightly to each other, and the moment popped like a soap bubble.
“You have customers,” Andre said as he immediately pulled away, dropped my hand, and cleared his throat. “I should be on my way, I suppose.”
“Yeah,” I said, trying not to show how disappointed I was. “But I’ll see you the day after tomorrow?”
Andre gave me a grin, walking backwards towards the door. “It’s a date.”
Chapter Six
Andre and I walked down Main Street as the fog lapped around our ankles.
Everything was dark, and quiet, the street surprisingly empty. Usually, Haven Hollow’s downtown would be bustling on a summer evening. Or as bustling as a small, tourist town ever got, at least.
“This fog makes it feel more like Halloween than Summer,” Andre said with a laugh. “Do you normally get fog in Haven Hollow?”
I shook my head. “No, I’ve actually never seen fog this thick before.”
Of course, it crossed my mind that maybe the fog was magic in nature, but there didn’t seem to be anything suspicious about it. Sometimes nature just threw you a curve ball, I figured.
When we passed Poppy’s Potions for the third time, I realized that we’d just been going in circles, but I couldn’t bring myself to mind. It was nice just to be with him. The two of us, wandering aimlessly. The fog made everything seem soft and quiet, like we really were just off in our own little world.
A dull red light flickered in the windows of Sweeter Haunts, looking like flames, but when I frowned and checked again, it was just the street light hitting a display of candies wrapped in gold foil.
I shook off my nerves, feeling silly. What was there to worry about? And why was I so paranoid? Not finding an answer, I glanced up at Andre, only to find him looking at me.
