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“Good gir—”
“Don’t,” I interrupt. “Or I’ll stick a vibrator in your panties and control it while we walk around.”
“You’d have to have one with you,” she teases.
“Who says I don’t?”
* * *
Once my skin is no longer slick with sweat, we put our clothes back on and exit the construction zone, careful not to be caught as we sneak out the doors, back into the main part of the park. There’s a little stand selling popcorn, and I send the man five dabloons for a bucket. The sun is setting in a cotton candy sky, and our fingers intertwine as we make our way to the field. There’s a big screen with a projector, and we sit down as the opening scene of Elf comes on.
“Honestly, the main actor looks more like an elf than all of those tiny people. Elves are usually tall,” Indigo whispers to where only I can hear.
“Yeah, but the smaller elves remind me more of you,” I whisper against her ear. Sometimes Indigo explains elves to me like they aren’t the majority of the population of the Isles of Magia. Although it’s usually stuff I know, it’s still cute to see her so interested in her magical origins. Perhaps I should get to know the human part of me too.
Her eyebrows scrunch, and she frowns for a second before giving out a small giggle. Snuggling up to Indigo, we watch the movie with my arms wrapped around her.
* * *
I don’t play music on the drive back to Sunspell City. Indigo is curled up in the passenger seat, snoring away. This isn’t the last time I’ll see her–hell, she’s my subordinate; I can see her everyday if I want to, but this is the last time I’ll get to be with her.
I have to be the one to end this. She doesn’t have the strength to do it. I know that we both value our jobs, I know that we both have feelings for one another, but I think it’s too much for her. If I told her to drop it all and go with me to live in The Americas or—or even off-world on fucking Barac, she’d probably go. She wants someone to make that decision for her, but I can’t let her.
Indigo allowed someone to control her for her entire life. Her mother was the puppet master, pulling her strings. Indigo went to Augury University and cut those strings, but now she’s desperate to hand them over to someone new. I won’t let it be me, and I sure as hell won’t let it be her mother again.
We stop at a light, and I take a mental snapshot of her cute little body, all huddled up against me as she sleeps somberly. I make note of the sound of her voice. Her laugh. And the look she gives me when she smiles—when she comes. I try to record it all, tuck it into my heart for later. She may not get to be mine in this lifetime, but maybe in another.
Once we’re in the city, I drive really slow. I could get ticketed for going this far under the speed limit, but I don’t fucking care anymore. All I want is more time, something I’d never valued much until recently. Pulling into her driveway, I stop the car. I don’t wake her up… No, not yet. I just brush my finger against the soft skin of her cheek and try not to let out the tear threatening to fall.
Am I really getting teary-eyed over a goodbye with someone I’ll see in a few weeks? Man. This screams abandonment issues, doesn’t it? A big screw you to anyone who has ever called me a player. Clearly I’m not very good at playing.
I lightly brush Indigo’s shoulder, and she makes an eyes-half-closed hand gesture for me to carry her. Getting out of the car, I go over to the passenger’s side and scoop her up into my arms.
After entering the house and removing our boots and coats, I lay her down onto her bed, before kissing her cheek and crossing to the door.
“Vega, will you stay with me?” she whispers, voice weak.
I don’t know how to say no to her.
Crawling into bed, I snuggle up behind her, basking in her natural scent. Before I know it, she’s snoring, and I drift alongside her.
* * *
Indigo stirs, barely awake as I give her one last kiss goodbye; her lips are as soft as clouds. I walk over to the door and wave at Momiji, who makes a whimpering noise.
“I know you’ll miss Freja, but you can see her at school,” I say.
The white little rabbit frowns. Little rabbit—that was Indigo’s nickname before I ever knew about her familiar. It truly is like we were meant to be, at least one day. I just wish that day was today.
seventeen
INDIGO
I wake to an empty bed.No warm, green, muscled body sleeping next to me. Just a cold, lonely gap where Vega was. I worried she was going to leave in the middle of the night. I actually didn’t expect her to stay, but she did. I need coffee. Walking into the kitchen, I find Momiji moping on the dining room table, staring down at a scrap of paper.
She left a note?
indie,
