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I tried not to crumble into her hug, and instead held myself stiff.“I’m okay.You know.”
She pulled back and stared into my eyes.“Yeah, I do.Harry was like a brother to you.”
I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat and managed to say, “Yeah, he was.”
I pocketed my car keys and walked toward the front door of my gym, grateful for Jaydy’s company.“How’s everything been in my absence?”
She grinned at me.“Fine.Though George has been telling everyone he’s in charge now.”
I had to laugh at that one, though chuckling felt weird and foreign in my still-grieving body.“Yeah… I can imagine.”
We reached the glass front entrance and I stopped.
Jaydy stepped around me and opened the door for me.“You really okay, hon?”
I inhaled sharply, my breath catching in my throat.“To be honest, I don’t know.”
My friend linked her arm in mine.“The first time is always going to be the worst.Wanna walk in together?”
I nodded, my heart pounding.“Yeah, thanks.”
That first step was definitely the hardest.My legs shook but I surged forward into my gym.My home.
The floor was clean.No blood whatsoever.In fact, the white tiles were pristine.
Daniella was manning the desk and when she saw me, she smiled brightly.“Welcome back.”
I waved at her, then pulled Jaydy’s arm to walk around the spot where Harry had died.I didn’t want to step foot there.Ever again.
As we passed the place where Harry had told me my wish was granted, a thought occurred to me.
“Hey Jaydy.Have you done any magic lately?”She was one of the strongest women I knew.She trained for hours, daily, and usually won her weight division at comps.
She shrugged.“Just my normal stuff.Nothing special.Why?”
“No reason,” I said, shaking my head.Surely Harry hadn’t been serious about achieving the genie spell?It was impossible.A myth.Something we had all laughed about as kids.
But one thing was certain.He’d messed with some serious magic that he shouldn’t have.And it had killed him.
The gym was relatively quiet for a Saturday morning, so after checking in with Daniella and making sure there were no issues I needed to deal with, I excused myself and went upstairs.
Everything was where I’d left it, yet something felt odd.Maybe it was just me?I was different somehow and it wasn’t simply grief from Harry’s passing.I couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was, though.
I sighed and went into my bedroom to unpack my clothes.Mom had washed everything for me, magically, so I was coming home with a suitcase full of clean clothes.
I couldn’t help chuckling as I put everything away.She had even made them smell like roses, as if they’d been lovingly hand-washed.
Then it was time to clean out the refrigerator, and sit down.Everything inside me ached, right down to my bones.I hadn’t trained all week, but I couldn’t face going down there now.Not with more and more people arriving by the hour.
Maybe tonight.
Or tomorrow.
George was sure to come find me the next time he came in, but for the moment, my heart needed a rest.I pulled back the covers on my queen-sized bed and climbed in, still clothed.
Later, I’d be strong enough to deal with my business, and the fact that my parents were moving to town.
For now, I needed to grieve the loss of the man I’d considered my brother.
