Let Me Be Your Home

Lucy's POV

As soon as Cordelia shuts the door behind her, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. What just happened? Two hours ago I was day drinking and fending off a creepy man, and now I'm at a school for witches?

And what's with Cordelia? She hasn't even known me for a full day, but by the way she looks at me, you'd think she was there when I was born. My mother never looked at me the way Cordelia does.

I flop backwards onto the bed and stare up at the ceiling. My mind starts running through every time Cordelia touched me. Her hand on my chest, my shoulders, my knees... her arms wrapped around me. And the way she touched my face... 

A knock at the door pulls me back from my thoughts. "Come in," I say softly. It's her. Could it be dinner time already? 

Cordelia opens the door, and I stand up. She doesn't say anything, but holds out her hand to me. I take it, and together we walk downstairs and to the dining room. 

The other girls are all taking their seats at the table when we arrive. Upon seeing all of them, I quickly drop Cordelia's hand. She definitely notices, but doesn't say anything. As everyone settles in, I see that there are only two empty seats. I assume Cordelia sits at the head of the table, so I take the next one over. As I sit down, the girl to my right looks over at me.

Cordelia takes her place at the head of the table, and all the girls begin eating. "Lucy, this is Zoe," Cordelia says, indicating the girl to my right. "She's the one that brought you here."

"Oh," I say, not quite knowing how to respond. "Thank you."

"I've got to say, I've never seen magic like that before," Zoe says. 

"Neither have I," I say softly. I look around and see that the other girls are listening to us. It's clear that the story of my arrival has been well circulated by the rumor mill.

As the girls discuss their weekend activities and their excitement for the week ahead, I realize that today is Sunday. Am I going to start my independent study with Cordelia tomorrow? The whole thing seems awfully rushed. I don't even know what to expect.

When everyone is finished eating, the girls bring their plates back to the kitchen to be washed. I follow their lead, and notice some of the girls glancing back at me and whispering as they retreat to their rooms. After all the girls have cleared out, I'm left alone in the kitchen with Cordelia, who has started on the dishes. It seems like an awful lot of work for one person to have to do.

"Cordelia..." I say, and she turns to look at me. She smiles when I say her name. "Do you want some help with the dishes?"

She bites her lip and thinks for a second, then says, "I would really appreciate that, if you're willing."

"Of course," I say, glad to do anything to start repaying her kindness.

"If you wash, I can dry and put away," she says, rinsing her hands off and grabbing a towel. I nod, and start to wash the overwhelming pile of dirty dishes. I don't start a conversation, not because I don't want to talk, but because I honestly can't think of anything to say. As if she can read my mind, Cordelia asks, "So, Lucy, what are you passionate about? What makes you happy?"

I stop for a moment, thinking. "I don't really have any hobbies, if that's what you mean."

She chuckles slightly, then says, "A passion could be a hobby, but it doesn't have to be. What makes you happier than anything else in the world?"

I bite my lip, trying not to sound stupid as I say, "I really love to sing."

Cordelia's eyes shine as if I've just told her she won the lottery. "Really?" I nod.

"Yeah, I used to sing a lot when I was in high school," I continue.

"I have always loved hearing people sing," Cordelia says. "I'm not much of a singer myself, but listening to a beautiful voice is like heaven for me." I try not to blush, but I can tell it's not working when Cordelia says, "Will you sing for me?"

I laugh a little, saying, "I can't think of a song!"

Cordelia grins, looking down at the cup she's drying. As she goes to put it away, realizes that the cabinet she needs to reach is directly above my head. I'm about to move out of her way when I realize that I'm up to my elbows in soap bubbles. Cordelia gives a small chuckle, then says, "I'll just reach over you, if that's alright." I nod, and move in as close to the sink as possible.

Cordelia comes up right behind me, going up on her toes to reach over my head. She puts her other hand on my waist to steady herself as she puts the cup in the cabinet. This makes me really nervous, for some reason.

After we've finished washing and drying the dishes, Cordelia looks at me like she's just had the best idea. "Want to make brownies?"

I raise my eyebrows in fake exasperation. "Didn't we just finish the dishes?"

"Oh, a few more dishes won't hurt us," she replies.

"Speak for yourself. You're not the one with the wrinkly fingers."

She laughs, crossing to the pantry to pull out ingredients. Pretty soon I realize that she wants to make real brownies, not just the ones from the box. I've never made brownies from scratch before, so I let Cordelia take the lead. She then moves to some of the lower cabinets, pulling out measuring cups and spoons. Finally, she pulls out a large mixing bowl, and begins measuring the flour and sugar. "Can you go ahead and crack the eggs?"

I shake my head. "I can't do it without getting tiny shell pieces in the batter."

Cordelia smiles, then grabs two eggs and places them in my hands. "I'll show you how I do it."

She gets right behind me, almost like she was when she put the dishes away. Then, she reaches around me and takes my hands, which are still holding the eggs. I don't know if I'm nervous to crack the eggs, or because she's so close to me. I can feel her breath on my shoulder.

Before I can even think about why my heart is racing, she's cracked the eggs in my hands, and they sit, shell-free, in the mixing bowl. She's moved back over to measure the dry ingredients, while I just stand there. What the hell is wrong with me?

I lean back against the counter as Cordelia continues to mix ingredients. I can already tell that she'd be good at potion making, with the way her hands move. She's mixing everything together, and I see the familiar brown batter start to take shape. "This is the best part," she says, putting down the whisk as the batter is finished. She sticks her finger into the bowl, scooping up a bit of batter. I'm about to ask what the best part is when Cordelia sticks her finger in my mouth. 

I can't feel anything other than shock as I look into her brown eyes. She smiles at me, then slowly slides her finger out of my mouth, leaving behind the brownie batter. I swallow, but I don't really register the taste. There are too many other thoughts running through my brain.

Cordelia pours the batter into the pan and puts the pan in the oven, and sets the kitchen timer for 45 minutes. "I'll come get you when they're ready, if you want to go back to your room for now."

I leave the kitchen and climb the stairs up to my room. I can still taste the brownie batter in my mouth, and I wonder what Cordelia would say if I came out to her.