Invictus

Trama

“Okay, what’s up with you?”

Alec startled, looking up from the money he had been busy counting to glance at Lily, who was leaning in the counter next to him, arms crossed over her chest, only her head turned to stare at him.

“Nothing,” he said with a frown. “Why?”

“You’ve been humming under your breath all afternoon, Alec,” Lily deadpanned. “I’ve known you for many years and I’ve never seen you humming before.”

“I wasn’t humming!” Alec protested.

Lily didn’t reply but sent him a pointed glare that was an answer on its own.

“Was I?” he asked, voice pitched low.

Lily snorted and grinned. “So, what made you suddenly so giddy? Did Wanda give you an extra pastry? Did you order a new book about flowers? Oh! I know! Did you watch funny cats videos?”

She had barely finished her sentence that the bell chimed to signal a new customer.

“We’re closing!” Lily exclaimed, but froze when she swirled around to find Magnus standing there. “Oh, hey Magnus!”

“Hey, Lily,” he said with a wide smile, before turning to glance at Alec. “Hey, handsome.”

“Hey,” Alec replied. “Let me just close the shop and we can go have a drink?”

“I thought we could go for a walk,” Magnus offered instead. “It’s still warm and the Hudson river isn’t far.”

Alec nodded, purposely ignoring his best friend’s gasp at his side, and slid the bills he had been counting in an envelope.

“You go ahead,” Lily said, pushing him out of the way to grab the notebook that contained customers’ orders. “I can close on my own today.”

“You sure?” Alec asked with a frown.

“I’ve been working here since the opening, Alec,” she said, deadly serious. “I can close on my own. Off you go.”

There was clearly no point in arguing, so Alec unpinned his badge and threw it in the box below the counter before grabbing his wallet and keys. Lily grabbed his arm before he could walk around the counter.

“What are you doing?” she asked in a whisper, casting a glance to the side at Magnus, who was too busy studying one of the dreamcatchers hanging from the ceiling to pay them much attention.

Alec frowned, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“I thought he had a girlfriend?” she hissed, chastising but caring all at once.

“He does,” he said. “It’s not like that.”

Lily rolled his eyes. “Of course it is. You like him. You were humming under your breath all afternoon because of him!”

“I-” Alec started but didn’t finish, his eyes darting to the side. Magnus must have understood they were having a private conversation, because Alec could now see him waiting for him outside the shop, chatting and laughing with Wanda. He inhaled deeply. “I asked him to tattoo me,” he confessed in a low voice.

Lily gasped, her eyes widening. “You did?” she asked, and relaxed when Alec nodded. “Good for you, Alec,” she said with a soft smile, reaching out to push a few loose strands of hair off his forehead. “But be careful, okay? Don’t set yourself up for heartbreak. I know you like him more than you’re willing to admit.”

Alec pushed his lips together, but nodded again.

“Okay,” Lily muttered. “Now go before he ditches his girlfriend for Wanda instead of you. You know she’s capable of anything.”