Forgotten Magic

Chapter 18

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I think it's back to me now.

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Varian and I stayed the night there. It was pretty nice. We met Mr. Parker, Sarah's husband, who reminded me something of Nickolas and Taylor combined. They were both so nice. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend the night while Varian and his dad got some space.

. . .

A few days later, I smoothed a blanket across the late-summer grass. I stood up, looked it over, sat down for a few minutes, and then got back up again. Varian wasn't here yet. And I was getting nervous.

It had been hard to find a good place to sit. Not only was half the village out on the grass, but three fourths of the entire field was taken over by the black rocks that now plagued the village.

I was beginning to consider offering my spot to someone else when I heard someone yelling in the distance.

Varian skidded to a stop in front of me, stumbling before falling face down on the blanket. I laughed.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Just fine," he answered, getting up. "Great, actually."

I sat down next to him. We stayed like that in silence for a while. The shower wasn't going to start for another ten minutes. I leaned my head against his shoulder. His head leaned against mine.

"A lot has happened," I said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, like, since I came to Old Corona. I met you, and then I was staying here, and then the princess and these rocks...I...I don't really know what I mean. I'm just glad you're here."

"And I'll always be," he whispered. "Oh! Look!"

It was...one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen, almost topping the lanterns the night before I decided to stay. But not quite. This time I had a friend. More than that, I thought. My home was here. It would always be.

I'd gotten to my knees to admire the shower. Varian's hand touched my shoulder, and...the next thing I knew...he'd kissed me.

It wasn't long or deep. Just a light little peck. But to me, I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it, but that kiss was everything.

When we broke apart, I was in pure shock. Varian was too. And we just stared at each other for a moment. He was the first to speak.

"I-I'm sorry...I-I didn't..."

"N-no! No, it-it's...it's alright."

"I-I just...um...I-I...I kind of..." he shook his head. "Ugh, this...I'm sorry. This is super weird, isn't it? I-"

"No no! It's fine, I..."

"I...if...I...this...isn't related...but..." He reached into his apron pocket and pulled something out. "I wanted to give this to you. Y'know, 'cause...this is the same day that we met?" He opened his hand to show me a bracelet of blue beads.

"I...Varian...I..." I was absolutely speechless. Not only had he basically admitted to liking me, he'd taken time out of his day to...well...to make something for this occasion. I finally mustered up the courage to say something. "Thank you. I mean...I didn't know we had to bring gifts, I-"

"No, we didn't," Varian laughed. "I just wanted to." He held up the string of beads. "Can I?"

I held up my wrist and let him gently tie the ends together. I then held up my wrist to admire it. "It's beautiful," I smiled. "Thank you."

"Yeah," he whispered. "Yeah, of course."

The shower had ended by now. The chatter had begin and everyone was getting up and leaving. Everyone except Varian and I.

We sat there for a long while, not talking at first. We just sat there in silence, not wanting to be the first to speak.

I broke the silence. "So...what do you think will happen when the rocks overtake the village."

Varian looked at me. "I-I don't know. People who want to stay will probably move to the island. The rest of them...will leave. They'll find homes elsewhere, I suppose."

"Which side do you think we'll be on?"

"We'll probably leave."

"Do you think they're here because of Rapunzel?" I asked.

"What?! No, I-I mean, I suppose it's possible, but I've never thought about it that way or..."

And back to silence.

"What happened between you and your dad?" It was my stupid mouth again.

Varian sighed. "I brought up my mom."

"Your mom?" I asked. I'd never heard Varian talk about his mother before.

"Yeah...she...she died...You see...we...we were doing an experiment. And then I made a mistake. I was only about five when it happened. But she got sick after that and...well...the rest..."

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Don't...don't worry about it. It was a mistake. An irreversible one."

I'd been sitting on this question for a while. Almost two years, to be exact. "Varian...do you know if your dad...knows anything about my parents?"

"What? I...no, I don't. Why...why would you ask?"

"The...the way he looked at me when you were asking him if I could stay. I could've sworn he knew something."

"Well...you could ask him."

"Yeah...I think I might."

. . .

We folded the blanket and walked back home, deep in conversation about how Ruddiger and Shadows had a war over some food the other day, raccoons\ traps, and Shadows being good pest control. Stupid things that you talk about with the people you care about.

We said goodnight and parted ways. I changed, waited for Varian to leave the bathroom, and finally blew out the candle at my bedside.

I opened my curtains and let moonlight filter in through the glass. I held up the beaded bracelet up to the light and silently promised myself that I'd never take it off.

I thought about how Varian had kissed me. I kind of wondered why. And...how I felt. I was sure it was my first. And his. He liked me. But he hadn't asked if I liked him back. I think he didn't want to pressure me. And I was grateful. Because, if I was being truthful, I didn't know.

I didn't know if I liked Varian. He was sweet, funny, and cute, I supposed. I enjoyed his company. But was I falling for him? I'd never felt that way before. And that brought up the question. How long had he liked me in that way?

I went to bed that night with all these questions in mind. I thought I might ask Sarah about them the following day.