Zoe's only wish is to be able to run barefoot through grass, but she knows it'll never happen. Ever since she was born, she's been unable to touch anything living without it instantly dying. It's a curse she would do anything to get rid of, but that...
The park was lively with children playing. Laughter was everywhere, as well as happy conversations. Birds sung from the trees and excited dogs barked. In the far distance, clouds could be seen, but there was no wind, so they had a long time left before they reached the sun. Me and Felix just stared at one another. His eyes wide in shock, mine heavy with guilt. Then anger settled on his face.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Felix asked while crossing his arms.
"I..." Nothing more came out of my mouth. How could I ever beginning to explain it? Should I even explain it? He was already angry. That much was clear from his demeanor, the harshness of his eyes and tenseness of his body, and he had every right to be. I probably could easily feed into that anger and make him never want to see me again. But...
Scarlet's words from all of those years ago came back to me again. I just don't think you'll be able to. It's much harder than one might think.
It really was. Even though I knew I had the perfect opportunity to break everything off with him, I was secretly happy that he had seen me, that I was given the perfect second chance to be with him.
"Did you actually leave town at all?" came the next question.
"No," I mumbled and looked down at my hands.
"Right," he huffed and turned around.
"Wait!" I scrambled to my feet and all thoughts of letting him go had long been forgotten and completely replaced by the need to earn his forgiveness. "It's not what you think!"
"And how do you know what I think?" His tone was vicious, and he didn't turn back to look at me.
"I don't. Or I know what I would think if I were you, though you might think something completely different. But I am sure that whatever you are thinking, that's not it."
"Come on, Alex. Let's go," he said and my eyes left him to notice the woman next to him for the first time.
She had long, cascading blonde hair. Bright blue eyes. Skinny but muscular body. Tall. She wore a blue summer dress that matched her eyes and just looking at her poisoned my heart with jealousy. I wanted to curse her simply for standing next to Felix and being the one he wanted to be with in that moment.
Either she was brave or stupid because she took a step towards me and stretched out her hand.
"Hi! I'm Alex. Felix's oldest friend. Basically, he's like a brother to me. You must be Zoe. I've heard so much about you," she said with a huge smile.
Her words calmed some of the jealousy. Friend. Like a brother. At least those words indicated they didn't have any romantic interest in each other. That was good. If she had wanted him, I probably would have cursed her. Made her into something Felix would find repulsing, like a snail or rat.
I took her hand stiffly, but had no interest in talking to her. My gaze and sole focus immediately returned to Felix.
"Please, Felix. I... Can I just get to try to explain?" I begged him.
He finally turned back around, but he still didn't look at me. Instead, he looked straight at Alex.
"Your lunch break doesn't last forever. Let's go," he said to her.
"Do you wanna join us for lunch?" Alex asked me brightly, but I wasn't the one that answered.
"No, she doesn't," Felix stated in a short and clipped tone.
Alex rolled her eyes.
"Will you excuse us for a moment?" she asked me, but once again I didn't get to reply. That time, she grabbed hold of Felix's arm and dragged him a few steps away from me so I wouldn't hear.
I knew I shouldn't have done what I did next, but I also couldn't stop myself. I quickly muttered a spell under my breath, made it so I would hear every single word they said.
"Stop being so fucking ridiculous," Alex told Felix. "You have basically not left your bedroom for a week because you've been pining over her. Now here she is and you are just gonna go without talking to her?"
"She obviously lied because she isn't interested," he snapped back.
"Riiiight. That's why she looked at me like she wanted to cut my head off. Just give her a chance to explain. You know you'll regret it if you don't."
"Like hell I will. Honestly, Alex, why would I let myself hope just to have her leave again?" I could hear the hurt that he had tried to desperately hid with anger. I bit my lip as regret and guilt washed over me, wave after wave of it.
"Because, for some reason, you seem to have already fallen in love. You know perfectly well that you will give in as well. So stop being an ass and just have lunch with her."
And with that, she turned around. She smiled and waved at me before walking away.
Felix stood where she had left him for a bit, his eyes on the ground, before turning back to me. He walked over with slow and deliberate steps.
"Do you want lunch?" he asked when he reached me, though not meeting my eyes. He seemed to find a spot over my shoulder intriguing instead.
"Sure," I answered, my heart felt lighter. I was given the chance to fix everything. Though a nagging in my head started up.
I shouldn't do this. I should let him hate me. He'll be safer that way.
The nagging was consistent and irritating, but it also didn't get to me. I craved his company too much for that.
So, I picked up the blanket and started walking with him towards an Italian restaurant, fully aware that I maybe was committing the biggest mistake of my life, but feeling all too happy to do so.
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Author together with Zoe wishes you a blessed Mabon! I hope you're enjoy the story so far
<3
Mabon is a holiday to celebrate the autumn equinox.
What's your favorite thing about autumn? Mine is, without a doubt, all the beautiful colors.
And autumn is definitely a perfect time to cosy up with a book and some tea. Got any favorite flavor of tea? Mine definitely depends on my mood.
