It's Not Magic

Twenty-Two

Ralph had given Kane some pain medication that he kept behind the counter, and Kane had fallen asleep. And to avoid the suspicion of passerbys, Ralph closed shop and carried Kane upstairs, to where Ralph lived.

I'd only been up here a couple times before, once when hiding with my dad from officers, and the other when Braelyn first disappeared. Neither were good times.

But now, it was with Kane, even though he was unconscious. But he was okay, and that was all that mattered.

Ralph had set him on the couch, and was in the kitchen making something. I sat next to Kane on the floor, messing with Kane's hand, which had fallen by my side. I was moving his fingers, bending them, straightening them, but I was just hoping that he'd wake up soon; I was starting to want to go back to Rifugio.

"Ginger or peppermint?" Ralph asked from the kitchen, the noise pausing for a moment, except for the whistling of something on the stove.

I smiled. "Peppermint, of course," I called back, no question in my voice.

Ralph chuckled and went back to whatever he was doing. "Ginger it is, then," he called back jokingly.

I laughed, relaxing against the base of the couch, still holding Kane's hand in both of mine.

Minutes later, Ralph came out of the kitchen with two mugs, both steaming with hot liquid. "Here you are," he said as he handed me one of the mugs, keeping the other for himself. "It's a bit hot though, so don't burn yourself."

"Thanks," I told him, using one hand to grab the mug, the other still holding onto Kane's hand. But the liquid inside threatened to spill, so I had to drop Kane's hand to grab the mug with my other.

As I lifted the mug to my mouth to drink, I could smell the peppermint in the mug, the leaves still floating on the top. Smiling, I breathed in the scent of the tea.

"That should help with your headache," he told me, sipping from his own mug.

"It did the last time," I reminded him, looking up at Ralph with a smile still on my face.

Ralph smiled and laughed. "Maybe I should give you some of the leaves so you can make your own."

I nodded, taking a sip from my tea, careful not to burn my mouth. "I did learn how from the best," I said with a smile.

Ralph smiled as he sat in his chair across from me. He kept glancing back and forth between me and Kane, but I pretended not to see it.

We sat in silence, drinking our tea, ignoring the elephant that was starting to fill the room.

"So," Ralph said after what seemed like a very prolonged silence. "What's going on between you and Kane?"

I blinked, surprised at the question. "Nothing," I told him honestly. "He's just providing housing while I heal from some injuries." Half-expecting Ralph to freak out at mention of injuries, I was surprised when he didn't react. I was quiet for a moment, questions crossing my mind. "How do you even know him?" I asked, curious.

Ralph shrugged. "He's come in here before. I know most of my customers, Lili, you know that."

"Yeah, but..." I stopped, trying to think of some sort of argument against that. It felt like there was more to it than that. Giving up, I sighed, taking another sip of tea.

Ralph chuckled.

"And why didn't you react when I mentioned my injuries?" I questioned.

Ralph looked like a deer caught in headlights, and he quickly took another sip of tea, as if to cover up the reaction. Shit, I heard him think.