Charming the heart of a man is a lot more difficult than it sounds. Especially when it's already bewitched by somebody else - literally!
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All that former witch-in-training Avalon wanted was a simple job to get her life back on track and forget abo...
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The feeling of uneasiness wouldn't leave Avalon alone, no matter how much she tried to shove it out of her system. The itching between her shoulder blades and along her spine wouldn't stop – which never bode well for her.
She forced herself to take even and slow breaths, a meditation technique to calm her nerves. There was nothing else to do while she waited for Neymar to finish his texting. Her gaze caught on the bottle of red wine standing in the far corner by the coffee maker. It had been smiling at her ever since she'd come into the kitchen earlier. She rummaged through the cabinets hanging on the wall in search of the wine glasses. She wasn't that much of a drinker, but wine seemed like a very welcome way to soothe her nerves right now.
"Want one too?" she asked, jittery, holding a glass up in Neymar's direction. Her hand shook, so she put the glass down on the counter. Get a grip!, she reminded herself, pressing her hands flat onto the top of the counter.
"Hm?" He hadn't even looked up from his phone, still typing like crazy.
Her mouth went dry, her skin feeling prickly. Like tiny needles stabbing her all over.
Something was off. Something was way off. In the magical sense. Had Nina come here earlier than expected? No, sensing another magical being felt different than this. Avalon shook her head, forcing her thoughts to return to the moment. "Red wine," she said with a forced calm voice after clearing her throat. "Want one?"
"Oh. No, thanks. We play an away match tomorrow, so I better not."
She shrugged, an attempt to appear casual, then put the second glass back into the cabinet again, forcing her mind to focus on the task. "Okay. But you're missing a really good wine from my hometown."
Raising the glass to her nose, she took a deep smell, smiling softly at the rich texture filling her nostrils. Then she took a small sip, humming in delight. At least the wine was good, the familiar taste already beginning to calm her down somewhat.
That finally made Neymar look up from the phone with a curious look. Not the humming. Her words. "You didn't move here from Barcelona?" Then his eyes were back on the mobile as he continued to type.
"I did," she said, putting down her glass on the kitchen counter. Although the surreal feeling of magic in the air distracted her beyond any attempt to hold a deep meaningful conversation, she wasn't ready to give up on their little bonding time just yet.
So she did what she usually wouldn't do – reveal something about herself. "But that's not where I'm from." She spun the bottle so he could glance at the label and tapped the top. "That's a Rioja. From my hometown, Logroño. I moved to Barcelona only a couple of years ago."
"Hm?" Okay. He hadn't even heard a word she'd said or looked up from the display. She hadn't been able to hold his attention for very long, his mind ultimately caught by whatever was going on on his phone again.
