Fading Magic (Book 5 of the Ink Series)

uplifting

I drop my fork and groan. "I am so full I think I might puke." It has been a long time since I ate at my favorite place.

"Fried pickles," Slade says lifting one from my plate, he studies it and then puts it back down.

"Try it," I tell him. "I promise you it's amazing."

He shakes his head, lifting his sandwich. "I eat normal food. Like this, not that shit."

I roll my eyes and slip out of the booth with my plate. I make it to the waste basket get rid of my trash leaving my tray on the top.

"So after this we head back to your house right?" Slade asks me. He knows how hard I am trying to avoid the inevitable. I need to see my mom. If I keep avoiding her I know I will stay miserable and I can't do that.

I nod looking around the diner. "Yes. And I think that is another reason why I don't feel so good."

He takes my hand, his fingers skim the outline of my tattoo. "You'll be fine. She is going to be happy to see you."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know you, it's that simple," he says. He looks past me. "Do you know those two guys?"

I twist around in my seat to see what he is talking about. It's not what I want to see at all, a glaring reminder of my horrible attempt at love before Slade.

There in the diner is the boy I gave my first kiss to. The guy I dropped the marshmallow on, the one I doodled in my journal over before I knew what true love was.

"That's Charlie," I explain. I pray he stays right where he is but he's headed this way.

"Hope Zigler, holy shit I can't believe it's you. Long time no see," Charlie says yanking me out of my seat.

Charlie still has the dull blue eyes I lusted over every night and the dirty blonde hair that used to hang in his eyes is now cut into a better maintained hairstyle. He's a man, not the boy I remember from when we were kids.

"Charlie," I say not adding anything else to the end of it. I don't want him thinking I am happy to see him because I'm not. No reason in particular, besides the obvious one which is I don't care to run into old love interest in front of my new love interest.

"When did you get back?" He looks at Slade and extends a hand taking all of him in. "I'm Charlie, an old...friend of Hope's.

Slade nods not shaking his hand. "Slade, a new boyfriend."

Charlie smirks looking back at me now that he knows my boyfriend wants to smash his face in.

"I hear you were living in California. How was it?"

"It was nice, a little different but it's worth getting used to." There I made small talk without making it awkward. "I have to get going. I still have to see my mom."

Charlie's eyes soften. "Good luck with that. I know how that goes."

I'm not sure what he means but I force a smile and turn back to Slade. "You get the check and we can head out."

Slade watches him climb into his blue pickup. "I don't like that guy."

I sigh, I don't want to deal with this right now. "Neither do I because I like you. And since when are you the jealous type?"

Slade's jaw flexes. "I know when a guy wants to fuck a girl. And he wants to fuck you."

How embarrassing. "Well, there are hundreds...maybe thousands of girls who want to jump in your bed and you don't see me throwing a fit about it."