The Mistress of Magic ✔

Chapter 15: Promise

Hours had passed with Anastasia and Melinda taking photos of the small market street that had begun in the evening; it was quite the surprise. Everyone was rushing to get their hands on the small jewels, great food and trinkets to take back home. Stall had been lined up along the closed street which carried the fragrance of the starry night, jasmine and lavender flowers and cinnamon. The lanterns that hung around the stalls almost felt like they had fallen out of the night sky, they glimmered and winked from every direction. The breeze was perfect since they have been strolling through a thick crowd, but no one minded since light jazz music kept everyone cozy.

"Your sister reminds me of you," she said but Maddox wasn't where he was glued all day, which was conveniently right next to her side. "Maddox?" Her eyes scanned the busy markets but his tall figure was nowhere to be seen. She was just about to call out to his sister and her cousin when she spotted him near a stall talking to the cashier. She almost burst out laughing when he walked away with a bag.

"You acted like you weren't interested," she said.

"I wasn't," he replied as he put his wallet back in his pocket. That was when she got a glimpse of the wristwatch again. It was the one she had chosen for Melinda's brother, who knew that it would circle around and end up with him. She really started to believe that maybe there was a connection between them.

"So, what'd you get?" she asked.

"It's a model of the 1957 Harley-Davidson Sportster," he answered.

Blair was bemused. "I didn't know you were into motorcycles," she said.

"Just a little bit," he said. "My dad owned one, but it crashed. He was devastated when that happened."

"Couldn't he just buy another one?" she asked. Maddox looked at her like she had a raccoon on her head. "Did I say something weird?"

"No," he chuckled. "He could never replace that bike. After it crashed he just kept the parts and wanted to rebuild it," Maddox's voice died away and he froze, "he just never got down to it."

"Do you still have it?" she asked him. "The bike, I mean?"

"Yeah. It's at my old place though," he said. "I didn't have the heart to sell the parts or throw it out."

"Why not build it yourself?"

Maddox contemplated. "I never really thought about it, but maybe, one day," he said simply.

"Well, I think it'll be super cool if you built a bike," she said with smile.

Maddox tilted his head to the side and gazed at her. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing," she merely shrugged and looked away.

Maddox laughed. "No, that meant something," he guessed right.

But, of course, she didn't know how to admit it to him that she found it extremely hot that a man knew how to fix a motorcycle. But not just any man, she imagined Maddox fixing a bike. And instead of wearing a suit, he had dirty jeans and a flannel on. Now, that would be a sight to behold. "We should get back with the others," she tried to divert his attention.

His grinned. "Mmm," he mumbled something under his breath that she couldn't quite catch, but she didn't stick around to find out.

Blair called out for her cousin and they stopped between their scavenger for antiques. "We should head home," she told Anastasia.