He drags a hand through his hair, ruffling curls until it rests against the back of his neck. “I think there’s something they say about walking your pets every so often.”
My body betrays me with another twitch. I shield my face with my book. I don’t want him to know his magic is having an iota of effect on me. “No thanks.”
He stalks over and peels the book down, brows drawing down into a sharp v. “Are you angry with me about something?”
“I’d label it more as a general dislike of you.” I try to heft my book back up without success.
“Would it help if I said I’m sorry for however I’ve offended you?”
His expression is so annoyingly earnest it makes me question all of my previous conclusions. “Why do I get the feeling you don’t say that very often?”
“Why do I get the feeling I’m going to be saying it very often now?”
“Well, it’s not something you can really apologize for. I just don’t like you.”
He frees my book with an exhale, and I sink back into the couch.
“You know what? That’s fine. We can find something to do here.”
“I’m going to read.”
He slumps down on the other end of the sofa. “Guess I’ll watch you then.”
“You’re going towatch me read?”
“Precisely.” Defiant eyes bore into my soul as he rests his chin against a fist.
“Suit yourself,” I say with feigned nonchalance, lifting my book back up to my face to hide it from view. It remains like that for mere seconds before it begins to lower. I squeeze it with all my strength until my hands are quivering. It’s no use. It stops its descent, stilling just below my chin so my face is exposed to him.
“That’s better,” he croons.
I can already feel him, his magic, embedding itself inside of me, taking root in my bloodstream, blooming in every thump of my blood. I stare at the words on the page. They might as well be those strange symbols for all I can comprehend of them. “Sorry, I know this must be very boring for you,” I say letting out a forced yawn.
“On the contrary, I don’t think this is boring at all.” He drawls each word lazily yet with the precision of the swishing tail of a cat. “I’d go as far as to say it’s the opposite of boring.”
My blood pushes to the surface of my face and neck under his scrutiny as though it were trying to escape the confines of my skin.I wish it would.
“Has anyone ever told you that before? I thought maybe not, seeing as you were covered up for all those years? So that pretty much makes it my responsibility, don’t you think?” He clicks his tongue. “Pretty.” The word is uttered out like a breath of air blowing out the petals of a dandelion but it’s my mind that’s scattered to the wind. I suck in a breath, trying to draw the scattered pieces back together. “I especially like—“
“What—“ Words fail me as my book thumps to my lap. I get trapped there in his gaze for a moment, half-lidded eyes that threaten to suck me in and never let me back out. I shake my head, forcing myself out of his pull. “What are you doing?” I hiss.
“Look,” he says diplomatically. “I know I can be…” He lifts a palm, struggling for words.
“A massive dick?”
“Crass,” he offers. “And you can be…well—“ His eyes widen pointedly. “You can be…what I’m trying to say is I realize I have maybe gone about things between us in a way that isnot effective.”
I sigh, knowing he’s likely to keep pestering me until he gets his way. “Dinner?” I ask, suspiciously.
He grins. “Yeah.”
“Where?”
“In the dining hall,” he says, like this should be obvious to me.
“Won’t there be other wi—Magi there?”
“Yes.”
