Love.
Friendship.
Peace.
The list is endless.
“These are special herbal blends to help aid your aura to develop in a way that you feel you need. You could get a friendship set in which you would keep one and she would take the other, and by drinking it, you would be strengthening your friendship bond. Or you could go with a more generic one where it’s just meant to offer some sort of feeling, like peace. I’ll give you a moment to look at them.”
I nod as I hear her go talk to Kado. I cringe, ready to save him, but somehow, the woman knows he doesn’t speak. She talks to him with such care that I wonder for a moment what it would be like if he were to ask her out.
That’s dispelled when he comes up to me looking uncomfortable.
“I think she likes you,” I whisper.
He shakes his head before pointing to the love jar.
“You want a love potion? I think she’s into you enough.”
He frowns, shaking his head more vehemently.
I hold up my hands. “Okay, I get it. She’s not your type. Do you even have a type?”
He’s hesitant, but slowly he nods his head.
“Is there a specific person?”
Before he answers, the woman is back. Kado points at the jar again.
“Ah. You crave love. I can feel that. That’s not going to do what you think. Love potions aren’t real. You can’t make someone fall in love with you if they aren’t. This herbal blend is to encourage love to grow within yourself. It’s to open your eyes to the world around you to find the love you seek. It helps break down walls that have long been formed. It only enhances you. It doesn’t change.”
Kado looks to the ground, thinking about her words.
I smile, grabbing the friendship blend.
“I’ll take this one.”
After I pay, I find Kado staring at the same jar.
“You ready to go?”
He holds up a finger before grabbing the love jar and taking it up front.
My heart hurts for him.
He’s never had love in his life. He’s desperate for it. I can only hope he finds it soon. I hate knowing the man who has become such a dear friend of mine is suffering from a lack of companionship.
* * *
“You’re still comingto this Christmas celebration, right?” Kai asks me, sounding like he’d rather carve his own organs out of his chest.
“Of course.”
“Do you ever wonder where we would be had we never met our women?” Kai asks suddenly.
I swallow hard. “Never. I would never trade a single minute of my time with Miya. Even when she annoys the fuck out of me.”
He chuckles. “Same. Sometimes I’m sitting here working, and it crosses my mind that at one time I was such a miserable prick.”
