Page 90 of Fire of the Fox

With that, my suspicions were confirmed. I frowned and said as gently as I could, “Blake. I’m with Rune. Even if I wasn’t, after what you did—”

He shook his head and closed the distance between us as he pleaded, “That wasn’t me. Yes, I did go along with it, and I didn’t do anything to stop them. Even so, I never wanted to be a part of that. That’s not who I am! I-I want you to give me another chance to show you who I really am. I’ve never opened up about being Water Fae to anyone, but with you—” he paused, taking a deep breath. He looked down at the floor as he finished, “With you, I feel that spark again. I feel that sense of purpose I’ve been longing for. I can’t explain it, but it’s like this invisible pull tugging me toward you.”

Speechless, I stared at him. No one had ever said something like that to me, and it was hard to swallow such a strong confession. Although, it was more likely confusion on his part than a real confession. As he’d said, this was the first time he’d been honest about who he was, and it felt like he needed someone to fill the void he’d had for so long. I wasn’t the person who could do that for him, and I think he knew that deep down, too.

I couldn’t return his feelings. Besides the fact that Blake had made too many mistakes for me to trust him like that, my heart already belonged to someone else—someone who was waiting for me as we spoke. Sure, Rune’s feelings were a puzzle I was still trying to solve, but I almost had those pieces put together. It was hard for him to blatantly say the kind of things Blake was trying to, but I couldn’t deny the fact that I wanted Rune and Rune alone.

Blake’s eyes were glued to the tiled floor, his mouth turned down.

Gently, I tapped his arm.

He looked up at me, his green eyes shining.

I took a deep breath and said, “If things were different, I honestly think I could forgive you for your part in what happened. The rest of your friends, not a chance. But you … I can tell you’re sincere about regretting what happened, and I guess, in a weird way, I can see why you tried doing it. It’s the same with humans and peer pressure. Although, your case was a bit more extreme.”

His face beamed with newfound hope. “So you’ll give me a chance?”

I sighed and shook my head. “I could consider a friendship. Nothing more. Look, Rune and I aren’t actually together. We haven’t been this whole time. It’s a long, crazy story, but the point is, even though we aren’t actually anything, I really love him. A lot.”

My heart raced, and color rose to my cheeks. This was the first time I’d admitted my feelings out loud to someone. I couldn’t believe that the person I chose to confide in was Blake, but then again, he had confided in me, too. Maybe he really wasn’t that bad.

Blake’s head fell in defeat, his eyes turning back to the floor. He gave a long sigh, and he nodded. “I understand. But—” He looked at me again, “But if things don’t work out with him, could you maybe—”

“I can’t promise anything more than friendship. I know where to find you now, so if you can prove to me that you truly aren’t anything like the person I thought you were, we can try being friends. Okay?”

Optimism bled into his features once more as he said, “Of course. I’d like nothing more. It will be nice to have a friend again.”

I grinned and glanced at the door. “I should probably get going now, and you should get back to work. You’ve definitely been gone longer than ten minutes.”

He shrugged with a dismissive wave of a hand. “It’s fine. It would be worth it for the sake of healing you.”

My lips turned up slightly, and I looked down at my feet. I didn’t know what to say to him, but I didn’t have to say anything. My body locked up when he wrapped his arms around me in a gentle hug, and only after feeling the way he trembled did I finally hug him back.

When he pulled away, tears streaked down his cheeks again, but there was a flood of hope in his eyes amidst the pain. “Sorry. It’s been a really long time since I’ve hugged anyone. I’m also sorry for causing you so much trouble.”

My mind was in a daze. How sad that a small hug from me could bring so much emotion to the surface. Dallas and I hugged almost every day. That small act between us was like a promise that everything was going to be okay, because I had someone on my side who loved me. Right now, she and I weren’t in a good place, but that didn’t change the fact that I loved her and our friendship. To know he’d been without that yet craving it was gut-wrenching.

“One other question,” I said.

“What is it?”

I paused, remembering that odd sensation that drew me into the bathroom. It was like I was under a spell. “Did you hypnotize me or something? You know, to get me into the bathroom?”

He burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. “What? No. I don’t have that sort of power. I don’t think any Water Fae does. Why do you ask?”

Frowning, I shook my head. “Nothing. Never mind.”

We walked back out into the store together. When I made it to the entrance of the store, I waved goodbye to him, which he returned with a smile.

I turned to leave, but before I could exit, he yelled, “Wait!”

I froze and looked back at him.

“Um, do you-do you think I can know your name now?”

Pursing my lips, I considered his request. “Do you promise to keep away from Allen and choices like the one you made?”

“Absolutely. I’m never going back down that road again.”

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