Page 82 of Shadows in Bloom

She giggles lightly. “You started it.”

“I wanted to know if Heaven and God are real, not?—”

The thing doesn’t just wobble this time, it spins like a top.

Ophelia’s brows spike. “Okay…”

I’m about to tell her maybe we should call it a night. We got our answer. It works.

But with her next question, everything falls away.

“Does Winifred like me?”

I freeze.

Lifting my gaze, I find Ophelia staring intently down at the board, her mouth a hard line. Even in shadow, save for the flickering flame, I can see the way her cheeks darken.

The planchette wobbles, but otherwise stays in place. YES.

Ophelia’s lips twist together, and she sits a little straighter, like she’s steeling herself. “If I kissed her, would she kiss me back?”

My heart drops somewhere in my stomach, leaving a cavernous space for all the butterflies that surge to my chest, making me feel light-headed.

Despite knowing the answer, I find myself looking down at the board…a plea chanting in my head. It doesn’t even occur to me to question how the spirit would even know these answers.

YES.

A breath blows out, and I peek up through my lashes to find Ophelia doing the same. This time, the tension that tugs between us isn’t so much as awkward, but stronger than ever. A living, breathing thing.

And I find myself asking the board, “Does Ophelia like me back?”

YES.

I gulp.

“Maybe it’s broken,” I whisper, not taking my eyes off Ophelia’s face.

“Do…do you think it is?”

I’m near-trembling when I give a jerky shake of my head. “You?”

She shakes her head right back.

Then, pushing up onto her knees, she picks up the board, and not taking her eyes off me, carefully sets it to the side, before walking on her knees toward me.

The game is forgotten, right along with my shock and disbelief. All that exists right now is Ophelia—coming to a stop in front of me.

Mouth twitching, she darts her eyes all around my face. Lower… “This hair,” she murmurs, reaching up and fingering the long wispy strands that curl down toward my chest. Her eyes search between mine as she releases them to slide her hands around my cheeks, cupping them gently.

My mouth dries, anticipation licking a thrill up my spine, making me tremble..

Angling my head back, she leans down, pausing just over my lips. “This okay?”

“I—” My breath hitches.

Wrong.

I know this is wrong.

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