Page 144 of Obsession

“We’re all different now.” I pause, trying to think of the right thing to say next. “I wanted to say that I’m sorry, about the Institute.”

He shoves his hands deeper into his pockets. A nervous tick, or is his wand down in there? Is he casting spells—preparing to shoot something should I say the wrong thing?

I feel Aris focus on me again as Henry says, “Thank you.”

I watch him and wait for him to say something else, something more. It wasn’t your fault, Mary. I’m sorry about what I did, Mary. Be well. Be happy, Mary.

But he just keeps his hands in his pockets.

How interesting: I don’t even care about him anymore, and he still finds a way to disappoint me.

“Did you want to talk to me about something?” I finally ask.

“I heard that you’re leaving.” He hesitates, and I wonder who told him. Sem, maybe. “I wanted to say bye, I suppose. It doesn’t feel right not saying it.”

I feel a little awkward now, since it’s not a sentiment that I share. Whatever he’s trying to do, whatever closure he seeks, it’s beyond me.

“Well…” He pushes his hands out of his pockets to offer me a hand to shake, and, after a pause, I accept it.

His hand feels unfamiliar and too warm.

Henry lets go. “Good-bye, Mary. Good luck.”

He doesn’t tack on what we’re both thinking: You’re going to need it.

My answering smile is tight, and Henry nods before patting his fellow mage on the shoulder and walking to give us some privacy.

“Where will you go?” asks Simon.

“I don’t know. Some place where Aris won’t bother anyone again.”

Simon raises a brow. “Here’s hoping.”

We share a brief smile, but it doesn’t last long. I was right before: we’re all different now. Who I was a few months ago when I spoke with Simon in London is a person I don’t recognize. While I’ve been with Aris, Simon has led his own life—one I know nothing about.

I don’t know anything about him, really. I don’t understand him, and I don’t think he even likes me. It feels like he was assigned the role of “friend” and could never figure out how to play the part.

“Did Aris tell you to look out for me at the Institute?” I ask. The question has been in me for some time now. “Did he somehow communicate with you through a dream or through Henry?”

Simon stares at me like I’m speaking a different language, but it isn’t a deterrent. I finish, “Did you ever want to be my friend?”

He looks over my shoulder. At Aris. And then, he smiles the public-transport smile again. “You know the answer to that,” Simon tells me.

To his credit, he does sound sorry.

“Okay,” I say.

“For what it’s worth…” he starts, then sighs. “You got some crap cards dealt. I don’t think you deserved any of it.”

I think about what Sem told me, her apology.

“Someone had to live this life,” I say to him. “And I’ve got a long one ahead of me.”

He purses his lips. “Take care of yourself, Mary.”

“You, too.”

Simon watches me for a moment longer before rejoining Henry. By now, Henry has a portal up and running. Neither spare a glance back before stepping into it. A few seconds pass, and then the gray mass shifts into the door it once was, revealing an unlit hallway behind it.

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