Page 46 of The Neighborhood Witch

“Don’t move. Sit back down.”

Alice went for his hand, but he pulled it away, clutching his stomach. He stumbled around the room and fell over on to the hardwood floor.

“Hugo!” Alice shoutedbefore he passed out.

Hugo wokeup naked in his bed. He had no recollection of how he got there. Distorted images flashed in his memory.

Was I dreaming?The thought raced through his mind. Daylight struggled to break through the drawn curtains. His head no longer throbbed. His eyes focused on the imperfections of the ceiling.

The disheveled bedding was scattered over his body. He felt the weight of an arm draped over his chest. A woman’s leg interlocked between his. The warm breath exhaled on his bare shoulder in long, drawn out cadences. He felt skin against skin. Body against body. He wasn’t the only one naked in the bed. He hadn’t felt this sensation in months. It felt good. It felt normal.

His left middle finger slowly traced an invisible line from her shoulder, over the elbow, down the forearm, before circling in her palm. She stirred from her slumber. Her leg stretched and rubbed against his like two pieces of kindling trying to reignite a raging fire.

He then followed a familiar path from her hip, over the curve of her butt cheek, and down the back of her thigh, right above her knee. She let out a long, relaxing moan before kissing his ear. Her tongue, ever so softly and gently, traced the inner labyrinths hidden deep within. Hugo’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. This was bliss.

A familiar voice whispered softly into his ear, a secret only allowed between the two of them, “Good morning.”

Her body fell with his chest as Hugo drew out an exhale.

“Good morning, Elizabeth,” Hugo whispered in response, turning his head to see a tuft of messy purple hair laying on his shoulder.

Alice lifted her head, her eyebrows scrunched together with a confused expression. “Who’s Elizabeth?”

Hugo jolted.His head was buried in the crevice between the cushion and the back of his couch. Hugo’s heart raced, and his head pounded.His shirt dripped in sweat. He flipped to his back. His chest rose and fell with each labored breath.

The room was dizzying, like waves rocking on a ship at sea. Max’s head rested on the edge of the couch, staring into Hugo’s ear. Her tail wagged. She let out a low whimper to express her need to go outside. She begged for attention. Her tail wagging increased in intensity. She whimpered again. Hugo sat up, running his hands over his face and through his damp hair. He was still in the same clothes from last night.

Max backed away from the couch in a whirlwind of circles, excited at the prospect of finally going outside. She let out a loud bark that pierced Hugo’s ears.

A small apothecary bottle sat on his coffee table with twine tied around the neck. The wordsDrink Me. -Alicewere written in black ink across the attached tanned note tag. Hugo picked up the clear, cylindrical bottle. The blue liquid swished inside. He removed the cork stop and paused only for a momentary concern. The throbbing removed all doubt, and he downed the drink in one chug. It tasted of blueberries and oak.

Max ran out the back door, barking and running through the yard. Hugo stumbled behind. He held onto the guard rails as he descended the steps one at a time. He slumped into the plastic chair, waiting for Max to finish. His breathing slowed, and the pounding headache ceased. He no longer felt the sweat running down his back. His shirt, however, was still damp. His vision cleared. The overcast, gray clouds on the fall day felt blinding.

“There he is,” a familiar voice said over the fence. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah,” he drew out his response. “What was in that?”

“One of my potions,” Alice said. “The cure for hangovers.”

Hugo stood up and meandered over to the fence to greet her. Each step felt more secure than the last. “You could sell it and make a fortune.”

“I already do,” Alice replied.

Hugo paused. He struggled to remember the events of last night. “What… what happened?”

“Well. You got really drunk, really fast, and then passed out on my floor. I helped carry you to your couch, with a wee-bit of my magick… with aK, by the way.” She winked at Hugo.

Hugo dropped his head, ashamed of his actions. In a hushed tone, he said, “I’m… I’m sorry for ruining your evening.”

“Don’t be. That was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

“Still, I didn’t mean to cause a mess.”

His eyes locked with her emerald greens. His eyebrows begged for forgiveness. Hugo hoped she noticed the hurt in his eyes.

Alice’s smirk turned into a half smile. “How about you make it up to me?”

“Absolutely,” Hugo replied.

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