Page 52 of The Neighborhood Witch

Max lay in front of the fireplace; her eyes watched Hugo’s movements. As he paced, Hugo examined his phone with the determination of an artist scrutinizing their work. He swiped and gestured as if directing part of the screen to new locations. He stopped.

Hugo examined the phone one last time before he turned his back to the couch and plopped down. He tossed it onto the seat next to him and, in the same motion, covered his face as he leaned back into the couch cushions.

“I’m an idiot. I ruined it. I ruined everything. Why didn’t I go in with her that night?”

The spattering of rain crashed into the window behind him.

“I bet she hates me now. I’m sure avoiding her for a few days hasn’t helped.”

Max furled her eyebrows one last time at Hugo’s nonsensical blabbering before closing her eyes.

He leaned forward and glanced over at the phone. He picked it upand scrolled through the playlist again. Every song had to be perfect and in the correct order. The phone bounced once as he dropped it back down. “I should go over there.”

Max opened her eyes and gave Hugo an uncaring glance before she closed them once more.

Hugo jumped up and peered out the window. Dark, gray clouds blanketed the sky. They moved and swirled with the trepidation of ruin. It was a hard rain—cold, dark, unrelenting. Water saturated the yellowish-green autumn ground. Alice’s black SUV remained parked in front of her house.

She’s still home. Now’s your chance.

Hugo scanned the dust covered pictures on the mantel. He stopped at his wedding picture. Elizabeth’s radiant smile. His joyous grin. The candid moment captured on paper of them lost in each other. Elizabeth in her white wedding gown. He in the black tux with a blue tie. Their wedding colors. Their high school colors. The colors of the first time they fell in love with each other. The memories flooded back.

Maybe it was for the best.

Emotion swirled through him. He contemplated sitting back on the couch as the rain pattered against the window. The sound of the storm grew more intense. The crash of rain became more violent against the window.

Hugo glanced over at his phone. Without time for doubt, he snatched it up and stuffed it into his pants pocket. Hugo strode over to the mantel and turned the wedding picture around.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he moved toward the front door.

He took his black leather jacket out of the closet. In a dizzying motion, Hugo flung the jacket around him and put his arms through the sleeves.

“Max, I’ll see you later.”

“Leave him,”Alice’s reflection said. “He clearly doesn’t want you. Leave him.”

Alice leaned back against the side bathroom wall. She tilted her head and leered at the mirror with disapproving eyes.

“Don’t give me that look,” Alice’s reflection retorted. “You know I’m right. He’s been avoiding you for what… a couple of days now? You’re too good for him. It’s for the best, actually.”

Alice was silent. Her reflection was perplexed and matched Alice’s silence. The mirror searched carefully for its next words. Anything to convince Alice. Her reflection leaned forward as close to the glass as possible and locked onto Alice’s eyes. “You’re never going to compete with his dead wife,” the mirror said.

Alice scowled in response.

“You know I’m right,” the mirror pleaded.

Alice stood up and turned her back. “He’ll come around,” she replied. “When he’s ready.”

“How long are you willing to wait?”

“As long as it takes.”

“And if he doesn’t…”

Alice paused before offering a reply. “Then I’ll continue to wait.”

Alice’s reflection buried her face into her palms, trying to find anything to help plead her case. Her reflection paused, then raised her head until only her jaw remained buried in her cupped hands. “Why?” the reflection asked in a muffled voice before dropping her hands. “What makes him so special?”

Alice lowered her head only for a moment and then turned. Tears welled in her eyes. She locked onto her reflection to reveal her inner, unrelenting truth. “He accepts me for who I am. No one has ever accepted me. They only wanted what I could do for them.”

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