Page 7 of It's In His Hiss

“See you at seven, then.” She hesitates for a moment before heading toward the door.

I fight the urge to escort her out. After all, one accidental touch could end this whole thing before it even starts.

“Looking forward to it,” I call after her, trying to sound more confidentthan I feel.

With the door closing behind her, I slump against the counter. Dinner. A date. With Alice. How am I supposed to eat with trembling hands and a heart that feels like it’s trying to break dance out of my damn chest?

“Get it together, Gordy,” I mutter to myself. “It’s just a date.”

But even as I say it, I know it’s notjustanything. It’s everything.

Chapter 4

Alice

I sit at the cozy kitchen table, eating breakfast. I can’t help but smile, relishing the warm morning light against my skin as it streams through the open window of my new apartment.

Right before I left Fable Forest, Verity helped me find a place—an apartment aboveThe Cartographoriumowned by old Mr. Penumbra that smells like ink, cedarwood, and a little bit of ghost. It’s small, sunny, and surprisingly affordable for a town where enchanted houseplants have unionized. The studio space gets brilliant morning light, and Mr. Penumbra said I could paint on the walls“as long as the walls don’t start talking back.”So far, only one has. Politely.

And the main thing? It’s mine, paid for with years of saving an allowance I never seemed to spend. I’m still getting used to the idea of being independent. I had my doubts about “running away from home,” but now I know I made the right choice.

As I reach for my coffee, the mugslides across the table on its own, narrowly missing the edge before settling unnaturally still.

I freeze, staring at it. “Okay,” I mutter. “That was new.”

I reach again, more cautiously this time, and as my fingers brush the ceramic,the spoon inside the mug starts spinning wildly.

“Not now,” I plead under my breath.

The spoon slows… only tofly out of the cup and land on my toastwith a wet splat.

I groan. “This is why I can’t have nice things.” I glare at my hands as if they’re responsible. “Maybe I should start wearing gloves.”

With a sigh, I wipe up the mess. The weird woo-woo shit going on with me seems to have worsened since I stepped foot in Screaming Woods.

Still, I can’t deny that the best perk of moving here comes in the form of one irresistibly handsome gorgon.

Last night replays in my head like a catchy tune. Gordy. The dinner at that quirky little restaurant on Nightjar Row, nestled between the bakery,Conjure and Crumb, and the flower shop,Bloom and Bane.I can still taste the hint of garlic from the pasta on my tongue, the restaurant’s second attempt at making our dishes because of a little… mishap. And Gordy, with his shy smile that reached those hypnotic green eyes, when I dared to glance.

“Al, stop grinning like an idiot,” I mutter, but there’s no stopping the flutter in my chest when I think about him asking me out again. He’s unlike anyone I’ve met, and I’m pretty sure he feels the same spark, or at least, I hope so.

The apartment is quiet, save for the occasional creaks and groans of the old building settling into its foundations. I’m alone, but my mind is crowded with memories of last night. We laughed a lot, mostly at the absurdity of life in a townwhere humans and monsters are trying to figure out cohabitation etiquette.

The sun is shining today, so I’m wearing another maxi dress, this one a light shade of blue. Slipping on my favorite jacket over the top, the one that matches my hair perfectly, I check my reflection in the mirror. Gordy might be reserved and cautious with his affections, but I can tell he’s interested. And those snakes of his? Well, they’ll have to learn to like me, too. I mean, if Gideon’s snakes can learn to ignore me and the many puns I send his way, anyone’s can, right?

With a last look around my apartment, a sense of contentment washes over me. Screaming Woods is growing on me, and so is the enigmatic gorgon who runs the local bookstore. Who knows what will happen? But I’m eager to find out.

As I walk, I remember our meal atThe Howling Crust. I was so excited, sitting across from Gordy, and all I could think about was how his smile lit up the dim corner of the restaurant like a lighthouse in a storm. He has a magnetism about him, even with the constant hiss of the snakes that crown his head. But it’s not only the snakes, it’sthe way he talks about books, the passion in his voice when he describes his favorite scenes. I didn’t even mind when he accidentally turned our server into a statue. It was only a glance, so hopefully, he wasn’t frozen for too long.

I push open the door ofThe Sibilant Shelf Bookstore, smiling at the tinkle of the bell. The place is quiet, except for the soft rustling that I now know comes from his hair, those restless snakes.

“Morning, Al,” he calls from behind a stack of books without looking up, his voice inviting.

“Hi, Gordy,” I say, edging closer but making sure to keep my gaze on the spines of nearby books. “About last night…”

“Say no more,” he interrupts with a little chuckle, and I can tell he’s smiling even though I can’t see his face. “I’ve heard from the restaurant, and the server came back to life last night. Eventually. They’ve given him a few days off to recover.”

“I’m so glad to hear that. I did worry about him,” I admit, my cheeks heating. The snakes hiss and writhe on top of his head as I step in his direction. “Your snakes seem to have a mind of their own, as usual.”

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