Page 72 of Hexes and Exes

“I’m not worried about myself. You should be more concerned for your own self-preservation.”

“I know. That’s how I know your curse hasn’t replaced the real you,” Roman calmly replies. I take a step back, my shadows disappearing.

“I’ll leave you be, but don’t forget that I’m here. That I’ll always be your brother.” Roman walks back inside, leaving me to my racing thoughts.

I stay out in the cold, waiting for my fucking anger and bitterness to cool as much as my frozen skin.

30

AVA

It’s been eight days since I’ve seen Bram. He's probably forgotten me by now. That’s for the best. I’ve been communicating with the kitchen staff at the resort to finalize the menu and have booked the band on my own. Today’s supposed to be a day off, but instead I’m dress shopping.

“Why do I have to buy a new dress?” I whine as we walk into another store. We’ve already been to three different shops, and I want to die. I’m not a good shopper. I prefer to buy stuff online, find out it doesn’t fit, and let it fester in my closet, never to be worn until I finally donate it three years later.

Like a normal person.

“Because the masquerade has a fairytale theme, and nothing you own will work.” Josephine informs me as if I’m not the one planning the fucking party.

“Fine, let’s get this over with.”

This shop is owned by a witch who’s prepared to dress the coven for the party. She has a huge selection of masks displayed on the wall. Everything inside is formal, but it runs the gamut from couture to recycled.

“Do you know what kind of costume you want?” Josephine pushes open the door and holds it until we’re all inside.

“I don’t know. Is there a fairytale where the main character is forgotten by everyone who knows her?”

Piper can’t mask her emotions for shit. Worry is stamped all over her face.

“Just kidding.” I wave her off, but she’s not convinced. She’s right not to be. Ever since the night at the diner, I have not been okay.

I knew better. I straight up lied to Bram, telling him I was good with casual. I’d already caught feelings before we started screwing each other. In the literal sense. Figuratively too, I guess. I told him I didn’t want anything more and we could just scratch an itch. Maybe I’d convinced myself of that a little bit too. I’m such a liar. If my feelings weren't fully invested, I wouldn’t be moping so much.

“I have the perfect costume for you.” Shayla McGill, the owner of the store, sweeps in from the back room. She’s tall and fashionably slim with shoulder-length brown hair that’s starting to gray. She’s wearing what I would consider formal business attire, but maybe that’s what she thinks her clients expect from her. She’s a bit vapid, but overall harmless when it comes to the witches in our coven. I doubt she even knows how shitty our coven council is. “We have this Greek Goddess dress that represents Lethe.”

“Lethe?” Josephine asks. I’m equally confused. I’m not up on my Greek mythology.

“The river of forgetting. If you drink from the river Lethe, then you’ll forget everything about yourself.”

“Oh. I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Piper is playing with the edges of her scarf. Her blood red hair is mostly hidden beneath a knitted hat. It’s pulled so low her eyes are almost covered too.

I step forward and unzip my coat. “Actually, that’s perfect. Time to embrace my future.”

“Ava.” My friends protest, but I cut them off.

“I’d love to see it.”

Shayla grins and heads to the back of the store. “You won’t be disappointed.”

“Too late for that,” I mumble to myself.

“I just got this in and haven’t put it out yet. Something was holding me back. Maybe it was you. I always said I have a bit of premonition magic. I just know things, you know.” She returns with a swath of fabric draped over her arms. “Like this one time, in high school, I told Emma, my friend, that her boyfriend was cheating on her. I was right.”

I hum noncommittally and eye the cloth in her hands. The gown is silvery blue, almost shimmering, and somehow looking like liquid. When she holds it up, there’s a silver breastplate that reminds me of armor.

“Holy shit.” Odie signs, and I nod in agreement. I don’t care if this dress is about being forgotten. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

“Right?” Shayla nods. “I can see this is the one for you. I feel it, in my bones.”

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