Page 17 of Summertime Hexy

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Like he’s holding me up with more than his hands.

And for some reason, I don’t want to pull away.

“Hazel,” he says, voice tighter now. “You need to let go.”

“You first.”

His hand opens slowly. Mine follows.

We step back at the same time. The space between us feels colder than it should.

But the hum doesn’t stop.

If anything, itsettles.

Like it’s decided to stay.

I shove my hands into my pockets. “So. That happened.”

He nods once. “We’ll tell Thorn.”

“Cool. Love being a cautionary tale.”

I start walking.

He follows.

Silence stretches between us like a rubber band. Tense. Electric.

I break it. “You okay?”

“No.”

I glance at him. “Wanna elaborate?”

He doesn’t.

Of course.

Instead, he just says, “That magic… it was personal.”

“Yeah,” I say. “It was.”

And somehow, that’s the most honest thing we’ve ever said to each other.

Back at the cabin, we don’t talk.

We don’t have to.

He sits by the window. I sit on the edge of my bed, hands still trembling from the jolt.

And when our eyes meet across the room, just for a second, I swear the tether’s still there.

Invisible.

But real.

And maybe… permanent.

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