“It’s been three seconds.”
“They make medication for that, I think. Cheerios. Running. I don’t know.”
“That would lower my blood pressure, which would be the opposite of helpful in this situation.”
Fuck me, fuck me,fuck me. If I avoided eye contact, I’d be fi—
She adjusted her hands, sliding them over my chest, wrapping her cool fingers around my biceps. My muscles tensed. I tried to remind myself she’d only touched me to keep from falling. I shouldn’t analyze.
Courtney blinked up at me.“Bryce?”She said my name all breathy in a way that sent my brain straight to the gutter.
“Courtney,” I said. Because all I could do was say her name back. My gaze fell to her mouth. The thin gold hoop dividing her bottom lip in two suddenly felt like it was placed there for the singular purpose of tempting me.
Her breath warmed my neck, so different from the cool spring air. It was odd how such warmth could come from a woman with a heart of ice.
“The sausage is ready,” Amy said.
I released Courtney and eyed the charcuterie board Amy had laid out. I needed to get a grip. A firm one. On anything but Courtney.
We joined Amy on the log, where I focused harder on cheese than I ever had in my life. While Courtney dived in, Amy stared into the distance and prattled on about gods and the foundation of the world. He briefly mentioned the unknown Evil One we were supposed to vanquish, before talking about a maple leaf for a good half hour. It might have been a metaphor for something deep and important, but the main point got lost along the way.
I kept stealing glances at Courtney over my sausage. Now I knew I wasn’t in a dream, things had become… different. I couldn’t shake the memory of Dream Courtney because Dream Courtney was Real Courtney. I’d slept in Real Courtney’s bed and woken up with an arm slung over Real Courtney’s hip and was imagining Real Courtney saying my namein that same bedand in thatsame pleasantly concerned voice she used earlier.
Shit.
I couldn’t sleep this one off. I was stuck with horny brain, which wasn’t good. Horny brain made me fixate. It made me see a random thing, like, say, Courtney’s nose, and suddenly it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. It made me momentarily forget all her unappealing qualities like her selfishness and arrogance and how nice her fingers felt wrapped around my arms—
Damn it. At least she was making me horny now instead of happy. Horny was just another form of misery, and misery was safe.
“And so,” Amy was saying, his trembling lips smacking around a wedge of cheese, “how do you two plan to use your magic to defeat the Evil One?”
My thoughts scattered. “Magic?”
“Of course. I assume your powers manifested, leading you from your ordinary lives to ones of adventure, calling you to overthrow darkness?”
“Not… exactly.” Courtney looked at me like we shared a secret—dirty gossip whispered in church with horrified delight—and I felt myself unraveling at my very tight seams.
The whole thing pissed me off. Basic things like her looking at me or saying my name should not affect me. I willed my heart to calm. After myoh my god, this is not a dreammoment this morning, I was on edge. That was all.
“What if our powers haven’t… manifested?” Courtney asked. “What if we aren’t capable of using magic?”
“Of course you’re capable,” Amy said. “Just because magic doesn’t exist in your land doesn’t mean you’re incapable of wielding it in a place where it does.”
That sort of made sense. It was like if you grew up having never seen a spoon, then you were handed one as an adult: You could use it even though you’d never seen it before, if only you learned how.
“But how do we get magic?” I asked.
“You must chase the sensation of others’ positive perceptions of you to find the power inside,” Amy said unhelpfully.
“Huh?” I asked. “What does that mean?”
“Exactly what I said.” Amy swayed on the log. “Charisma is the source of magic. Once you feel it inside you, you can use it to your advantage.”
“Charisma,” Courtney deadpanned.
My day turned around in an instant. “You mean we need to be charming to have powers? Courtney, you’re going to be so great at this.” My smile hurt, it stretched so wide. I leaned against the log and crossed my ankles.
“Charm is all well and good, to be sure.” Amy stood, closing his eyes as he placed a solemn hand on an oak tree for no damnreason. “But there are other things that can help others see you in a positive light—good deeds, wit, and general kindness can all influence people’s perceptions of you.”
