3. Ezra

Chapter 3

Ezra

“ H ellooo?” My favorite sound came through my earbuds as my music abruptly stopped, and a finger tapped my shoulder. I had been so focused on…well, nothing interesting…that I missed Nova repeatedly calling my name. She had taken my phone off my desk and paused the music to get my attention. I looked at the time: noon. Time for lunch. “Earth to Ezzy! Helloooo!”

“Hey!” I pushed off the leg of my desk and swiveled my chair to face her. “Sorry, how long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to wonder what’s got you so deep in thought.” She walked around me, and my eyes tracked her to my desk. She leaned the underside of her butt on it, half sitting, and looked at me with a smile. This was another image I wished I could capture forever.

Nova was still enveloped in my jacket; the ends of the gray sleeves covered her fingertips, and she looked comically cute as it swallowed her. The scent of cinnamon would remain for a few days after she gave it back. Her black skirt rode up slightly, pushed by the edge of the desk, revealing more artwork on her leg. It taunted me for the second time today, reminding me it was there, but I would never see its entirety. The design went up her thigh and onto her back—that much she had told me. I had caught glimpses of it before but hadn’t seen it all. I swallowed the lump in my throat, willing the blood back to my head and reminding myself it was my best friend I ogled at.

“Nothing important,” I cleared my throat. Whatever I was thinking about before she walked up quickly evaporated from my memory. Now, I definitely wasn’t going to tell her I was plotting and picturing the ten ways I could see a glimpse of the artwork covering her body.

“What do you want for lunch?” I asked, needing to change the subject. “I was thinking The Soup Emporium?”

“Yes!” She hopped off the desk. “I love soup. I think today I’ll—” Her desk phone started ringing before she could say anything else. We looked around the empty floor, hoping someone was still hanging around to pick it up, but everyone else had gone to lunch. If she didn’t pick it up, it would get forwarded to whoever was on call in case of an emergency, and Nova hated disrupting people’s lunches. She hadn't taken her headset off, so she answered it and raised her index finger at me. “The Witch Hotline. This is Nova speaking!”

I watched her as she walked back to her desk, hips swaying and skirt brushing just over the back of her knee. “Oh, hi, Ms. Betty!” She gave the well-known elderly woman a sincere greeting. “Again?” Nova didn’t sit at her desk, which was a sign that she was ready to go as soon as the call was over. I grabbed my wallet and walked over to her. I leaned against her low cubicle wall and watched her type into her computer. “I know, Ms. Betty, but maybe it’s time. I’m dispatching clean-up services, and I’ll send a copy of the Holistic Book of Potions.”

“We probably should have sent it to her months ago,” I chuckled under my breath. Nova adamantly nodded. Ms. Betty had made up a quarter of the cleanup services calls over the last month.

“It’s your third time needing clean-up services this week. I think it’s time to stop relying on your memory for recipes.” She nodded her head as the woman spoke on the other end. “I’ll send it regardless; it’s up to you to use it, but it would save you a handful of calls per month.” She bent over a little bit further, reaching for a sticky note and a pen to make a note to ship the package after we got back from lunch. I gulped; my blood threatened to leave my brain altogether the longer she stood like that, so I turned away, fiddling with the edge of my shirt and pretending to fix a rogue thread. “Noted, Ms. Betty. Cleanup services will be there within the hour. Is there anything else I can help you with?” A pause. “Okay, happy almost Halloween!”

Nova sighed as she turned back to me and shook her head with a grin. Ms. Betty had been the potions teacher at the high school for decades and didn’t want to admit her memory was fading, but it quickly became evident. No one would have blamed her; it’s natural to forget certain things when you’re almost a hundred and six years old. I didn’t understand, but I could see the hesitation to admit that something you once were an expert on was slipping.

“Ready to eat?” Nova asked. She phrased it as a question, but we both knew it wasn’t.

I nodded, and we walked down the street to the restaurant. Nova insisted her favorite food was apple pie, mainly because she loves baked goods or pastries, but it wasn’t. Nothing compared to the look in her eye when she took a spoonful of baked potato soup. That was her actual favorite food. As we sat in our usual booth at The Soup Emporium, Crystal, Nova’s roommate, was leaving. Nova waved her over. Crystal’s usual brown hair was dyed bright pink in preparation for Halloween. Every year, she dyed it a different color to celebrate.

“Hey! What time did you leave this morning?” Nova asked. “I didn’t hear the door, like at all.”

“A little earlier than usual. I didn’t want to wake you, so I was super quiet,” Crystal explained. “Bryan and I had an early morning presentation, and he wanted to practice more before the meeting.”

Crystal worked for a graphic design company in the human territory, which wasn’t uncommon. Many creatures crossed into the human territory daily for work since job opportunities were plentiful, and most of us typically attended college there. However, creatures still trekked from and lived in Hidden Creek because it afforded the comfort of not having to mask while taking care of everyday tasks like buying groceries or going out to dinner.

Humans speculated about the existence of our society, fabricating elaborate stories about how we lived our lives and depicting creatures in creative ways. Still, many insisted we were a figment of people’s imaginations—nothing more than a piece of fiction used to entertain or scare. I didn't mind much since it meant fewer people were looking for evidence of our existence.

Using magic with, on, or around humans was frowned upon, which kept us safe. Our world was hidden. Even though we could access their territory, it was very rare that humans accessed ours. Only a few humans knew of our existence, having unknowingly fallen in love with a creature. It was uncommon, but it happened a handful of times every century. Witches and wizards easily blended in with the humans, but other creatures had to cloak themselves to blend in. Humans could have been walking beside an ogre down the street and not even know it.

“Did the presentation go well?” Nova asked, blowing on her soup.

“I think so,” Crystal shrugged. “I’ve been stressed over it, so I took a half-day off after to decompress.” She rummaged through her purse and pulled out her car keys. “Oh, that reminds me! Bryan told me about a nightclub having a costume contest in the human territory tonight through Sunday. I’m going tonight since I don’t work tomorrow. I know it’s not your scene, but would you want to come?”

Nova was a homebody. She didn’t like crowded places, tight spaces, or music so loud that it made talking difficult. So her acceptance of the invitation shocked both Crystal and me.

“Are you feeling okay?” I asked, reaching to feel her forehead with the back of my hand. Crystal laughed as Nova slapped my hand away.

“Humans love to dress up on Halloween weekend, and I love to see what they come up with year after year,” Nova explained. She took another bite of her soup, looked at me, and then at Crystal. “Can Ezra come with us?”

“Sure.” Crystal smirked at me. I didn’t like that smile. It was an 'I-know-your-secret' smile. “I'll see you guys later then."

“Okie doke!" Nova smiled up at her.

Crystal waved goodbye, and Nova and I were left with our soups. We had spent too long chatting, so our eating was rushed and quieter than usual. Before Nova could protest or try to steal my credit card from the bill holder, I paid and led us out of the restaurant.

As always, Nova walked a few steps in front of me, distracted and enjoying the world around her. I admired her ability to find beauty in daily life and sometimes wished I could do the same. The weather was warmer, but my jacket still covered her slim frame. As far as I was concerned, she could keep it forever. It looked much better on her than on me.

Loitering in front of the tea store was a group of teenagers who were not shy about staring at her ass as she walked. I wanted to punch them once for every millisecond their eyes roamed her body, but it was illegal to punch children. It would also make my family very angry. So, I settled for a murderous glare. They sheepishly looked away, knowing they were caught.

Nova was gorgeous and didn’t realize it. She was toned and shapely from years of playing soccer at the community center. Her hair's bouncy waves mimicked the ocean's movement, and they swung with every step. Vibrant lavender eyes—my favorite color—mesmerized you with a single look. Freckles peppered the bridge of her nose, similar to the stars in the sky, and I wanted to spend all night connecting them.

I often wondered how I got lucky enough to have her in my life, and I thanked all the Gods for making our families friends centuries ago. If having Nova in my life was the only stroke of luck I ever had, I would die a happy man. She had seen past my lack of special ability, the geekiness of my childhood, and the awkward teenage years and saw me for who I was.

Now, I had to make her stop looking at me like her best friend. I wanted her to look at me like I looked at her—as the person I intended to spend the rest of my life with.