8. Nova

Chapter 8

Nova

W aking up next to Ezra felt…normal. I wasn’t sure if that was the correct word to describe your heart racing at the smell of freshly baked apple pie surrounding you as soon as you opened your eyes, but it was the only one coming to mind. No, normal wasn't it. Right? Right. That’s the word.

Waking up next to Ezra felt right.

During the night, we had shifted towards each other. His arm was loosely draped over my waist, and his chest was pressed against my back. His warmth enveloped me as I slowly wiggled out of his grasp to turn off my alarm, trying to remind myself that quitting my job and laying in bed forever wasn’t a good idea. Ezra didn’t budge when I moved, so I checked that he was still breathing—he was. His hair draped over his eyes, and the faint smile on his face made him look peaceful. I took a minute to admire him and commit this to memory since it likely wouldn’t happen again.

As Ezra slept, I started getting ready for work. A few minutes later, he stirred. I undid my braid, running my fingers through it to separate the strands.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” I said, turning to him as he opened his eyes. “We have work to get to.”

“Good morning, Nova.” His voice was raspy and lower than usual. Was it possible to be sexually attracted to a voice? Yes? No? Maybe. I was definitely losing it. Ezra turned to his side, looking at me with a lazy smile but making no effort to get up. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he muttered, “I need to pick up your coffee.”

I chuckled. “We’ll stop by the coffee shop on our way to work,” I said, walking to the bathroom to do my makeup.

The bed creaked, and the comforter ruffled as Ezra got out of bed. Heavy steps landed on the floor, and I heard shuffling. He appeared behind me in the mirror and stared with a simpering smile as I smacked my lips after putting on my lipstick. Then, with a bite of his lower lip, he walked back out to get ready for work.

A few minutes later, all the air rushed out of my lungs as I walked into the bedroom. Ezra’s shirt was off, and his toned back, smooth skin, and taut muscles were on full display as he got dressed. It's not like I hadn't seen him without a shirt before. We had known each other our entire lives, but the lighting in my bedroom helped magnify every dip and curve of his back.

I closed my eyes and turned before he noticed my stare. This morning should have been awkward. We should have been stepping over each other in my shoebox room, uncomfortable and clumsy, but we maneuvered seamlessly. It was surprisingly…dull.

I forced myself out to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of muffins for breakfast while I waited for Ezra in the living room. I had to put some distance between us before I did something stupid. I didn’t need more reasons to daydream about my best friend, especially if it involved him without a shirt. A few minutes later, Ezra exited my room and walked to the crowded street.

The coffee shop at the edge of my neighborhood was surprisingly empty for the morning, but the quiet was welcome. Ezra ordered for us—a black coffee and a salted caramel latte—as the barista taking his order batted her eyelashes at him. A weight settled in my stomach, and my teeth clenched as I felt my eyes wanting to shift to green. I snapped my head down as I pushed the feeling down. Ezra moved his hand to the small of my back and led me to the end of the counter to wait for our coffee.

Once my thoughts settled, I looked up at Ezra as he smiled down at me, not noticing that the barista hadn’t taken her eyes off him. He wasn’t mine to claim, but I couldn’t stop myself from looping my arm around his as we waited. He leaned into me. I looked up and stared down at the barista, careful to ensure my eyes didn't shift in color. The girl rolled her eyes and turned away after setting our coffees down.

As soon as we got to work, Ezra put his earbuds in and started typing away at his computer. It was the end of the month, which meant he had to concentrate on the reports for the big money man upstairs. An hour later, his coffee sat on the end of his desk, half full, cold, and abandoned. I grabbed the cup and moved around the open area to the microwave. Ezra hadn’t even noticed his coffee was missing until I returned the steaming cup to him. He looked at the cup and looked up at me, mouthing ‘thank you’ before sipping it and turning back to the computer.

The few days leading up to Halloween were busy for the hotline, so for the three of us answering the phones, it felt like we had been talking all day. Creatures traveled to celebrate with their families, which meant more car accidents, broken-down chariots, and busted brooms. Teenagers got bolder in practicing their potions, and kids tried many spells that often ended in chaos. Needless to say, clean-up services, rebuild services, and injury care were overrun with assignments.

Shortly before lunch, I received what would go down as my favorite call of the day.

“The Witch Hotline,” I answered. “This is Nova speaking.”

“Hi, Nova! It’s Mark!”

“Hi, Mark! Are you okay? What’s up?”

Mark was one of the librarians who worked at Town Square Library at the end of First Street. Now and then, if I needed to research or reference a rare issue that someone called with, I would give him a quick call, and he would search their extensive repertoire for information or a solution. He was a Knower, meaning he never lost any knowledge consumed. It was a rare ability, but it made him a great source of information.

“I’m okay, but…uhh…I was practicing a levitation spell on Peaches, my cat, and when I put her on the ground again, she started to breathe fire,” he explained. We had to do a better job of reminding creatures to stop practicing magic on living beings. Although it was fine most of the time, if you weren’t confident, the side effects of a spell could be troublesome. “I would look through all my books, but I figure I can’t be the first this has happened to, so you might know a solution quicker.”

“This happens relatively often, so you are not wrong,” I chuckled, searching my database for a solution. Peaches, The Fire-Breathing Cat, sounded like a fun graphic novel. If I had known how to draw, I might have taken it on as a project for fun. “Is the fire red, orange, or blue?”

“Orange.”

“Okay, easy fix!” I read from the instructions in front of me. “Brew a potion with sage, unicorn hair, dragon tears, and dried toadstool for Peaches to drink, and it should fix her right up. I’ll send you the recipe via text.”

“Is Peaches going to be okay?”

“She’ll be sick for a few days but should be fine,” I assured him. “I’ll schedule an appointment with vet services for the end of the week, just in case. That way, they can check her out and ensure no lasting damage.”

“Thank you so much, Nova! I’m sure Peaches will thank you too.”

“Here to help, Mark. Now, let’s stop practicing spells on Peaches, okay?”

“You got it,” he laughed. “Never again. Thanks so much!”

“Great. Call back if you need anything else!” I logged the call. “It was my pleasure to help you today, Mark. Happy almost Halloween!”

My day ended with several calls about potions gone wrong at the high school. Apparently, some of the kids were getting creative with the recipes they were given. Cleo, the witch who sat to my right, had been on the phone trying to talk someone through being lost on their drive to Shadow Falls for the last hour. Based on Cleo banging her head against her hands, it wasn’t going very well. Atticus, the wizard in front of me, had given up on sending clean-up services to Ms. Betty. He told her she would have to wait until after the weekend was over since she insisted on not using a recipe book. Our services were spread thin, but thankfully, no serious injuries so far.

I knew it was up to me to order lunch today, so I got myself a fried egg burger and Ezra a barbecue chicken sandwich. As expected, Ezra didn’t get up from his desk to eat, so I ate outside with Cleo. She chatted away about the items she planned to buy at the Halloween market this weekend, and Atticus rolled his eyes at how much she was willing to spend for a necklace. She hoped to find a specific amulet piece she had seen last year and regretted not buying.

I hung up the last call I would take for the day and chugged about ten glasses of water, feeling the dryness of my mouth from all the talking. At one point, Alex from clean-up services had begged me to pretend they were closed since they had nothing else to give. In our out-of-office reply, I obliged Alex and noted only to call the emergency line if the mess posed an immediate threat. Thankfully, the week after Halloween was slow since the debauchery had been done, and they would get a rest. I ended up sending dinner and a box of cookies to the entire crew of clean-up services to brighten their spirits.

At the end of the day, Ezra stretched and groaned as he finally stood up. He quietly held the door for me as we walked out of the building. Even though he had sat ten feet from me all day, we had barely spoken, and I was trying to avoid thinking about the fact that we had slept in the same bed and I had woken up being cuddled by him. But maybe he had? Maybe he regretted it or was overthinking it? Or maybe he was just tired, and I was overthinking it?

“Are you okay?” I asked, lightly bumping him with my shoulder.

“Yep,” he smiled at me. “I think I used my brain way too much today.”

“Hmm.. I didn’t know using something you don’t have was possible.” He pushed my head off to the side, and we filled the air with laughter.

I loved his laugh. It was hearty, deep, and soothing. As we got to my door, Ezra pulled me into his arms and placed a kiss on my forehead. That was a rare but not new move from him. He lingered on the doorstep for a few agonizing seconds, and I thought about asking him to come inside. The air between us was charged with change; maybe it was time for me to capitalize on it.

Ringing cut through the silence, and Ezra patted his pockets, looking for his phone. “Shoot. I need call Elias. I’ll see you tomorrow, Nova.”

“Okay.” My chest deflated, and I felt like I had missed my chance. “See you tomorrow!” Ezra turned and got in his car. He waved as he pulled away.

Tomorrow was my parent’s annual Halloween luncheon. They loved celebrating Halloween and checking in with everyone in town once a year. For the other 364 days, they kept to themselves and ran the family stores while conferring and advising the Woodhavens and Redds on their responsibilities on the side. The luncheon was a big pot-luck held in the park off First Street. They moved it to the day before Halloween this year so the lunch wouldn’t coincide with Damero’s wedding. Even if they had decided not to go, like they did every time our family was invited to a large event, they wanted as many people to attend the lunch as possible.

Every year, my contribution was trays of baked goods. To be comfortable, I changed into shorts and my sleeping tank top and threw the apron over my clothes to get started.