Chapter 19

Willow

Winston hadn't messaged me back since that night. He'd sent me a text apologizing, but I knew I wasn't in the right headspace to even try and respond. He hadn't messaged me anything about the spell either. Honestly, I'd be shocked if his mother said anything else at all. She wasn't too forthcoming, so I chalked it up to not having heard anything, and me leaving angry. The next day, I didn't even want fancy coffee. I made some at home and drank it instead.

Tess was worried about me, flying back and forth as I got ready. She knew something had happened the night before, But I had refused to talk about it. I hadn't even called or texted Piper. I just went on about my day and work. With no news from Winston, I decided going by the café would just upset me. I was home in record time. Tess had chilled at the house, and she still looked worried when I showed up, barely even speaking to her.

I finished up grading, and then worked on the manuscript. I wrote what I could on the unfinished spell and my thoughts. If nothing else, I could publish it like this. The soulmate potion chapter was as good as it could be. I couldn't add in the good bits without making this a romance novel and possibly getting fired from my job, so I left out those details. I had a gut feeling that had been all us, but I didn't want to admit it. I dreamed about that night though, over and over.

Those kinds of scenes might sell better than my textbook, and was certainly something to consider later. Maybe I'd write a spicy romance to make extra money. Not sure that it'd count towards my tenure though.

Tess had given up on cheering me up or convincing me to text Piper about it. She'd gone off to work on her own project, and left me some time to cool off. I had to say this kind of anger was doing miraculous things for my work ethic. I'd graded everything I could, worked ahead on a few projects, and started cleaning up the house.

Towards 10 pm, Tess came back into the living room, where I had just finished vacuuming the couch.

"I think you've cleaned enough, Ms. Angry."

"Hey, the house needed it. Don't question my motivations or I'll turn this thing back on your way." I glared, and held up the end of the hose.

Tess floated backward. "Noted, noted. Anyways, it's late. I'm going to bed."

"Same." I sighed. Putting up the vacuum, I turned down the fire, and followed Tess back to the room.

"Going to get coffee in the morning?" She asked, quietly. Almost like she was afraid of me exploding.

I pondered it. I'd had time to cool off. Maybe I should make him seek me out, but why waste a good coffee place in the meantime? I might not even run into him.

"Yes. Night."

"Night!" Tess replied, and she sounded more chipper than she had.

The day dawned, and I dressed with care. I was vain enough to want to make him miss me. I wore one of the original outfits Piper had put together for our "date" that night, a skirt with a pretty top. Of course, it was chilly enough I put on tights, and had a puffy jacket on, so it really didn"t matter. But I knew I was hot. Tess thought about coming, but after looking at temps, she changed her mind to stay home.

"Text me when you know something." She said, fluttering by the door.

"Yesh, Tess. I got it. I can handle my love life."

I could hear her suppressed sarcastic comments from the sidewalk after I left. I hurried to the café, looking forward to the warmth of the room and the coffee I could take with me. The leaves had started changing colors, and the sight was glorious. This early in the morning, before the sun had a chance to warm everything up though, it was too chilly to appreciate it.

When I walked in the café Lyzzie looked panicked, then concerned, then worried. She nodded towards me, and it took a few minutes to get to the counter.

"Hey Professor Willoughby! How are you?" her voice was much peppier than normal, almost more like Charlotte's.

"Doing well. You look swamped. Where's Winston?"

"Oh, um. He was just busy with something is all."

"Oh. I had a question for him. I might…"

Lyzzie threw her hands up. "No, no. No need for that. I'm sure you can ask later. Or text him. Or I can leave a note?"

I paused, watching her. She was jumpy and very nervous for some reason. I decided to start around the corner.

"Willow, aren't you going to be late for class?" she asked.

I looked up at the clock, which read 8:30. She knew I never taught this early.

"Lyzzie… what's going on?"

And she caved, her whole body sinking inwards.

"Okay, so Winston left yesterday afternoon."

"What?" I felt blindsided by that one. I blinked my eyes a few times.

"He said he had to go do something. He promised he's coming back, though." Lyzzie held up her hands, "Promise. We asked him point blank."

I let that sink in. Where could he have gone? Back home? Was he running because of the fight? Had I overreacted?

It hadn't felt like it at the time… but love does stupid things to you. And losing it is worse. Maybe… was he coming back? Would he have lied to them?

"Okay. Thanks for letting me know."

"Yeah, of course. He should be back tomorrow. Seriously. I'm sure you'll hear from him."

I just nodded, holding up my coffee in thanks, and heading back out into the cold. It felt nice now, cooling down my burning cheeks and flushed body under my clothes.

Embarrassed and unsure of myself, I wished I hadn't had to teach. No one there would know though, and they did not like us to cancel our classes. Teach I must, even if I felt like a complete loser. I drank the coffee, not enjoying it as much as usual, and tried to pay attention to my walk.

He left.

Why did he leave? Because of me? That made little sense. I had nonstop questions running through my head: What would have required him leaving for me? Was he talking to his mother? Breaking into the council chamber? Running away because he'd realized he could never be with me and didn't want to face the conversation?

Thoughts kept running through my head nonstop. It was a circling train of chaos, and when Tess texted for an update, I simply told her "later". Once I was able to dive into work, I did better. Not great, but better. A few students noticed how distracted I was, asking if I felt well, but I managed for the most part.

I did not stop at the café on my way home. Maybe I should swear off bread and coffee altogether. That thought was quickly brushed to the side—no man was worth losing coffee or bread over.

My home was rather lit up when I got there, and as soon as I opened the door, I knew why.

Tess had given up on me, and called in reinforcements.

Music played, the fire burned, and something delicious was being made in my kitchen. Piper was already here.

I dropped my bag, and she swooped in from the side and hugged me, Tess alighting on my shoulder. I soaked in the hug and cried for the first time since the fight. This was silly, and insane, and I couldn't help that my heart ached in a way I had never felt before.

"Oh honey. I'm so sorry." Piper said, rubbing my back. She pulled me forward, and closed the door behind me.

"It's okay. It'll be okay. We weren't even like officially dating." I muttered through tears.

Piper pulled back and looked me over. "Want me to punch him?

"I can jab him in the eye!" Tess shouted in glee.

I laughed and shook my head. "I don't even know for sure where he went."

"Went? What do you mean? He's not at the café?"

"No. Lyzzie told me this morning he'd gone. He should be back tomorrow."

"Do what for you?" Tess asked.

"I have no idea."

"Then you also don't know what his intentions were. Maybe it's not as bad as you think. Maybe he had good reasons." Piper leaned back, and let go of me. I sat my bag down and took off my coat.

"Maybe. But I sure don't feel like pinning my hopes on that. No offense."

"As you shouldn't. Go sit. Tess can keep you company while I plate our dinners."

There were no words for having friends like this. I went and sat down as I was bid, and pulled the cover up and around me. Tess landed on the arm of the couch, stealing a bit of the blanket for her legs.

Her iridescent purple wings fluttered slowly. I leaned my head back on the couch, and watched. I'd always loved her wings and wished for a pair of my own. What wonders one would be able to see if they could fly. You could travel, see so many sights.

Before long, Piper hollered at Tess, who flew away. They both came back, Tess carrying her own little plate and bowl, and Piper with two in her hands. She sat them down on the coffee table, where a wine bottle and glasses were already sitting.

The smell was amazing. Piper had made pasta, with rolls sitting on the plate beside the bowl. I breathed in deeply and smiled.

"Chicken Alfredo?"

"My specialty."

We pulled on the coffee table top, and it raised to a good level for eating on the couch. The pasta was rich and hot. It tasted as good as it smelled, and I reveled in the flavor. With a sauce that was thick and creamy, it tasted of garlic and parmesan. The chicken was tender and flavorful all on its own. Pasta was right up there with bread and coffee.

"How much did you make?" I asked.

"Plenty to leave you leftovers. I saw the sad state of your fridge."

"Hey, we just went shopping!"

"For frozen meals and lunchables."

"True. Never a better friend could I have."

She laughed, and said, "One of us had to learn how to cook, or we never would have survived."

"I would have survived. I had coffee."

"Coffee would not have kept you alive. Or fast food. I remember how you ate in college. Bleh."

It was my turn to laugh, and the joy felt good. Tess shook her head.

"You could just forage for berries and such."

"You look like you're foraging quite a lot right now." I raised my eyebrow.

"I'm just saying to survive. I'm not doing it unless I have to."

We turned on a baking show then and ate the food. I got up and got us a second helping, and more rolls. By the end of the show, my heart felt lighter. It still hurt, but I didn't feel like I was being crushed.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Piper asked.

I shrugged. "What is there to talk about? You already know the details."

"Only as relayed by Tess, and you didn't tell her much. Today, as a matter of fact, you sent ‘later' and she rightly panicked and called me in."

I sighed and nodded. "We were having trouble figuring out the second spell. Winston was close and decided we should call his mom. I debated, but gave in. From there, it all went to hell."

"I can imagine. I've met the woman once. She's fierce."

Trying to imagine Winston's mother got me nowhere. I shook my head to dispel the image.

"She said she'd look for information the first time he talked to her, but upon hearing about the first spell, she demanded he tell his ‘witch' that I could not publish it. She kept referencing me that way. We hadn't told her I was there when Winston called her, he'd just put her on speakerphone.."

"Witch? That's why you fought?"

"Yeah, that"s why we fought. When he was first telling her about what he was doing, she assumed I was a witch since I was writing about, and working in the field."

"Not a bad assumption as they go. You are about the only non-witch I know who does."

I nodded, "True, but he apparently decided she'd be easier to deal with if he didn't tell her, and did not correct the mistake."

"Ouch. Did he use those words when he told you?" Piper looked shocked.

"Yep. Or started to, he cut himself off towards the end."

She looked down at her empty bowl. "Well. I can't say I blame you for getting angry."

"After all that talk about him not caring if I was a witch or not, and that it didn't matter what his kids were, witches or not… and then he let his mother assume I was so he didn't have to argue. Will he ever want to argue the point? What about the next time someone assumes that about me? And was it really because he does want a witch for a wife?"

Tess flew up into my face. "You know, parents can be the worst."

And that was the kicker. Because I knew what it was like to lie to your parents to avoid a fight.

"Yeah, yeah they can. I can't even be mad about that part really. I get him not wanting to fight with his mother. From what he said before, they've been having a rocky few months anyways."

Piper stayed quiet. She knew that I'd lied to my parents about what I was studying at the university because they would never have helped me do it.

"Maybe he's flown home to set the record straight." she suggested.

"Lyzzie just said that he was doing something for me–and he promised he'd be back."

"Will you talk to him when he comes back?"

I looked at my bag by the door, thinking of my laptop, the manuscript, and the book I planned to send to my agent—with the spells—soon.

"Yeah. But I'm not sure it'll be a happy talk."

"You can only try, Willow. And I know the book is important to you… but if publishing something could mean losing the support of the witch community, you need to think about that too. You've fought hard for your place here. Don't jeopardize that."

There was weight to that argument that I had not thought of. Though we lived together, mostly in harmony with witches, there was a lot of pushback against a non-witch being so involved in their history and magic. Many thought that I could not understand it, or that I would rewrite it to fit a narrative. Winston's aunt had actually played a key role in helping me get my position in the first place. I needed their overall support to keep doing what I was doing. I couldn't teach the history of magic with no witches supporting me.

It'd never been about the prestige I could get from the witches.. It'd been about my love for it, and the witches who had been so kind to me growing up. It'd been about what I couldn't stand other people saying or believing about people I had loved. It'd been about sharing the truth of their history, and making non-magical folk understand it too.

No one deserved such hatred, simply for being the way they were born.

We spent the rest of the night watching baking shows and laughing. Piper and Tess kept me distracted until we were all so tired that Piper called it a night and headed home. Tess went to her tiny house, and I changed into pajamas and collapsed into bed to see what the next few days brought.

The answer was not much. I taught, graded, and finished a read through on the book. Because the second spell wasn't finished, I decided to turn it into a lesson about lost history and magic. That in our determination to persecute others, we'd lost valuable skills to the ages. Perhaps there were consequences to any type of spell, and we all knew that some spells could be used for nefarious means. Even then, it didn't also negate the good that such spells could bring. I enjoyed writing it.

I left in the soul mate spell.

If the witches' council had someone who could pull it in the publishing stage, so be it. If they wanted to speak with me themselves, they could. I'd be more than happy to have an actual conversation about it, and the decisions they were making. Otherwise, I'd just pretend I'd misunderstood Winston, or say he hadn't passed the information along. I'd already written a note to my editor about it, and the agent, so they could be prepared.

I still had time before I had to send it in though, so I waited. Waiting for Winston.

And then on Sunday, I got a text.

"I'm back. And we really need to talk. Come to the café? Let me apologize in person. Please."

I was sitting at home working with Tess on a project for her house. She stopped, and just said, "Go."

So I went.

I didn't change, I didn't get fancy. I had no desire to make him regret me. I just wore my sweats, with my hair pulled back, and an old gray t-shirt that said "Pivot." Sexy.

Winston was waiting for me, sitting at the kitchen table and staring at the door.

When I walked through, he stood and stayed still. The room smelled of fresh baked bread and peppermint, heaven in a bottle. There was barely a sound, and the door closing behind me nearly made me jump out of my skin.

I watched him as he watched me. My body still felt pulled to him. All I wanted was to run into his arms, have him hold me and then cart me off to bed. Did all of this really matter?

But sadly, the answer was yes. And so, I waited for him to speak.