Chapter 2
Hot Girls Hex Back
Amity Grey
The morning rush at Ember & Oak Coffee Cafe was a blur of espresso shots and zombified regulars that needed a dose of caffeine to get their day started.
Holly was wide awake and ready to seize the day.
She was petite, her thin frame wrapped in her barista apron, and her dark hair was pulled up in a bun on top of her head.
Her green eyes swept over the screen as she tap, tapped away placing orders, flawlessly getting through the morning rush.
And then, Hera walked in. If this was a dramatic movie scene, the wind would kick up and the light would illuminate her beauty.
Hera was older than Holly, possibly by a good decade, but who cared about age anymore?
She wore a black sundress that somehow looked both casual and ceremonial, and her red hair curled up like it had been styled by nature instead of human hands.
Holly attempted to look away and not stare at her beauty. But Hera made that impossible.
“Morning, Holly,” Hera chimed, leaning on the counter, the tops of her breasts bulging up and greeting Holly. Her voice had a lilt of somewhere overseas, potentially Ireland, and her warm, honey eyes peered into Holly’s soul.
Holly nearly dropped the cup she was holding as she wrote a customer’s name on it and set it to the side.
“H-hi, the usual?” she squeaked out.
“Unless you want to surprise me.” Hera’s smile was slow and deliberate, her tongue flicking over her bottom lip seductively.
Holly’s brain short-circuited. She was still recovering when the bell over the door chimed again, a sharp, annoying tone.
Tabitha swept in, heels clicking on the tile floor, sunglasses indoors, radiating sheer confidence that came from never being told no a day in her life.
“Triple-shot caramel macchiato,” Tabitha said, already scrolling her phone. “And hurry. Some of us have real fucking jobs.” She flipped a tussle of bleach blonde hair over her shoulder to add a more dramatic flair.
Holly felt her stomach sink. Hera, on the other hand, turned her head slightly, watching Tabitha with an expression that was more than just amused.
“Is she always like this?” Hera murmured.
“Pretty much,” Holly whispered back.
Hera tapped her nails lightly on the counter. “Hmm.”
The lights flickered, just once, barely even noticeable. Holly blinked and Hera’s eyes glowed for half a second, a warm gold that didn’t look quite human.
Tabitha’s phone suddenly blasted a loud, embarrassing moaning sound paired with donkey honks. It made her jump, nearly dropping it in the process. “What the fuck? Ugh, this stupid thing.”
Hera’s smile widened. “Hexes don’t have to be cruel…just corrective,” she whispered to herself.
Tabitha’s phone kept playing, switching between different pornos, causing her to frantically mash buttons, but nothing worked.
“Why is this happening?” Tabitha shrieked.
Holly tried not to laugh but Hera didn’t bother hiding it.
“Maybe,” Hera began, “the universe is telling you to stop downloading porn on your phone.”
Tabitha screamed and fled the café, her phone still blaring donkey honks all the way down the street.
Holly stared at Hera, a smile plastered on her face. “That was hilarious.”
Hera shrugged, eyes sparkling. “Yeah, well, she really shouldn’t look at that stuff in public. Filthy mind, she has. She was rude to you too, so karma I suppose.”
Holly’s cheeks warmed. “Well, it’s my job to take her order.”
“Oh, Holly,” Hera said, leaning in again. “It’s not your job to be walked over and stomped on. You’re destined for much more.”
Holly blinked, her heart doing a weird little somersault. Destined? For what? She was just a barista who sometimes forgot to refill the oat milk. No one had ever used the word destined about her unless it was “destined to be late…again.”
“I think you’re overselling me,” Holly said, trying to laugh it off. “I’m pretty sure my destiny is making lattes, wiping whipped cream off the counters, and trying not to fail college chemistry.”
Hera tilted her head, studying her like she was some sort of rare jewel. “You really don’t see it, do you?”
“See…what?”
Hera opened her mouth, then closed it again. For a moment, something flickered behind her eyes. It wasn’t the glow Holly had missed earlier, it was a softness, like she was trying to choose her words carefully.
“You have a spark,” Hera said finally. “Most people don’t. Tabitha certainly doesn’t. She’s like soggy toast.”
Holly snorted. “That’s mean.”
“Accurate,” Hera countered with a smile.
Holly’s smile faded into something more thoughtful. “But seriously…what do you mean, spark?”
Hera tapped her fingers on the counter, each tap oddly rhythmic. “Let’s just say you’re…interesting, love. And I don’t get interested in people easily.”
Holly felt her cheeks heat again. “You’re just saying that.”
“I don’t ‘just say’ anything,” Hera replied. “I say exactly what I mean, little spark.”
Holly swallowed. Her brain was doing that thing where it tried to form coherent thoughts, but failed spectacularly.
Before she could respond, the lights flickered again.
Holly frowned. “We really need to get that fixed.”
Hera’s smile sharpened. “Maybe, or maybe the universe is trying to get your attention.”
“My attention for what?”
Hera reached out and gently tucked a stray curl behind Holly’s ear. Her touch was warm, almost too warm.
“For whatever comes next,” Hera said softly.
Holly’s breath caught. “And what’s next?”
Hera’s grin turned wicked and beautiful. “Oh, Holly. If I told you, you’d never believe me.”
Holly’s pulse fluttered. “You’re being cryptic,” Holly said, trying to keep her voice steady. She failed. Her voice came out low and breathy instead.
“Cryptic, hmm? Well, I call it honesty.”
Holly laughed nervously. “You are impossible.”
“And yet,” Hera winked. “You still let me flirt with you.”
Holly opened her mouth to respond, but Hera pulled the front of Holly’s apron, bringing her closer, only the counter still stood in their way. Holly could feel the warmth radiating off Hera like she carried summer under her skin.
Hera’s eyes softened. “You feel it too,” she said quietly.
“Feel…what?”
“That pull,” Hera said. “Like the air gets thicker when we’re close. Like our souls are waiting to connect.”
Holly swallowed hard. “I….don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You will,” Hera said. “Soon.”
The café suddenly felt entirely too small.
“Your shift ends at six tonight, right?”
Holly nodded. “Yeah.”
“I’ll be outside waiting,” Hera said. “If you want company.”
Holly’s heart thudded. “I…I think I do.”
Hera’s smile brightened into something warm and sincere. “Good.”
She turned to leave, but paused with her hand on the door. “And Holly?”
“Yeah?”
Hera looked back at her, eyes bright and unreadable. “Whatever comes next, you don’t have to face it alone.”
Then she stepped out into the sunlight, leaving Holly standing behind the counter with her heart racing and her thoughts tangled in a wild mess.
The noise of the café seemed to return, and people continued their conversations as if the entire flirtation scene hadn’t just unfolded right in front of them.
It must have been magic…it must have been fate.
# # # Scene Break # # #
The rest of Holly’s shift passed in a blur. She kept replaying Hera’s words in her head until they twisted into something that made her chest feel too full. Every time the lights flickered, she wondered if it was the wiring or…something else entirely.
By the time six o’clock rolled around, Holly’s nerves were buzzing. She wiped down the counter one last time, hung her apron on its hook, and stepped outside.
The evening air was warm, humming with cicadas. And there, leaning casually against the brick wall, was Hera.
She wasn’t scrolling her phone or pretending to be busy, she was just waiting…for Holly. Like she had said.
“You actually came,” Holly said in disbelief.
Hera smiled. “I said I would, little spark.”
Holly stepped closer, feeling that strange pull again, the one that Hera insisted she would notice eventually. Hera’s presence was grounding, like stepping into sunlight after being indoors for too long.
“You ready?” Hera asked.
“For what?” Holly said, though her voice was gentle and curious.
Hera pushed off the wall and stood in front of her. “For a walk. For company. For whatever the evening decides to give us.”
Holly felt her pulse pound again. “Yeah, I think I’m ready.”
They started down the sidewalk together, the café fading behind them. Hera walked close enough that Holly could feel the warmth of her arm, but not so close that it felt overwhelming.
After a moment, Hera glanced at her. “You look less stressed now.”
“Do I?” Holly asked.
“Yes,” Hera said. “You look like someone who is finally stepping into something good.”
Holly didn’t know what that meant, but she liked the sound of it. She liked the way Hera said it too.
Beneath the streetlamps, the glow turned Hera’s hair into molten copper. Holly tried not to stare, and she failed…again.
Hera noticed, but she didn’t say anything. She just smiled.
They kept walking side by side down the quiet street, the evening settling around them like a soft blanket. Holly kept sneaking glances at Hera, who seemed perfectly content just being there.
After a few minutes, Hera’s hand brushed Holly’s, light and accidental, or maybe…not accidental at all. Holly’s hand tingled, and she looked over at Hera. She didn’t pull away, instead, she let her fingers linger, warm against Holly’s skin.
Holly’s heart kept fluttering so fast, she felt like she would pass out from the tension. She let her hand drift more until their fingers intertwined. Hera’s grip was gentle and steady.
They walked like that for a while, hand in hand, the world around them fading into the background. Holly felt strangely grounded, like Hera’s touch anchored her in a way she didn’t quite understand yet.
At the corner, Hera slowed and turned toward her. “May I?” she asked gently.