Chapter 26
Astrid
Your call cannot be completed at this time. Please try again later.
The robotic voice repeated the same annoying words the second time I tried calling Aeron today.
I tossed my phone onto the bed. I hadn't seen him since last night, hadn't heard his voice even once.
The entire morning had been a storm—volunteers to coordinate, endless checklists to tick off, last-minute arrangements to finalize, and me left juggling it all alone. Festival day was tomorrow, and he had disappeared, leaving me to handle everything alone.
I tucked one leg under me, the other bouncing anxiously, unable to keep still.
Idiot!
Irresponsible idiot. Careless idiot. Impossible idiot.
How many shades of idiot could one person be in a single day?
Are you mad because he ditched his responsibilities or because you're missing him? The little devil fluttered onto my right shoulder, swinging his legs lazily, flashing me an annoying grin.
Stop being dramatic, Horns . The angel fluttered onto my left shoulder with a sigh. She is just worried about tomorrow’s festival.
I gave Angel an appreciative nod. At least someone was Team Astrid—ten points to Angel for loyalty.
For Lucifer's sake, Wings, you are still denying her feelings? Devil groaned. She blushes like a tomato whenever he's nearby. I'm embarrassed on her behalf.
For heaven’s sake, Horns. It’s called worry. Angel sighed. She's just worried something might have happened to him. He hugged her when she missed her dad. He fixed her dad’s watch and gave it back. If she didn’t worry at least a little, she’d be a cactus.
Devil perked up instantly. Then go to his house! Knock on the door, make sure he's alive, or at least breathing, he said, giving his horns a lazy, self-satisfied polish.
Angel’s wings drooped like balloons a day after the party. That's an awful idea, and exactly why no one ever listens to you.
“That’s actually a good idea.” My eyes sparkled, as I sided shamelessly with Devil.
Angel gave a defeated groan, shaking her head as Devil’s grin turned obnoxiously proud. Don’t tell me you’re actually falling for his nonsense.
I ignored Angel’s nonsense. I could say I needed that permit file he took home. I jumped off the bed, smiling to myself when Devil grinned. Bake him something. You still haven't thanked him for your dad’s watch.
“You’re such a life savior, Devil,” I grinned, silently thanking him.
Angel gasped. Why stop there? Go ahead and bake heart-shaped cookies and wrap them with—what's it called—that adorable little red ribbon.
Why not? Devil shot back, hovering inches from Angel’s face. She has feelings for him. Big marshmallow soft feelings that give her adorable pink cheeks you love to pretend don’t exist.
She absolutely does not—
She totally does.
Does not.
Does!
“Oh my God, enough, you two!” I swatted them both off my shoulders.
Their bickering faded mid argument. I opened the pantry, already reaching for the ingredients for dark chocolate cookies.
Aeron’s favorite dessert, which Mabel had unintentionally let slip during one of our conversations.
While working on this summer festival, I'd ended up at their house so often that I'd grown very close to her.
But there was no cacao powder. Running to the grocery store would waste too much time, so I called Kelly. She answered on the very last ring.
“IambusyIwillcallyoulater,” she muttered stiffly, barely opening her mouth.
“Why do you sound like your mouth's glued shut?”
“Because it is,” she whisper-hissed. “This stupid bentonite mask turned into concrete. If I even breathe too hard, it cracks like dried up mud. I have been talking through eyebrow wiggles, and now even my forehead hurts.”
I laughed. “Well, look at that. It literally took cement to shut you up.”
“Laugh it up—ah!” Her attempt at her usual loud voice turned into a whimper. “You better have a good reason for calling me right now.”
“Got cacao powder at home?”
Her voice brightened. “Are you baking something?” she asked, suddenly forgetting her face was cemented shut.
“Yeah, I—” I bit my tongue just in time.
If Kelly knew I was baking cookies for Aeron, she'd either faint from shock or start squealing loud enough to crack that cement mask off her face.
How could I explain going from hating him to quietly noticing all his little habits, to secretly baking his favorite cookies?
Knowing Kelly, she would have us married in her imagination by the time the cookies even cooled.
Telling Kelly would make it complicated, and right now, things were complicated enough in my head.
I had no clue if Aeron felt anything close to this, if his heartbeat spiked when I was near the way mine did or if I'd gotten stuck in his head the way he'd gotten stuck in mine.
“Trying on a face mask,” I lied, mentally apologizing to Kelly for stealing her skincare disaster. Fingers crossed—karma wouldn’t seal my mouth shut in revenge.
“I have some at home. Let me scrub this off, and I'll bring it over.”
“Don’t, Kel. I’ll come over,” I grabbed my car keys.
Five minutes later, I was standing in Kelly’s kitchen, biting my lip so I wouldn’t burst out laughing. Her face was splotchy and red, as if she'd managed to sunburn on a zero-sun day.
Kelly started venting about her mom suggesting the mask, and Eleanor interrupted to clarify she'd said to use just a tiny bit, not slap it on like she's fixing a hole in the wall.
Before I left, Kelly pulled me aside and insisted I wear the powder-blue dress, the one dotted with tiny white butterflies, to tomorrow’s opening.
The suspicious sparkle in her eyes, the deliberate way she kept pushing blue, like a shady salesperson selling sunscreen in December, set off tiny alarm bells, especially since she knew blue wasn’t my color.
Anyway, it didn't matter—I had already made up my mind about the yellow sundress.
I headed home, finished up the cookies, taste-tested one before packing them. Surprisingly, they were delicious, but that didn't settle the butterflies in my stomach because with Aeron, you never knew. I slipped into a coral shift dress, left my hair loose, and drove over to his house.
The security guard saw my face and opened the gate immediately. By now, they knew me well enough to wave me through before I even stopped the car. I parked outside, took a deep breath, and triple-checked that the cookies hadn't turned into crumbs during the drive.
As I approached the house, quiet, urgent whispers pulled at my attention.
“I’ll wish for butterscotch ice cream,” a little girl’s voice declared.
“That’s all?” replied another voice. “You finally get a magic lamp, and all you want is ice cream? I’ll wish for Captain America.”
There was a brief pause. “Fine. Barbie, then.”
“It doesn’t work like that. This is exactly why I said you have to be careful with your wishes.”
Intrigued, I followed the hushed voices, leaning carefully over the neatly trimmed boxwood bushes. Two kids—a boy and a girl—were crouched low, whispering. As soon as they noticed me, they jumped to their feet, blinking up with startled, saucer-wide eyes.
“Relax,” I whispered. “Your wishes are safe with me. Promise.”
The little girl, about six, with two lopsided ponytails eyed me cautiously. “You heard us?”
“Just a bit,” I leaned closer like we were exchanging spy secrets.
“I actually got a wish from a magic lamp once too.” I studied their faces closely.
I’m no expert in DNA mapping. All I knew for certain was if these two pint-sized negotiators were hiding out in the Ashbournes' garden, they likely belonged to one of Aeron's sisters, or someone closely related to his family.
“Really?” Their eyes ballooned. “Did Genie appear?”
I nodded seriously. I loved messing with kids. “But promise you won’t tell anyone. I’d rather not get on Genie’s bad side.”
They exchanged serious glances, nodding eagerly. I asked their names—the girl said she was Zoe, and the boy was Max.
“So, what did you wish for?” Max asked.
A thought. A hesitation. And “—a home.”
“You don’t have a house? You can live with us,” Zoe offered. “We have a big house.”
I laughed at her sincerity. The home I wished for wasn’t made of walls or bricks. It was someone who'd let me cry on their shoulder, even if I soaked their shirt. Someone who'd fix an old watch because they knew how much it mattered to me. Someone who made me feel like coming home.
“Did Genie give you a home?” Max asked.
“I’ll tell you soon,” I promised. “But first, you two should head inside. It’s getting dark, and mosquitoes are coming out for dinner.”
Zoe shook her head, pigtails bouncing vigorously. ”Grandma said we can’t go in right now. Mom’s really mad because grandma forgot to say Aero was here.”
Aero? Aeron?
“We came here for summer festival,” Max said, his voice disappointed. “But Mom says we have to leave tomorrow morning.”
“Why?” Something uneasy brushed the back of my neck.
“Because Aeron is here.” Zoe said.
Max scrunched up his small face. “Mom said Aero is bad. We shouldn’t talk to him. But I like him. He gives me candy.”
“Yeah,” Zoe agreed. “Mom’s yelling a lot, so Grandma said we should stay out here and play.”
Since when had Aeron become someone they needed protection from?
An uncomfortable knot tightened in my chest. Why was his sister painting Aeron as some kind of bad guy in front of the kids? I told Zoe and Max I'd be back soon and hurried toward the house.
The voices got louder as I moved closer, still quiet enough that I couldn't quite catch the words. Everything inside me screamed to turn around, to pretend I'd heard nothing, but I couldn't. My feet dragged me forward.
Then I heard it. Mabel’s voice.
“It’s been five years, Nora. Enough already.” Mabel looked drained. “He's finally willing to stay. Can’t you just let it go?”
Aeron’s eyes were bloodshot. His fists clenched tight at his sides as if he was holding back anger and sadness he refused to show.
“And then what, Mom?” Nora laughed bitterly. “We just hug and go back to pretending to be a happy family?”
She looked like the kind of woman you'd cross the street to avoid.
“It was never his fault!” Mabel snapped sharply, her voice shaking. “You're the only one who can't let it go.”
“Not his fault?” Nora shouted, voice loud enough to split the ceiling in two. “He’s the reason Dad died, Mom. How can you forget that?”
How is it Aeron’s fault?
“If it makes you feel better, blame me, Nora. I killed him. I will carry that guilt forever.” Aeron walked to the door.
“Isn't that what you always do?” she shouted after him. “Never fight back, and walk away when it hurts too much.”
Aeron stilled.
Our eyes met.
The mask he always wore slipped away. I saw pain. Say something, I pleaded silently. But he didn't. He walked past me without a word.
“Aeron. Wait!”
He didn’t slow down.
I followed him to the far end of the garden. He stopped, his back still turned, silence settling taut between us.
Why wasn’t he talking to me?
Did he even want me here?
I moved closer, fingers an inch away from brushing his hand—
“Why are you here?” His voice stopped me cold.
“I—”
“I don’t need your sympathy if that’s why you’re here.”
I swallowed hard, gripping the cookie box so tightly I thought it might crumble in my hands. Sympathy? Was that all he thought this was? How could he not see that I was here because I wanted to be. Because it was him?
“Leave.” His voice cracked.
I flinched.
“I don’t need someone else feeling sorry for me. Least of all you.”
Least of all you .
It hurt. Hurt in the way only he could.
He turned, as if realizing how deeply his words had cut.
“Astrid.” He took a cautious step toward me, his hand reaching out—gentle, careful, unsure if I'd let him close again.
Instinctively, I pulled my hand away, taking a step back. “Don’t,” I whispered, the sound coming out broken and small. “Just…don’t.”
I'd been wrong. He didn't need me. I turned and broke into a run, determined not to let him catch up, not trusting myself if he did. Behind me, something metal crashed sharply against the ground, harsh and angry. I didn't turn to see what he'd kicked.
I opened the car door, but felt a small tug on my dress. Max’s little fingers held tight to the edge of my dress. “Did Genie give you a home?”
I managed a faint smile, reaching down to ruffle his hair. “I guess some wishes are too big, even for Genie.”