Chapter 9
NINE
I pressed the plastic lid on the takeaway cup, making sure it was definitely tightly closed before I slipped it into the cardboard tray. I added a slice of chocolate cake to the order, glad that it was a calm morning.
"I'm going to make a delivery," I said, hoping Gran wasn't going to ask a million follow-up questions.
She just gave me an amused smile from behind her spot at the counter. "I'm guessing that means your date went well. Say hi to Faye for me."
"I didn't say it was for Faye," I muttered, wondering how she knew.
"My sweet grandchild, your face is an open book to me," Gran said, only glancing up from her tablet. "Don't take too long."
I gave her an affectionate touch on the shoulder on my way past. "I won't, thank you."
It was only a short walk to the antique shop but plenty of worries sparked in my mind despite it. Even if Faye and I ended our date on a sweet note, I couldn't shake my worries. I knew Agatha would be a hurdle for us but I didn't think Faye was so affected by it all.
What if she couldn't move past it? What if I couldn't reassure her? What if we returned to being just friends? Or worse, what if she decided she didn't want me in her life at all?
Just thinking about that was making my stomach churn.
I reached the antique shop just when someone was leaving and I hurried, catching the door they held open. The smell of dust and old things fluttered out and I stepped into it willingly. I liked this smell, it reminded me of Faye and my childhood.
"Hello?" I called out, pausing in my step when I spotted Faye with her wand out and multiple things floating in the air around her. That was expected. What I didn't expect was the orange cat sitting right next to her. "Balthazar? What are you doing here?"
His ears flattened when he saw me and he stuck his tail up in the air, fluffing it up. He considered his answer for a moment but instead of explaining, he jumped towards the open window and made a run for it.
What was that about?
I watched him go, confused about his behaviour. I thought we'd gotten closer so why was he still keeping secrets from me? And why did it look like Faye was in on it?
I held the coffee up. "Hi. Double espresso, chocolate cake."
Faye's smile lit up her face and she lowered all the floating items to the floor before reaching for the drink. She paused when she grabbed it and brushed her fingers up the back of my hand. It tingled in the best way and I wanted to reciprocate but her touch was already gone
"You're so sweet, thank you," she said, popping the lid off so she could blow on the coffee.
My gaze was drawn to her mouth and how she puckered her lips. They were a dark shade of pink, perhaps closer to maroon, and looked lovely and soft. They were nice lips and they looked even nicer now I knew how it felt to kiss them.
She took a careful sigh and hummed in delight. She really knew how to enjoy the small things in life, and it was perhaps one of her most attractive qualities. "That's good. I needed a pick-me-up. Although seeing you is a pick-me-up too."
"Oh, back to being a smooth talker, I see," I said, amused by how she could turn the charm on so easily. She was adorable. "I take it you're feeling better then?"
Faye sipped from her coffee and pointed her wand back at the shelf, summoning more stuff from it. "Did you come because you were worried about me?"
"We talked about heavy stuff last night. I want to make sure you're okay," I said, looking up at the shelf. "What are you trying to find?"
"I thought we had some doorknobs up there but I must've been mistaken." With a sigh, she made all the antiques float back up on the shelf where they clattered down in no discernible order.
I held back a smile. No wonder they were having trouble finding things if that was how they put it away.
Faye sheathed her wand and turned to look at me. "And I promise I'm okay. Apart from wishing I hadn't brought down the mood on our first date by talking about your ex."
"It was bound to happen. I just need you to know I have no desire to be with Agatha. None, whatsoever," I assured her, hoping she could tell how much I meant it.
"I believe you. My insecurities just got the better of me but I'll work on it."
I reached for her hand. It was slightly smaller than mine and yet they fit perfectly together. They always had, if my memory served me correctly.
"We'll work on it together. As long as we keep talking, we can fix anything," I promised her.
Faye gave my hand a squeeze. "I'll remember that."
"Good. Now, speaking of talking about things, what was Balthazar doing here? Is he working for the antique shop now?" I asked, wondering how long that had been going on and why neither of them had mentioned that to me.
"Oh." Faye's gaze darted away, a telltale sign that she was hiding something. "I can't tell you. It's a surprise."
"A surprise?" How mysterious.
She nodded, pulling me away from the shelf to the counter. "That reminds me, I have something for you."
"A gift?" This was getting more and more mysterious by the minute.
"Something of the sort." She grabbed a gift bag from the shelf behind her and presented it to me with both hands. "Congratulations. I hope you and Balthazar will be happy together for a long time."
I accepted the bag, still a little confused about everything. Why was Balthazar being secretive about coming to the antique shop and why did Faye look so excited about this gift? Were the two related?
"Thank you?" I gave the bag a light squeeze, hoping to gain some information from it but it remained a mysterious shape. "Can I open it now?"
"You can." Faye's smile got even wider.
Suspicious.
I reached into the bag, finding something heavy, smooth, and metal. I pulled it out, not fully sure what I was looking at. It was a contraption of sorts, made entirely of brass and wood. It had prongs and strange bits sticking out.
"This isn't for the bedroom, is it?" I asked, almost touching one of the shafts but deciding against it last minute.
Faye cackled. "No! You're holding it the wrong way up. The base goes against the wall and then these prongs are for a familiar's collar or bowtie. It's so a familiar can get dressed on their own."
"Ooooh, it's a collar hook," I said, finally recognising the contraption in my hands. Mostly. It looked different than the one we had at the coffee house for Betty.
"This is an older model. Wayyyy older," Faye said. "It's like the one Viktor had at the Bureau but in much better shape."
A few things clicked in place. Maybe this was why Balthazar hadn't put his new bow tie on.
I had assumed that he was using the collar hook in the kitchen but maybe it was not done to use another familiar's hook.
Maybe he didn't even know how to use it.
Betty barely used that thing, she always got Gran or me to dress her.
If Balthazar was used to an older collar hook model or relied on Viktor, I could see how giving him a new bow tie had caused some unintended stress.
I put the hook back in the bag. "Thank you, this is really thoughtful. Is this why Balthazar was at the shop?"
Faye chuckled. "No, that's for something else. You'll find out soon enough."
"The plot thickens. Alright, I'll let it play out but I'm curious. Really curious."
"You're more patient than I am."
"That's common knowledge. I remember how you got scolded when you found and opened your birthday presents two days before the party. Your mums were so disappointed."
A laugh bubbled up from her. "I was ten and I tried my hardest. Did you know I actually found those a day before I opened them? Yeah. I managed to wait a whole day before I caved."
"Do you want praise for that?" I teased, patting my hands together for the world's quietest applause.
"I can be patient though. Like, I'm being patient right now."
"Oh? What are you waiting for?"
Her mouth lifted up into a cheeky grin. "For you to kiss me."
Heat instantly sparked up in my stomach and I could tell from Faye's face that she was mostly teasing me.
If she thought I wasn't going to act on it, she was in for a surprise though because I wasn't going to let this opportunity slip me by.
I moved around the counter, somewhat amused that we were kissing in the antique shop again.
I saw the beginning of Faye's smirk before I pressed my lips on her and felt the curve of her mouth and the softness of her lips.
She smelled like peach and jasmine today and it was intoxicating.
Her lips were warm and pliable and she made the cutest sound when I pressed my tongue into her mouth, meeting it instantly with her own.
She pulled me closer, hands drawing up and down my back, until we were leaning against her counter. I lost focus of the movements and sank into the kiss, feeling her so close to me, I was sure I could feel her heart beat. Or maybe that was mine going in overdrive.
The clatter of the bead curtain behind us made me jump back, just in time before Faye's grandfather came into the shop. He was carrying a miniature plane and looked very happy about it, seeming totally unaware of what he just walked into.
"Look, look! Didn't this clean up nicely?" He held it up for us to see, his giddy expression the very same as when Faye was excited about something.
"Very nice, Mr Li," I said, glancing at Faye who had her hand pressed against her mouth and looked like she was trying to hold back her laughter.
Luckily, Mr Li was too lost in thought and disappeared into the storage room while muttering to himself.
A snort escaped me and it set Faye off. Our laughter blended together and I could feel it smooth away my worries. We were going to be great together.
"I should get back to the coffee house," I said, gesturing in the direction.
Faye nodded. "Thank you for my pick-me-up. And the coffee."
She was so cheeky and charming, it was no wonder I fell for her.
I glanced at the storage room but Mr Li was nowhere to be seen. I took that opportunity to give Faye another peck on the lips, wishing I could linger but not wanting to risk it until our new relationship had solidified a bit more.
"Wait." Faye pulled me back before I could leave, kissing me again with so much intensity, it left my lips tingling and made my knees weak. "One more for the road."
I was going to be thinking about that kiss for the rest of the day.