CHAPTER 7 #5
“Well, yeah,” I agreed as I relocked the drawer to test if the spell had broken the lock. It hadn’t, which was a plus. “Oooo this could be dangerous,” I said with wicked glee. “Something to break locks and hexes without physically damaging the object. Splendid! I have to write this one down.”
I proceeded to do just that, scribbling the spell and its ingredients into my notebook of successes, blatantly ignoring the one next to it filled with my past failures. The latter was much more filled than the former.
“Would this one be considered illegal?” Cam asked curiously.
I shrugged. “Gray area. But there’s probably a reason it isn’t easy to find. And this particular spell took some tinkering on my part to finesse.”
I had been at it for nearly a full day and many flops had preceded this boon. It didn’t upset me; it was the nature of the beast that was my passion. And complicated puzzles were far more fun to work out.
Something made me want to tell Cam the thoughts that bubbled up.
I had never told anyone about what I wanted to do with the spells, charms, and other such magic I crafted.
But... Cam? He wouldn’t judge me. He wouldn’t think my dream small or insignificant or not worth my time.
I just knew he wouldn’t. But my heart still pounded nonetheless as I admitted,
“One day, when my spellbook is filled, I want to publish it. Share my knowledge and labor of love with the magic community.” Cam watched me as I flipped the notebook open to the first page and fanned the papers smoothly.
“I’ve been working on this for... years.
I could say it’s my life’s work. And, before you ask, yes, I do have this copied into a document on my computer that I have backed up into multiple different locations. ”
“Nothing if not thorough.” He gave me a half smile, blue eyes sparkling.
“I’m not doing it for fame or notoriety. Nothing like that. I like living under the radar,” I clarified. “But I still want to share it. Ya know? Put it out there into the world and if it even brings one person joy, inspires one person to pursue their dreams, then I’ll know I’ve done right.”
The smile he gave me this time was softer, his expression tender and almost... grateful? For what?
I got my answer a moment later.
“Thank you,” he said softly. “For sharing this with me.”
Perhaps he seemed to sense how vulnerable I was feeling after the admission to a secret I had only ever shared with myself. But he offered me something just as sweet in return.
“I’ve... I remember always wanting to open a bakery.”
My eyebrows shot up, “A bakery? You can bake?”
He nodded shyly, and I beamed up at him, taking several unconscious steps closer.
“What do you like to make?” I asked, practically begging him to divulge more about himself. I wanted to know it all. Everything. The need to know Cam was this burning, hungry thing in my chest that made my heart race and skin tingle.
“A little bit of everything,” he told me, rubbing the back of his neck with one of his big hands.
Pink was even staining his cheeks. “Cakes, cookies, cupcakes, muffins, pies... I even made a croquembouche once. Took me awhile to figure that one out. Made quite the mess.” He grinned fondly as if remembering it.
“But my favorite thing to make is bread.”
I chewed on my lip and immediately asked, “Why is it your favorite?”
Jinx chirped above me as if echoing that he wanted to know too. Cam’s gaze flicked to him with a smile before they returned to trace my face as he spoke,
“There’s just... something intimate about making bread. Waiting for it to proof together, kneading it, letting it rest then bake and getting to enjoy something warm and fulfilling together. And making it with someone...” He sighed almost dreamily.
A spark of jealousy flared in my gut at the thought of Cam making bread with someone else.
And not the idea of him fucking someone else as the play on words suggested.
No, the actual thought of him baking actual bread with another person nearly set my teeth on edge.
Then my ire cooled in an instant when he said,
“I’ve always wanted to make bread with someone I cared about. And someone who liked me back.”
And damn if that wasn’t the sweetest, most romantic thing I had ever heard.
He was watching me carefully, gauging my reactions.
But my brain had gone fuzzy, lips parting as I gazed at him.
My eyes were transfixed on his own, the sky blue vibrant and clear.
This close I could see the veins of light and dark shades swirling together to make their own unique blend.
It was easy to admit that blue was my new favorite color.
“I’d like to make bread with you, Victor.”
Oh goodness. I nearly swooned on the spot. It was a sucker punch to the gut, stealing my breath away as it whooshed out of my lungs.
“Well,” I cleared my throat nervously when my voice crackled unsteadily. There was a lot of weight to those words. My inner perv was screaming while the romantic in me was trembling on unsteady knees. I said weakly, “Let’s get these cuffs off so we can do that, then.”