Chapter 9 #2
‘Believing in ghosts and stuff compared to reiki and complementary herbs and teas.’
‘You used to play with the pixies with me when we were kids,’ Katie pointed out as she shrugged on her coat.
‘Yeah, fun childish make-believe. Are we off?’
‘Sure.’ Katie rolled her eyes at Aiden behind Mia’s back. ‘Night, Aiden.’
‘Goodnight. Have a good evening, both.’
He shut the door behind them and headed back into the shop to gather up his things.
He paused by the large forest painting and eyed it suspiciously.
It looked incredibly normal and ordinary and not the least bit magical.
Too normal. Back in the spring he would have fallen for the act.
‘Come on, out with it.’ He rapped the frame a couple of times.
‘We both know you’re up to something. You might as well make it easy on yourself and admit it, unless you want me to let the scrubbing brush loose again. ’
The leaves in the painting shivered and moved, then out popped a flying baby, who happily zipped around the glossy oil glade.
Aiden watched, partly amazed and partly horrified as the baby turned to face him and drew out a bow and arrow and sighted it at him.
He wasn’t quick enough to duck and the arrow poofed from the painting to hit his chest, leaving a mark in powdered pigment.
‘Oh haha, very funny.’
The baby – which he now realised was a cupid – laughed silently at him, giggling so hard that it doubled over and ended up doing forward rolls in mid-air.
‘Oh, bother off,’ Aiden grumbled and went back to cleaning.
He and Mia were just friends. If the painting was clever enough to send silly messages, it should be smart enough to know what was really happening.
Which was nothing. He clenched his teeth, attempting to ignore the fierce itching over his shoulder.
Katie laughed when Mia jumped and grabbed her arm. ‘OhmyGoddidyouseethat?!’
‘It looked like a fox to me.’
‘That’s what you said the last time,’ Mia hissed.
‘Well, it did. I’m sure there’s more than one fox in the whole of Hudsbury. I thought you wanted to do this?’
‘I did. I do. Rayenne said this was really good. But I’m starting to wonder if her idea of good is the same as mine.’
‘It’s a ghost tour. What did you expect?’
‘More funny and less scary. More… Scary Movie satire and less… you know… real!’
‘Do you want to go home?’
‘No.’ Mia shook her head. ‘But I might be regretting not trying harder to convince Phe to come with us.’
‘Why?’
‘Because she’s better at stuff like this.’
‘What stuff?’
‘Paranormal, witchy-woo stuff.’
‘I thought you didn’t believe in “witchy-woo stuff” and magic?’ Katie teased, her tone light but an odd look on her face.
‘Well maybe I should have!’ Mia squeaked. ‘This is much scarier than I’d expected.’
‘Would you mind being quiet please? I’m trying to listen to the tour,’ a man she didn’t recognise asked.
‘Sorry.’
‘…The old theatre is home to many ghosts: most famous of all is the former actor Charlie Simion. It was 1913, and the touring Southern Shakespeare Company were passing through. It was a foggy winter night, and folks had come from far and wide to see the much-lauded rendition of the Scottish Play. It’s a well-known tale amongst theatre folk that’ – he hesitated and visibly shivered – ‘Macbeth is a cursed play. The curse dates back to a 1606 performance in which the actor playing Lady Macbeth died in an unexpected tragedy, forcing the great Bard himself to present the role – those being the days in which a female actor was akin to witchcraft.’
‘Superstitious idiots,’ Katie grumbled. ‘As if dressing up and prancing about on a stage has anything to do with wicca.’
‘Shhh!’
‘Charlie Simion, a great and widely praised actor of his time, fell victim to the savage and vicious curse – slipping from the stage midway through his great stage battle with Macduff.’ His eyes glazed over as he spoke.
‘He was cruelly impaled on his own sword, dying at the height of his great and promising career. It was, as it is today, a foggy night, the exact kind on which the apparition is most likely to be seen, still treading the boards, and the clash of metal swords can still be heard.’
‘Oooh, creepy.’ Katie giggled.
‘And now,’ the guide intoned, ‘onto the old hospital.’
The guide jogged down the steps of the theatre as a flash of movement caught Mia’s eye. A breeze so cold it was painful caught her left side, leaving her arm numb and her breath catching. The guide caught her arm, steadying her. ‘Sorry about that. Are you OK?’ His grey eyes were intense.
‘Yes.’ Mia rubbed her arm, chafing warmth back into it, not entirely sure what had happened or what the man was apologising for.
‘Oooh, it’s suddenly gone cold.’ Katie laughed. ‘Maybe the ghost wants to join the tour?’
‘Yeah.’ The guide pulled a face. ‘They often do. Especially Charlie. Right, who’s for the old hospital?’
‘Shall we?’ Katie asked.
‘Um…’ Mia checked her watch, which seemed to have stopped ticking. ‘Yeah, sure.’
‘Do you have somewhere else to be?’
‘No. Sorry.’
Even in the fading light, she could see the weird look Katie gave her, but chose to ignore it.
‘Hmm.’ Mia sighed happily, warm and drowsy and feeling incredibly relaxed. She squirmed slightly as Aiden’s fingers wandered over her back and down her side. ‘You’re not actually trying to count my freckles, are you?’
‘No.’ He carried on stroking, his fingers wandering in lazy patterns over her skin. ‘I lost count ages ago. Now I’m playing dot to dot.’
‘OK.’ She snuggled closer, and he wrapped his arm around her while she traced over the bluey-green ink that swirled over his chest and arms. ‘This darker one is new.’
‘A work in progress.’ He pressed his lips together, not liking lying to her, but knowing the magic gave him no choice.
‘What’s it going to be?’
He wished he knew the answer. ‘What do you think?’
‘It’s really stylised, and hard to see all of it, but if I followed this line here’ – her fingers traced over his skin and the ever-present itching blissfully stopped beneath her touch – ‘then it could be the start of a heart.’
‘Could be.’ He pondered on her answer.
‘Fine. Don’t tell me then.’ She snuggled back against him.
‘Don’t get too comfortable, Princess, I should probably go soon.’
‘It was late when you got here, Aiden. And after the last few hours you must be tired. You’re welcome to stay, if you’d like.’
‘Which would you prefer?’
‘I’m happy either way. It’s up to you.’
Even if she’d been wearing her glasses or lenses, she couldn’t have deciphered the look he gave her.
‘I’m not sure.’
‘Well, what do you usually do in situations like this? I know you’ve slept over at your lady friends’ before and had to change at Glimmers. Katie outed you.’
‘Of course she did.’ He shook his head. ‘Firstly, the other women I spent time with weren’t friends like we are – I haven’t figured out if that changes things.
Secondly, unless I have to leave I’d usually just respect her preferences.
Some like to snuggle; others… it’s better to bow out politely.
’ He reached out and tucked her hair away from her face. ‘So, what would you like me to do?’
‘Whatever you want.’
‘I don’t have to rush back for anything…’ He really was very tempted.
‘It’s up to you.’
‘I think I’d like to stay, if it’s really OK with you?’
‘I already told you it was.’ Mia reached over to turn off the light, then cuddled back against him with a happy sigh.
He was quiet for so long that she thought he’d fallen asleep, until he pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. ‘Thank you, Mia.’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘You know, as sorry as I am that your prince turned into a toad… right now I’m feeling a bit glad he did.’
‘You are?’
‘Yeah. He wasn’t even close to good enough for you.’ He trailed his fingers down her back again, and pulled her a bit closer. ‘Will you promise me something?’
‘If I can.’
‘Don’t settle for anything less than you deserve. If the next would-be prince doesn’t treat you right, if he doesn’t make you feel spectacularly gorgeous even when you’re wearing your glasses and haven’t done your hair, kick him to the kerb.’
‘You make it sound so easy.’
‘I’ll happily do the kicking bit for you.’ He smiled at her soft laugh. ‘It should be that easy, Mia. You’re amazing. Any man who doesn’t see that doesn’t deserve to be in your life.’
‘Says the man currently naked in my bed.’
‘Oh, Princess, I’m just happy being your friend and Friday-night call until Triple D shows up.’
She giggled in his arms.
‘Really, really, really happy.’ He traced his fingers up and down her back, making her squirm. ‘Really very, very happy.’
‘Yeah, I got that.’
Aiden blinked a few times as he woke up, and had those usual few seconds of trying to figure out where he was and who he was with when he found himself in a strange bed. He looked down at the glossy, chestnut waves kissed with honey knotting across his shoulder: Mia.
She was snuggled against him, sleepy, warm and delicious.
She stirred for a few seconds, then settled comfortably, her cheek resting on his shoulder.
He stroked her hair gently away from her face and traced a finger down her cheek, barely making contact.
He didn’t want to wake her, but couldn’t resist the urge to touch her.
In another world, one where his life was different and he wasn’t so truly, totally messed up, he could have easily seen a life with someone very much like the gorgeous woman cuddled against him, her hair messy and tangled from his fingers.
It would be easy to feel angry about it, to be bitter about what he couldn’t have, but that would ruin the awesomeness of moments like this.
Instead, he hugged Mia a bit closer and smiled when she buried her face against his chest. ‘You really are too good for me, sweetheart,’ he whispered, needing the reminder.
She was more awake than he realised. ‘Enough of that nonsense.’
‘Sorry. Hadn’t meant to wake you.’