Cricket (Cricket Kendall Book 1), page 6
After I finish the entire bottle, I wiggle for Theo to let me down. He hesitantly sets me down beside him, still keeping his hands on my shoulders. “Are you okay now? Do you need any more water before we head home?”
It’s seriously so sweet that he’s this worried about me, but I hate being treated like such a fragile baby. I make a face at him and shake my head. “I don’t want to go home yet. I swear, I’m fine!”
I take a few steps away from him, floating a few centimeters off the ground when I do so I don’t accidentally stumble again. I’m sure if I show even the slightest hint of being tired or hurt, Theo’s going to throw me over his shoulder like a caveman and march me back to the jeep.
My magic isn’t humming as noticeably as it was earlier, and my headache hasn’t gone away either. I know I’m being stubborn, and it’s probably best if we call it a day. But I’ve never had more fun in my life than I do when I’m playing with Theo in the forest. I’ve never felt stronger or more powerful, and I’m not ready for that feeling to end yet.
Theo jumps in front of me, his eyes wide and terrified. I raise my eyebrows in alarm, and he exclaims, “Your nose is bleeding! Fucking Christ, stop being so stubborn. You’re clearly not feeling okay.”
I wipe my nose and stare stupidly at the bright red blood smeared across the back of my hand.
“I’m fine!” I whine stubbornly when Theo picks me up again. I let myself snuggle against him though, resting my head in the crook of his neck. I hold my hand under my nose, careful that I don’t get any blood on his shirt.
“Aurora!” My eyes snap open at the harsh, growling sound of Theo’s voice. He frantically shouts again, “Where the fuck is Aurora?”
I groan and sit up in his arms, feeling confused and disoriented when I realize we’re at Flora & Feathers. I catch sight of Luca, who’s staring at me worriedly, and Theo looks down to meet my eyes.
“Holy shit, Cricket.” He squeezes me tightly. I frown at him, wondering when we got here and what I missed. His pupils are dilated and his nostrils are flaring like crazy. I’ve never seen him look so scared or worried before.
“What’s the matter?” My aunt rushes to our side and brushes my hair out of my face.
“We were playing in the woods, and uh…” Theo trails off to cast Luca a quick side glance before he continues, “Cricket said she felt dehydrated. She drank some water, and she said she was fine. But then her nose started bleeding, and she passed out. I couldn’t wake her up and I didn’t know what to do.”
His voice is laced with panic, and he squeezes me again like he’s afraid to let me go. I hug him back, hating that I made him feel this way.
Aurora quietly asks if there are any customers in the store, and Luca says there aren’t. Since he already knows we’re witches, she’s not worried about him overhearing. She gently strokes her fingers through my hair again and sighs. “You’re too headstrong for your own good sometimes. You used up all of your magical energy, didn’t you?”
I spread my fingers out in front of my face and stare at my hand, concentrating hard to find the familiar pulse of magic within me. There’s the barest hint of it, so minute I know I wouldn’t be able to do the simplest of spells right now.
“Maybe? I’ve never done that before.” I feel like an idiot, and I’m embarrassed that I let this happen to myself.
“Dammit, Cricket.” Theo growls. He kisses the side of my head while he sniffs at my hair. “I knew you were tired.”
He’s still frightened, and probably super pissed off at me. I bite my lip and mumble an apology, and Aurora chuckles quietly at us.
“She’ll be okay, Theo. Take her upstairs to lie down and make sure Stella stays with her. She could probably use something to eat too.”
Theo thanks her, and he carries me all the way upstairs to my bedroom. He sets me down carefully on the bed where Stella’s taking a nap, and he leaves to grab a snack from the kitchen. All I want to do is curl up under my covers, but I force myself to walk over to my closet and change into pajamas before he comes back.
When he returns, carrying a wet washcloth in one hand and a sandwich in the other, he gives me a sad smile. “I could have helped you change, little witch. You need to rest.”
I give him a seductive smile and wink. “You’d have liked that, wouldn’t you?”
Theo grins and lets his eyes wander over me quickly before he chuckles and sits down on the edge of my bed. “Even more reason you should have waited to let me help you.”
He hands me the sandwich, and I scoot over so there’s room for him to sit beside me. He kicks his shoes off and makes himself comfortable, wrapping his arm around my shoulders so I can easily snuggle against him.
I nibble at the sandwich for a minute, and then I whisper, “Are you mad at me?”
“Yes,” he grunts. “I’m way more pissed at myself though. I’m going to end up getting you killed.”
He sounds absolutely devastated, and I turn so I can face him. “This was not your fault. I was being stupid, not listening to my body or my intuition. I should have known I wouldn’t have as much energy after practicing healing spells this morning.”
“Healing spells, huh?” Theo asks gruffly. He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear as his eyes wander over every inch of my face.
“I meant to show you earlier, but I got distracted.” I give him an embarrassed smile. After that whole situation with the hot stranger in the bookshop, I’d been super nervous and flustered. As soon as Theo and I arrived at our special spot up in the mountains, running through the forest and using my magic helped to take my mind off of it.
“Maybe it’s not a good idea to take you up there anymore,” Theo mumbles, his eyebrows furrowing. “I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”
“No!” I set my sandwich on my bedside table and crawl into Theo’s lap. I rest my arms on his shoulders and pout, feeling secretly thrilled when he wraps his arms around my waist like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “You don’t understand. My magic feels so alive here, and even more so up in the mountains when we’re playing. After being here for a week, I’m so much stronger than I ever was back in Florida. And with my birthday only being a few weeks away, I want to see what I’m capable of.”
Theo’s face flushes, and he quirks a smile that almost seems shy. “I know your aunt mentioned something about your eighteenth birthday, but I didn’t realize it was so soon.”
“September third.” I nod. I smile back at him, my heart racing when he rubs his hands over my hips and lower back. “Seriously, I promise I’ll never scare you like that again. If I ever feel like I’m getting close to reaching my limit again, or if I’m even feeling tired, I’ll let you know.”
I stick my bottom lip out, pouting even harder when he doesn’t give in and agree with me. Eventually, he groans and says, “Alright, fine. I swear to fucking god though, if you ever do that again—”
“I won’t!” I cut him off, grinning brightly.
He snorts at me and shakes his head and grabs the washcloth he set on my bedside table. Butterflies threaten to erupt from my belly when he begins gently wiping the dried blood from my face. It’s so fucking sweet and distracting that I have to concentrate to listen to him speak.
“No more wolf or witch stuff over the next couple of days though, okay? We can hang out here, or go to the movies tomorrow instead or something.”
I agree, and I move back to my original spot beside him. Stella curls up on my lap, and Theo and I browse through Netflix for something to watch. We settle on Mystery Science Theater 3000, since Theo’s never seen it. A fucking travesty, if you ask me.
After finishing the sandwich he made for me, I snuggle against his side. I don’t even make it through an entire episode before falling asleep.
Chapter Nine
Luca snickers when I yawn for what’s probably the millionth time.
“You’re going to put me to sleep if you keep doing that,” he says.
Paisley called out, so it’s just me and Luca in the bookshop again today. Aurora’s upstairs in her office, and she has a few tarot readings scheduled later. There are a few customers browsing the shop, but it’s still a very easy, relaxed environment.
I sleepily watch Luca tap on an iPad from where I’m sitting beside Stella on the front counter, letting my legs dangle over the side. He’s doing something inventory-related, but everything aside from using the cash register still goes pretty much right over my head. Luca’s amazing at his job, and I know he’s a big reason the shop is as successful as it is. Earlier, he was telling me about a few of the book signings they’d hosted here over the summer.
When another yawn escapes me, I quickly try to cover my mouth. Luca smiles to himself and shakes his head as he pulls his wallet out of his pocket.
“Here,” he says, handing me a ten-dollar bill. “Go next door and get us some coffees. Katy’s working, and she knows my order by heart.”
I grin and reach forward to take the money. “Are you sure?”
Coffee honestly sounds amazing right now. It’s after one in the afternoon, but I still feel exhausted after using up my magical energy yesterday. Theo stayed over until late, and he didn’t even mind that I napped most of the time. We have plans to meet up today too, but not until later this evening. Theo texted me this morning to tell me he’d be hanging out with Hollis again.
Luca tells me he’s sure, and he shoos me out of the bookshop with a playful smile.
The coffee shop and bakery next door to Flora & Feathers is seriously freaking exceptional. No matter the time of day, it’s almost always busy whenever I visit. I’ve only been there a few times since I moved in with Aurora, but Luca’s best friend Katy is always working when I go in.
When I step through the door of The Little Owl Café, I smile as I inhale the delicious scent of coffee and chocolate. It’s not as busy as I expected for a Saturday afternoon, but there are a few people sitting at tables and two women waiting for their drinks.
Katy looks up from behind the counter where she’s steaming milk at the espresso machine, and she smiles when she sees me. “Hey, beautiful. I’ll be with you in a second.”
I grin in acknowledgement and move to stand in front of the register while I wait for her to finish her current orders. Even though I already know what I want, I still read over the menu for any new drinks or specials.
The bell chimes over the door of the café, and I hear a girl giggle. I consider turning around to see who just walked in, but Katy captures my attention instead when she comes to stand in front of me. She wipes the back of her hand over her brow and gives me a flirty grin.
“What can I get for you, gorgeous?”
Katy is extremely pretty, and she has the coolest style ever. She has dark brown skin, dyed-blue hair, and a ton of tattoos. It’s also super flattering that she flirts with me every time I come in here, though I’m sure she does that with everyone.
“I’ll get a cinnamon vanilla iced latte, and whatever Luca’s usual order is.”
She chuckles and taps my order into the screen at the register. “He’s sending you on his coffee runs now, is he? Can’t say I mind.”
I grin at her flirting, and we continue making small talk for a few seconds while she counts out my change. After I’ve paid, I step aside to wait at the other end of the counter. Katy greets the next customer, and I pull my phone out of my pocket to check my texts.
My heart flips when I see I have a message from Theo. I miss you, little witch.
Five words, and I’m a puddle of mush. I still think it would be the dumbest idea ever to hook up with Theo, or to think of seriously dating him. I just know that would ruin everything between us. But god, he’s too fucking cute for his own good.
I text him back. I miss you too. Are you having fun with Hollis?
Yeah, but he’s acting mopey and won’t tell me what’s wrong.
Poor Hollis. It’s honestly driving me nuts that I still haven’t met Theo’s best friends. He’s told me so much about Hollis and Cas that I feel like I know them, and I think it’s the most adorable thing ever that they’re so close.
You know you can invite him to hang out with us tonight, right?
The three dots signifying that Theo’s typing a reply hover at the bottom of my screen for several seconds. When his text finally comes through, all it says is: You’ll meet him at school on Monday.
I sigh and shove my phone back into the pocket of my skirt. I don’t understand. Theo keeps saying he feels this same intense connection between us as I do, and he obviously likes me and wants to keep hanging out. Why doesn’t he want to introduce me to his friends? Is he worried they won’t like me, or is he embarrassed of me?
“Here you go, beautiful.” I look up to find Katy smiling at me, holding out my and Luca’s drinks.
“Thank you!” I reach out to take the drinks, and I grin in surprise when she hands me a small paper bag.
“I know you love those chocolate blueberry scones, and I still had a couple left over from this morning.” She winks, brushing her fingers over the back of my hand when I take the bag from her. “They’re on me.”
I giggle, my cheeks flushing as I thank her again. I’m not really into girls, but her flirting has me flustered. Normally, I flirt back with people without even thinking about it. But Katy is Luca’s best friend, and I don’t want to accidentally lead her on. I don’t know whether she’s serious or not. With my latte in my right hand, and Luca’s drink and the scones in my left, I spin around and take a step without paying attention to my surroundings.
I crash into someone, hard enough that it makes me stumble back, and I accidentally spill my latte all over the front of his shirt. I gasp and widen my eyes in horror, luckily holding onto Luca’s drink and the scones.
Before I can apologize or say literally anything, the guy I bumped into flails his arms out and screams, “What the fuck!?”
I look up into the infuriated face of a boy close to my age. He’s fucking beautiful. He’s almost as tall as Theo is, and maybe just slightly more muscular. He has this insanely gorgeous, raven black hair falling across his forehead and around his ears, and the most incredible green emerald green eyes I’ve ever seen. There’s an adorable little beauty mark on his cheek under his left eye, and I have the bizarre urge to stand up on my tiptoes and kiss that exact spot.
When I realize he’s scowling at me, literally shaking and trembling in anger, embarrassment washes over me. I just spilled my coffee all over him, and he’s fucking pissed. Why am I just standing here checking him out!?
“Calm down. It’s coffee. You’re not going to die,” I say defensively. I should just apologize and make a run for it, but it’s like I can’t control myself.
His eyes flash, and he practically snarls at me. “Are you serious right now? You’re not even going to fucking apologize? I can’t believe this is happening.”
He’s shaking even harder. I’ve never seen anyone look so angry before, and I’m becoming more and more embarrassed by the second. “Why were you standing so close to me, anyway? Have you never heard of personal space?”
He doesn’t answer, but his cheeks flush until they’re bright red. A pretty girl with dark hair grabs the guy’s arm and gives me a dirty look, and she frowns up at him as she mumbles something under her breath.
“You okay?” Someone touches my shoulder, and I turn around to face Katy. She’s smiling sympathetically as she hands me a brand new iced latte. “Try not to spill this one.”
I bite my lip at her teasing and chuckle awkwardly. I won’t be showing my face in here for at least a few days, that’s for sure. I turn around to leave, moving much slower this time so I don’t accidentally bump into somebody again, and I see the hot, angry guy and his girlfriend standing in the same spot.
The guy isn’t even trying to hide the fact that he’s checking me out. His eyes greedily run over my body. My stomach flutters and my toes curl, and I can’t stop myself from standing up straighter. The maxi skirt I’m wearing is white and looks fucking amazing against my tanned skin, and it has a long slit running up the front. I’m also wearing a cropped, white, off-the shoulder top that does an incredible job of showing off my stomach, boobs, and collarbone.
I mentally smack myself for getting the least bit excited at his attention. He’s an asshole, and his girlfriend is right here!
“Oh my god! You’re going to sit there and scream at me like a lunatic and then turn around and gawk at me like a pervert?” I screech and breeze past him to the door of the café. I cast him one last look over my shoulder and shout, “God, you’re disgusting!”
The door slams behind me, and I don’t waste any time in hurrying back to Flora & Feathers. I’m completely mortified. Not only at the way I spilled my coffee like a clumsy moron, but also because of the way I caused a scene by screaming at that guy. Honestly, he had every right to be pissed at me, and I made a fool of myself by escalating the situation.
I shut my eyes and take a deep, calming breath as soon as I’m safely back in the bookshop.
“What’s wrong?” I open my eyes to find Luca frowning at me.
I grimace and hand him his coffee, and I dig the change out of my pocket as I shrug defensively. “Nothing.”
His frown deepens, so I slap a smile across my face to convince him that everything is totally fine and normal. He doesn’t seem very convinced, but he doesn’t ask me any more questions when I thank him for a coffee and make an excuse about being too tired to hang out downstairs.
I slink upstairs to my room on the top floor and flop down onto my bed after setting my coffee and scones on my desk. I feel silly for wanting to hide out, but I don’t think I’d survive if that guy from the coffee shop stumbled into the bookstore.
