Chapter 17. The Magic Grows Stronger
1298 Words
Arielle woke up the next morning with the unsettling, suspicious feeling that something had gone terribly, catastrophically right.
Her apartment was quiet.
Too quiet.
Normally, her mornings sounded like chaos:
– her alarm refusing to go off
– the heater clanking like ghosts fighting
– her kettle exploding steam in her face
– her neighbor’s cat break-in attempts
But today?
Silence.
Warm, peaceful, not-a-single-thing-breaking silence.
She sat up slowly, squinting in case the ceiling planned to collapse.
It didn’t.
The lights were steady.
The floor wasn’t icy.
Nothing smelled like smoke.
Something was wrong.
Arielle padded to the kitchen, bracing for disaster, but the coffee maker turned on without blowing a fuse. The toast didn’t burn. The fridge light didn’t flicker like a horror movie.
She leaned her elbows on the counter. “Okay. Who are you and what have you done with my life?”
The coffee machine whirred cheerfully, mocking her confusion.
Then she saw it.
The red envelope.
Again.
Sitting neatly on her counter, glowing faintly—only she had shoved the original one inside a drawer and duct-taped it shut just in case it decided to enchant her socks or something.
This was a new envelope.
Her stomach dropped.
“Oh no.”
She approached it like it was a bomb.
The moment her fingers touched it, warmth spread through her hand—soft, gentle, like sunlight on snow.
The envelope opened itself.
A shimmering message appeared in curling golden letters:
Your Magic Responds to Your Heart.
Yesterday, it awakened.
Arielle’s eyes widened to full dinner-plate mode.
Awakened?
As in…
Activated awakened?
She flipped the card over, half expecting Santa to pop out and say “Congrats you’re magical now!” but the back only read:
The stronger your feelings grow,
the more blessings will follow.
But heed the rule:
Deny your heart,
and the magic will turn against you.
She slapped a hand over her face. “I knew falling for Noah was like signing a magical contract with hidden fees!”
And now—her chest warmed again.
A soft glow pulsed under her ribs. Like a tiny lantern.
Oh no.
Not now.
Not when she had plans, responsibilities, dignity—
Well, maybe not dignity, but still.
She grabbed her coat and rushed outside.
The moment she stepped onto the snowy sidewalk, the world shimmered.
Literally shimmered.
The snow glittered like tiny crystal lights. The morning sun broke through the clouds in a perfect golden beam, landing right on her face like God himself was spotlighting her.
She flinched. “Stop that. Stop being pretty. I need to focus.”
But the magic didn’t stop.
It grew stronger.
People walking by turned and smiled politely, like she was radiating good vibes. A dog trotted up to her and wagged its tail. Even a grumpy old man across the street gave her a nod.
Arielle panicked.
“Okay. Okay—so my emotions are… leaking?”
She walked faster.
That was when she noticed the trail behind her.
Footprints.
Except every place she stepped, the snow melted into glittering little sunbursts. Tiny warm patches of glowing white.
“NOPE,” she hissed. “Too magical. Too suspicious. Why is my footprint sparkling? Am I Santa’s LED princess?!”
She stomped the snow again. It sparkled harder.
This was a disaster.
A magical, beautiful, romantic disaster.
---
She practically sprinted toward the bookstore. The warm glow spilled out the windows, and through the glass she saw Noah shelving a stack of books.
He looked peaceful.
Focused.
Beautiful in a quiet, steady way that made her heart do gymnastics.
Bad.
Very bad.
Dangerously bad.
She inhaled and pushed the door open—
—and the bells above the entrance chimed like a choir of angels.
But the bells never chimed prettily.
Normally they sounded like metal being thrown down stairs.
Arielle froze.
Noah turned.
The moment he saw her, the overhead lights brightened. Softly. Warmly. In a definitely-magical way.
He blinked. “Uh… did you just bring sunshine with you?”
“I didn’t do anything,” she said quickly. “The universe is acting weird.”
He walked closer, brow raised. “You look… different.”
“No I don’t.”
“You do.”
“I absolutely do not.”
He stopped right in front of her.
“Arielle,” he said slowly, “you’re literally glowing.”
She slapped her hands over her cheeks. “NO. I refuse.”
He leaned slightly to the side, checking behind her. “I swear there was a shimmer when you walked in.”
“It’s the snow,” she insisted.
“It’s not snowing inside.”
“Maybe it’s festive atmospheric lighting!”
“It’s fluorescent office bulbs.”
She groaned. “Okay maybe I’m… slightly… magically… malfunctioning.”
His eyes widened. “You’re what?”
She froze.
He froze.
Her brain performed seven cartwheels.
“NOTHING,” she said loudly. “Forget I said anything.”
He looked deeply unconvinced. “Ari… what’s going on?”
She sank into a chair. “It’s a long story.”
“I have time.”
“I don’t!”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m glowing!”
He stepped closer, voice soft. “Arielle… are you scared?”
“Yes!” she admitted. “Because weird things happen around me and now even weirder things are happening because of… uh…”
Her eyes flicked to him.
Mistake.
He was looking at her with this gentle, careful expression that made her heart do a soft, traitorous flutter.
The warmth inside her chest pulsed again.
A faint gold shimmer drifted from her scarf.
Noah gasped softly. “Whoa…”
Arielle slapped the shimmer away like it was a bug. “STOP THAT.”
Noah blinked, amazed. “That’s… beautiful.”
“It’s dangerous!”
“It’s pretty.”
“I AM HAVING A CRISIS AND YOU’RE COMPLIMENTING MY MAGIC LEAKS?!”
He laughed.
Actually laughed.
Arielle covered her face.
The magic pulsed again—this time spreading around her like a subtle halo.
Noah’s voice dropped, soft. “Is this because of last night?”
She froze.
“Oh no.”
“Arielle?”
“NO.”
“You said your life gets weird around the holidays—”
“It’s NOT THAT.”
“And yesterday you were warm, and emotional, and—”
“NOAH PLEASE.”
“And your footprints outside were literally glowing.”
“STOP OBSERVING THINGS.”
He leaned forward.
“Arielle… did something happen?”
Her chest tightened.
Her palms went sweaty.
Her heart hummed like a lit candle.
She finally whispered:
“…the magic grows stronger when feelings grow stronger.”
He went still.
The bookstore went silent.
Only the soft ticking of the old clock filled the air.
Then Noah asked the very last question she wanted to answer.
“Feelings… for who?”
Arielle pointed randomly at a bookshelf. “Romance novels! I love romance novels!”
He crossed his arms.
“Arielle.”
She pointed at a plant. “Fern! I have deep emotional attachments to ferns!”
“Arielle.”
She whispered, defeated, “Don’t make me say it.”
Noah stepped closer again, voice gentle. “Hey… I’m not going to push you.”
Her head lifted.
His expression was warm. Soft. Almost… hopeful.
“You don’t have to be afraid,” he murmured. “Whatever this magic is… I’m not running.”
The glow around her brightened—just a flicker.
Barely there.
But enough to make Noah’s eyes widen.
Enough to make Arielle panic-glow even harder.
Enough to make everything feel terrifying and wonderful all at once.
Because the magic wasn’t just reacting.
It was growing.
And it was growing because of him.
- Writer
