I Wish

Chapter 54

At some point, I registered being lifted, and feeling warm and weightless. I stirred further into that warmth and let out an unimpressed sleepy noise.

“Shh, time to go to bed,” Ivy whispered, holding me closer and starting to walk. I drifted back into a deeper sleep with the calming rocking movement. This was nice. When I woke up, I was still warm. Ivy was plastered to my back, and before I opened my eyes I didn’t think anything off it. I was still comfortable, and sleepy, and it was quiet. My place — Ivy’s place, it wasn’t significant. It gets pretty noisy around seven o’clock. If no one was making noise, then there was no reason for me to get out of this bed. As Ivy buried her face deeper into the back of my neck, and how my hair didn’t bother her I’ll never know, I decided that this worked for me. The next time I woke up there was noise, and Ivy was gone.

“s**t,” I cursed, bolting dead upright. I was in full freak out mode, staring with eyes wide at the window opposite. My breath was coming so fast and so shallowly I was panting, and the curse words that followed were both internal and far, far worse than what I had actually said. Ivy was here, yeah okay. We ate, and that’s normal. Mum came and called us inside because she was sick of my s**t… That happened… did it? Did it happen or did I just fall asleep and have a really vivid dream about my mother? While I may never cop to it out loud, I was not ashamed to admit that I was really hoping it had all just been a crazy dream about what happens if it went well. I don’t even feel that it’s offensive of me because the alternative is that I’m in here alone, and Ivy is floating around with my family… Unsupervised. 

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Hmmn-hmmn. Yep, and when I realised this with all the force of Thor’s hammer my reaction was pretty dignifying. I scrambled off the bed, and tripped. Stubbing my toe on the corner of the bed. So, there I was, hopping around like a crazy woman and doing my best to pull on clothes. When had Ivy taken off my clothes? It was with an almost distressed whine that I noticed that I was, in fact, naked, and I sure as hell don’t remember doing that myself. Which was fine, really it was… at her place, where my damn mother, father, or little brothers could walk in on me. To round off an already great start to the morning I stumbled into the door frame and almost slipped down the stairs. 

“Definitely not a dream,” I murmured, almost stricken as I watched Ivy sitting at the kitchen table. Amicably chatting with my dad, as most of my family ate breakfast together. Oh, oh dear. How much longer than me could she have been up anyway? 

“Good morning,” she called, straightening up as though she could feel me walk through the door, even though she had her back to me. She probably could, and she was cheating. She’d rifled through my draws to find something to wear. I wanted to squeak, and I could feel my cheeks heating uncomfortably. Ivy was wearing my clothes! She was wearing my clothes, and socialising with my family like she belonged there. I wondered what that said about me that this did all kinds of things for me. Her head tipped back expectantly, and I had no problem accommodating it.

“Morning,” I chirped, pressing a kiss to her lips. They were soft, and I wanted to avoid drawing away, but my dad was chuckling at the pair of us as if we were cute and embarrassment pulled me away. I gestured wordlessly for her to follow me, and we wandered to sit outside. For a moment, I pulled my knees to my chest and didn’t speak.

“Did you magic them?” I asked guilt gnawing at my stomach, but a I wasn’t prepared to play dumb with my family.

“No,” she laughed, shaking her head.

“And they didn’t eat Fae food for breakfast, and now also have to move or depend on you for the ability not to starve?” I checked, so quietly she could barely hear me and full of suspicion, and it was supposed to be intimidating. She booped my nose to let me know just how far I’d fallen short on that.

“No,” she repeated, “I’ll admit that I considered it. There was a part of me that was insisting that it was an excellent idea, but you didn’t freak out when I did it to you. Didn’t try to run screaming for the hills, and it’s been very helpful in not acting like I’m completely insane.”

“Wait, hold up. So, you realize that, when it comes to me at the very least, when you’re not being everything a girl could dream of, that you’re a crazy woman?” I asked, feeling relieved, and I was. I so, so was because at this point I was figuring I was going to have to do this the Aussie way and take her out for a beer and talk about it. Then laugh as she learns what beer actually tastes like because it is foul. 

“Yes, little one. I realize that when it comes to you, I’m a crazy person, but it turns out that if you stop freaking out I can be reasonable,” she commented as if the fact awed even her, “Please stop freaking out, I am very much enjoying not acting like a crazy woman.” I was dumbfounded. Could it be that easy? No, probably not, but I was excited to make a decent effort at it. Just because I was aware that there was probably some nasty draw back to it that I just couldn’t see right now, I didn’t mind. It looked like it had a shot of working, and that was how I knew it wasn’t going to because if it were that easy everybody would do it.

“I’ll see what I can do,” I said, nudging her playfully, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but why were you down here?” Oooh. It was very quickly and noticeably obvious that I had pushed a button with that particular question.

“Your mum and I got talking, after you fell asleep, and by the time we stopped she said just to crash in your room,” Ivy said with a shrug. I rolled my eyes.

“No, not that. I figured that, and frankly the possibility of what the two of you talked about are both terrifying and endless,” I said shuddering, “I woke up, and you weren’t there. What were you doing? What if I wanted cuddles?” She bit her lip smiling in response at how bratty I sounded.

“And did you want cuddles, when you woke up, and I wasn’t there?” she cajoled, so happy at the insinuation that it was like she was glowing with it.

“Well I’m not going to tell you now,” I huffed about being overdramatic on purpose. As we were sitting there, I started to pay attention to just how touchy we were with each other. Sitting close enough that our skin was pressed together, fleeting touches, and resisting each other. I hadn’t noticed how much that, physically at least we seemed to be like magnates. I think I would have been bothered less by that if it had been completely s****l. It wasn’t, it was just a weird need to be further connected to her.

“And to think I put in all that work trying to get your family to like me before you woke up,” she sniffed, all too happy to join me playing this game, “Just so you didn’t have to sit there worrying about it while I attempted to pull it off.” My family has never liked anyone I’ve brought home. Not one single one of any of them, which naturally left me feeling the need to be a smart ass.

“How’d that work for you?” I said snorting, and just when I think that her smile can get any brighter it does.

“I’ve been invited to stay for the week,” she said demurely and looking at me shyly from beneath her eyelashes. Well, f**k me running.

“And you're sure you didn’t use magic?” I asked her again dazedly. She shook her head in delight.

“Nope,” she confirmed, “All me baby.” I burst out laughing, and threw my arms around her. Downright cheering that there wasn’t going to be any of this leaving business on either of our parts for a week at least. We were going to get into so much trouble with her, and I was eagerly awaiting it.