Page 43 of Fade With Me

Could I even trust my own judgment? I had believed Reggie was my husband with little more than the reassurance of my own memories, false memories. Now I was staring at the possibility of falling into another trap. Zeke could just as easily be a pawn in some larger, more intricate scheme. He could be working with forces far more dangerous than I understood, leading me down a path I couldn’t see.

I hesitated, the truth settling in. He was right.

“So,” I said slowly, my voice trembling, “what happens if I don’t fully trust you? What then?”

He lifted my chin, his sapphire eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made the world feel like it had shrunk to just the two of us. “I promise you,” he said, his voice steady, each word deliberate, like a vow. “I’ll either earn your trust, or we’ll find another way to remove the ring. But no matter what, I won’t leave you behind.”

I nodded, warmth swelling like a soft glow inside at his words. But as I glanced around, I noticed the air growing crisper, the sun sinking lower in the sky. A sudden unease crept over me, and I asked, “What time is it?”

Zeke glanced at his watch. “6:58.”

A spike of anxiety shot through me, and I scrambled to my feet, yanking my backpack over my shoulder. “Ihave to be home by 8:00. If I’m late, Reggie will know. He always does, and I don’t want him asking questions.”

He grabbed his jacket and backpack in one swift motion, quickly adjusting the straps as he fell into step beside me. “Listen,” he said, his voice sharp, “you have to keep things business as usual with Reggie. Don’t let him catch on that anything’s wrong. If he figures it out, he could fade you to another realm, and then you’d be lost again.”

I went rigid, my breath catching in my throat. “I…I didn’t even think about that,” I whispered, my voice thin, barely there.

His hand closed around mine, his touch grounding me as I fought to keep the panic at bay. I squeezed his fingers, trying to hold myself together.

“Don’t worry,” he said, his gaze steady and reassuring. “It takes a lot of work to build a false reality. He won’t start over unless he has no other choice.”

I nodded quickly, clinging to his words, but a knot tightened in my stomach, refusing to be undone.

“That’s why you can’t mention me. Not to Reggie, not to Sal. They know I’m looking for you and have been watching for me. But they’ve gotten complacent.”

The thought spun in my mind. “Wait—didn’t Sal already see you at the diner? Is that why he had such a grudge against you?” I asked, my words tumbling out in a rush. “Are they onto us already?!”

“No,” he replied, his tone light, as if trying to ease my anxiety. “I’m cloaked. To anyone magical, except you, I appear as a tall, lanky redhead with a scruffy beard and brown eyes.” He flashed a cheeky grin. “You were my inspiration for the hair, by the way,” he added with a wink. “As for Sal, his grudge isn’t really about me. It’s more about my taste in things. He’s always had a thing for wealth and status, and I guess I’m simply another reminder of everything he doesn’t have.”

I chuckled, breathless from our frantic pace, heart racing as I struggled to keep up with him. “Well, aren’t you the clever one?” I said, my legs feeling like jelly as I forced myself to move faster. “So, do you have any magic tricks to speed us up, or maybe freeze time for a bit? Anything to keep us out of Reggie’s line of fire?”

Zeke’s eyes twinkled with mischief as he maintained a steady pace, effortlessly covering the ground with each stride. He didn’t even seem winded. “No time-pausing spells, sorry. But…” He raised a finger, casting a quick glance at me. “I do have an idea. We can test our fading theory now.” He leaned in just enough to close the distance, grinning as his voice dropped. “I’ll count to three, and then I’ll fade us both to the parking lot. Baby steps, right?”

I looked at him, skeptical but willing, and gave a small nod. He reached out and took my hand, his grip firm, before he gave it a reassuring squeeze. “One…two…three…”

For a moment, I was left standing there, staring at the empty space where he’d previously been. Then, in a blink, he reappeared, scratching the back of his neck with a sheepish look. “Okay, so I guess we can scratch that idea,” he said, his tone dry but amused. “Maybe we just walk a little faster, yeah?”

A small part of me knew it wouldn’t work, no matter how much I wished it would. But I couldn’t shake the thought: what if it was a trick? What if, when I let him fade me, it wasn’t to the parking lot but somewhere I definitely didn’t want to end up? This situation had shattered my trust in people, and now I was left wondering how I could ever rebuild it. How could I move forward when everything felt like a potential lie?

“Sorry,” I said, offering an apologetic smile. Then, I gave him a playful slap on the shoulder. “Hey, maybe you could try waving your hands again and see if a massive gust of wind can carry us there?”

His laughter echoed, deep and rich, bouncing off the surrounding trees. “No time for jokes, woman!” he said, picking up speed, his arms pumping as though he were sprinting in place. “We’re in a hurry!”

After what felt like an eternity, we finally emerged from the forest, our legs heavy with exhaustion and lungs burning from the relentless pace. I turned to Zeke, still gasping for air, and asked, “What time is it now?”

He glanced at his watch, scanning the dial with urgency. “It’s 7:47,” he answered, his voice composed, like he was already two steps ahead. Without missing a beat, he seized my hand. “Come on, I’ll drive you to your house.”

We sprinted toward his BMW, our footsteps quick and frantic. I barely had time to process the sharp pain in my legs before we were inside, the doors slamming shut behind us. Zeke punched the engine into life, the car jerking forward as he sped off, tires screeching against the asphalt.

I opened my mouth to give him directions, but before I could speak, he cut me off. “I know where you live,” he said, his eyes narrowing subtly as he stole a sidelong glance at me. His grin widened, a playful edge to it. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while now.”

“That’s…not creepy at all.”

Zeke turned his head slightly, meeting my gaze with an unapologetic look. “Okay, well, yeah, when you have no context…” He refocused on the road ahead and shrugged. “Alright, fine, it’s a little creepy. But hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.”

He swiveled toward me, leaning in just enough that I could feel his breath on my skin. My heart fluttered, just once, and before I could make sense of it, he pressed a button on the dashboard. The glove compartment dropped open. He grabbed a phone with quick, determined hands and handed it to me.

“Take this.”

---