Page 103 of Pick Me Up On Tuesdays

Ethan grinned. “Not so fast, babe. We need the finishing touch.”

I had exactly one second to react before Max slapped a fake beard onto my face.

“What the hell—”

Ethan burst into laughter. “Oh my god—”

“Max, I swear—”

But Max was already slapping the second fake beard onto Ethan, stepping back to admire his work.

He nodded in approval. “You both look fantastic.”

Ethan was still laughing, reaching up to adjust the absurd, itchy thing now attached to his face. “This is the dumbest thing we’ve ever done.”

Max grinned. “And that’s exactly why it’s gonna be legendary.”

Chapter 29: Neon Lies and Molten Eyes

There we stood outside the bar, the cool night air brushing against my skin as the two witches guarding the entrance scrutinized us with sharp, piercing eyes. Their long cloaks rustled slightly in the breeze, their faces half-hidden beneath deep hoods. From this close, I could feel the weight of their magic pressing against me, an unspoken warning that they weren’t the kind of witches to mess with.

Ethan, standing beside me in Max’s dry clothes and a ridiculous fake beard, didn’t seem the least bit fazed. He tilted his head slightly, meeting their gaze with that infuriating confidence of his, like he had been born to get away with things.

The taller of the two witches narrowed her eyes. “Where did you say you were from?”

I opened my mouth, about to spit out the first excuse that came to mind, but Ethan beat me to it.

“Oh, we’re travelers,” he said smoothly, wrapping an arm around my shoulders like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Just passing through the coast, soaking in the sights, looking for a little fun before we continue our journey.”

I resisted the urge to shove him off. Stay in character, Clark. Play along.

The witch didn’t look convinced. Her fingers twitched slightly at her side, like she was ready to cast some kind of truth spell. “Travelers, you say? And where exactly are you traveling from?”

Ethan didn’t even blink. “Ah, well, it’s a bit complicated.” He let out a dramatic sigh, shaking his head. “See, we were originally from a small town outside the country, but then, you know, a war happened—”

There was no war.

“—and our home got burned down in an unfortunate dragon attack—”

There was no dragon.

“—so, we’ve just been moving from place to place, trying to find somewhere safe. It’s been rough, really. You wouldn’t believe the things we’ve been through.” He sighed again, shaking his head for extra effect. “At this point, we just want one night to forget about it all, to just enjoy life while we still can.”

I stared at him, resisting the urge to facepalm. What the hell was he even talking about?

The witch blinked, taken aback. “A… dragon?”

“A big one,” Ethan nodded gravely. “Vicious thing. Burned down our entire village. And, you know, being on the run like this? It’s only brought us closer together.”

I barely had time to react before Ethan turned to me with the softest, most heartfelt expression I had ever seen him wear.

He reached up, gently cupping my face with one hand. At the realization that this was the closest we had ever gotten, my heart started racing. I frankly couldn't tell why—whether it was the gravity of the moment, the fear of what might follow, or the ache of something I hadn’t dared to name until now.

“We’ve been through so much,” he murmured. “But at least we still have each other.”

My brain flatlined.

The witches exchanged a look.

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