Page 4 of Witches and Wine
Oh, I was starting to wonder if moving was a good idea.
Elani immediately replied this time.
Lani
Don’t you dare, big sis. You NEEDED this.
She was right. I did. It just hadn’t felt that way, given I was alone here and completely starting my business from scratch.
Me
You’re right. Who’s the big sister here, huh?
Lani
You’ve got this, Chels. Talk soon. Love you.
Me
Love you too.
Growling, I turned off the screen and slapped my palms over my face. Riley circled my leg until he reached my lap, curling up on it. Like second nature, I scratched his miniature head and down the length of his back.
“Riley, buddy, you always know when I need you. You’re a little smarty, you know that?”
My ferret rolled onto his back, his bigger canines sticking out over his bottom lip and giving the illusion of a smile as I rubbed his belly.
The songLay All Your Love on Meby ABBA played from my speakers, and my entire being froze. It had always been my favorite song of theirs. I’d belted it out from my bedroom as a teen despite my little sister making fun of how tone-deaf I was. This time hearing it however, created a tingly sensation over my skin.
Leaning back in my chair, I swiveled, closed my eyes, and hummed the familiar tune. Humming turned to full-out singing once the chorus hit, and I stood, cradling an unperturbed Riley in the crook of my arm. The more I sang, the more I felt compelled to dance, swaying and sashaying around boxes stacked in my living room.
The tingles turned to static, sizzling up my spine, swirling and bubbling until it struck my chest and head. I halted, my gaze snapping to my phone resting on the desk. No words could explain the sudden desire I’d felt. I hadn’t talked to him in months because I knew in my gut we weren’t right for each other. He was oil to my water, an inferno to my tempered simmer. And as much as I’d enjoyed our friendship, given who and what he was, I knew it would have only been a matter of time before things escalated. So why was the phone now in my hand?Why was I about to text him? Dionysus—the Greek god of wine and frenzy. We’d met because of Harm and haven’t physically seen each other since, but we texted back and forth every day for months on end. The flirtation was obvious, and toward the end, before I’d stopped entirely, I purposely took longer to respond, making those responses simple and aloof.
“Screw it,” I said aloud, pulling up a text window for “Dion,” my hand shaking.
What could I possibly say after all this time that wouldn’t seem absurd?
Uncontrollably, my leg bounced, and I lifted Riley to smother his head and face with butterfly kisses. He closed his eyes, enjoying every second of affection. It instantly calmed my nerves enough to type.
Me
Hi.
Immediately turning off the screen, I tossed the phone to the desk and waited. They wouldn’t write poems centered around my eloquent choice of phrase, but it’d get the point across—I’d inexplicably felt the urge totalkto him again. And why was that exactly? Because my favorite song, for the first time, gave me some form of non-alcoholic-induced buzz? That, in some warped sense, it had to be asign?
“Him. I’m thinking about Dion like he’s just some Joe Schmoe off the streets.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and slouched. “He’s a Greeksexgod, Riley.”
When I opened my eyes, Riley was alert and bouncing his paws on my stomach. He waited for me to look at him before rising on his back legs and waving his paws, jaw chattering as if trying to speak to me.
“You’ve never donethatbefore, Ri-Ri.”
Riley blew out a breath, huffed, and went back to curling up in my lap.
A chime went off on my phone, the screen lit up, and I jolted, staring at the device as if it were about to self-destruct. I chewed on my thumbnail long enough for the screen to dim before snatching it. Swiping it open, my heart raced before plummeting.
Dion
Hey.
