Page 43 of With This Witch
Petra returns her eyes to Lachlan and notices his fists and jaw are clenched, tightening the muscles up his arms and face. This is not going how she hoped. Last night wasn’t a mistake, but a long time coming, yet she can’t let him know. She can’t let him see how much she wants this. How right this is. Not right now. Not while everything is still on the line.
“I don’t mean to upset you. I really don’t. I think we have a great friendship, and I will never be able to thank you enough for marrying me. But to keep that friendship, we need to set some more ground rules,” she explains.
“Ok. What do you suggest?” he asks, his voice clipped as he leans back, arms crossed over his chest.
“For one, fully clothed when in common areas.”
“Don’t think you can control yourself, huh?” he goads playfully.
“Could you?” she retorts.
Lachlan stares at her. Cold. Hard. Petra knows she’s made her point.
“Second, no affectionate touches or glances. And third, our friendship comes first, regardless of your or my feelings. Nothing else will come in the way of that. I am merely a roommate, and our lives are to exist and continue as normal. That means you can do whatever you normally do, and so can I. Anything else you want to add?”
She has had time to think about this and can see that Lachlan may need more time to process what she has said and to decide if there is anything else he thinks they need to add.
“I can give you more time to think. I’m going to bring my stuff to my room, and we can talk again in the morning. This is for the best, Lach.”
As she walks back out to the front hall where she dropped her bags, she swears she hears him mutter, “Best for who?” She’s wondering the same thing. All she knows is that she can’t risk losing him, and keeping him at arm’s length is the only way to ensure that doesn’t happen.
* * *
Petra spends the next few days living as if she were still unmarried and at her apartment. She wakes early, enjoys her morning egg sandwich on a bagel, and reads a bit of her book before getting dressed and heading to the childcare. She hasn’t told anyone at work that she’s now married, not exactly proud of the circumstances in which it happened, so she takes the ring off her finger, places it on her necklace, and tucks it under her shirt before stepping out the door. Thankfully, none of her eagle-eyed preschoolers have noticed the new adornment, but it will likely come at some point. How she will answer those inevitable questions, she is not sure.
Lachlan has been spending more time at the Acorn, which means they haven’t had a chance to sit and talk again since the awkward conversation about boundaries a few nights ago. She doesn’t want to try and have it over text, but she also knows that the opposite schedules they are on now likely aren’t helping them either. Daisy, however, has not been shy about keeping Petra up to date on Lachlan’s extreme moodiness and is starting to insist that Petra and Lachlan hook up already and get it out of their system. As if a single hookup would be enough to satiate what has been building.
While Petra is the one who has suggested these boundaries, she is not naive enough to believe that they will help to quell her desire. She has been so on edge since the wedding that her magic has slowly grown more and more out of whack. It now keeps misfiring, and there appears to be a developing dark pink aura around her. It was so bad at one point yesterday that when Carlos came over seeking a hug after falling and scraping his knee, he commented that it was cloudy like a frog pond around her.
When she arrives at the childcare for her shift, she is greeted by a small group of concerned caregivers, Carlos’s abuela among them. This is never a good sign. She smiles kindly at them and quickens her pace as she walks by. She turns down the hall to the staff room and sees the center director and manager waiting for her.
“Good morning, ladies,” she says, mustering as much brightness into her tone as possible.
“Good morning,” they respond in unison. “Petra, may we have a word?” Sheila, the director, asks, though Petra knows it’s not a question.
“Sure.”
Sheila steps aside and motions for Petra to enter the staff room ahead of her, which she does, and they both follow closely behind.
“How can I help you? Is something wrong?”
Sheila and Rosemary, the manager, exchange a look between them. Petra swallows and places her hands behind her back, attempting to look relaxed and hide the wringing of her hands.
“We’ve had some concerns broached by the parents and guardians,” Rosemary states.
“But nothing bad has happened,” Petra interjects.
Both Sheila and Rosemary look at her; their eyes soften, and she knows they don’t want to be having this conversation. They care about her, and they, along with the whole staff, have always been like family. But Petra knows this is still a job, and the goal is to properly care for the children in her classroom.
“Honey… you have a literal cloud of magic around you,” Sheila says softly.
“I know. I’ve been under some stress.”
“We understand. Unfortunately, Carlos and some other children went home and told their caregivers because they were scared. As you saw, various caregivers have come this morning concerned for their children’s well-being,” Rosemary says.
“I would never do anything to harm them. You know I wouldn’t,” Petra pleads.
“Of course you wouldn’t. But we have protocols and need to consider the safety of the children. You are to be placed on a one-month leave to start. We will continue to pay you and support you. You don’t have to tell us what is going on. But, take some time to sort your life out so you can come back in a better position to provide the level of care we are proud of and know you are capable of. We will reevaluate after a month, and if needed, the leave will be extended,” Rosemary concludes.
