Page 30 of The Magic of Betrayal
A bell chimedwhen I pushed through the door of the shop, her scent hitting me like a freight train. My nostrils flared, the desire to breathe in as much of that smell as I possibly could was riding me hard. Display shelves were set up to the right and a long wooden bar ran nearly the whole length of the store, with shelves rising to the ceiling and down to rows of drawers.
Perhaps the most interesting thing was that Lizzo was blasting through surround sound speakers. Not seeing anyone, I made my way around the place, checking out what all was sold here. This was a typical magic shop, but it had more of a homey feel to it. Cozy, welcoming, like the owner had really poured their heart and soul into it.
Nearing the back, there were strands of beads hanging in the doorway that probably led to the restroom. Since I was standing off to the side, she didn't see me when she walked through them and made her way to the front of the store, clutching a bottle of tequila in her hand.
Clearing my throat at a pause in the music, she shrieked and swung the bottle in a wide arc, and I thanked the stars I hadn't been standing any closer or she'd have smashed me right in the head.
"By the moon, you scared the shit out of me!" She held her palm over her heart, her face pale as a sheet of paper. Tilting my head to the side, I took a moment to really look at her face. She was upset, her eyes were a little red, and the parts of her face that weren't white as a ghost looked red, from tears or from washing her face. Why was my little warrior so sad? Was I going to have blood on my hands before the night was through?How is Goldie here before me? Fuck.
"I'm sorry, I figured you didn't hear me over the music..." I trailed off, gesturing to the bumping bass and the lyrics filled with body positivity and women empowerment.
Holding up a finger, she turned and walked back to the bar, killing the music with the flick of a button on a receiver that was on display between stacks of books. She put the tequila on the bar top, and gave me her full attention.
"Sorry, but we're actually not open right now, I was just stopping in before heading home for the night. Needed to, uh, get a drink." She gestured to the tequila, looking slightly embarrassed.
Unable to look away from her, I held her gaze as I approached the bar and pulled a stool back before sliding onto it, resting my arms on the smooth but worn bar top. "No worries, I'm new in town and I saw the lights on so I figured I'd just pop in and see what the place was like. Do you work here then?" I questioned. I was going to find out the answers to my questions and take advantage of her not knowing who I am.
"Oh, well, welcome to Emerald Lakes, then. And yeah, you could say I work here. I own this store," she replied with a huff. She was definitely off from something that had happened, her usual sunshine demeanor was nowhere in sight. But how could she own this place? Khol's daughter owned the...
Oh. Fuck it to hell. Fucking fuck all the fucks.
"You okay, buddy? Need some water or something?" she asked hesitantly, and I swallowed down my demon that was awake and pissed. Like, big time pissed. He wanted nothing more than for me to flip her over this bar, hogtie her, and give her a lesson on what happened when you lied.
Not responding, I reached for the liquor and popped the top. Her eyes widened as I lifted the bottle and took a swig.Shit, I'm going to need a lot more than a bottle of tequila to counter the level of fucked my mind had just gotten.
"I'm good, you just remind me of someone," I rasped, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
Taking the bottle back from me, she grabbed a couple shot glasses and poured us each one.
"An ex?" she asked, tapping her fingers on the bar.
"No. We haven't really labeled what we have yet. She's mysterious, and I just found out recently that she lies, too. Not sure where that leaves us," I replied, trying hard to swallow down the snark in my tone.
"Well, fuck liars, and fuck exes. I know she's not your ex, but I'm saying fuck you to mine." She raised her glass and waited for me to do the same. We clinked glasses and threw our shots back with ease.
"Is he the reason you were crying?" I bit out and she wiped at her cheeks, as if she could disguise the fact that she'd been crying. It was obvious.
"Yeah. He's a dick. That's why I had Lizzo blaring, I needed some girl power to lift me up and remind me that I'm worth it. I've tried so hard to get over all of the psychological abuse that I went through for years with him, and I thought I'd been doing so well, but then all it takes is one encounter with him and I'm spiraling." She bit her lip, her eyes welling with tears and I couldn't handle that. Despite the fact that I was still livid with her, it was taking literally every ounce of willpower not to walk out of here right now and find that motherfucker.
"Feel free to have another drink, sounds like he's a real gem.” I pushed the bottle closer to let her know I was serious before I continued. “So are you seeing anyone else?" I asked, because obviously I was a sick fuck who wanted to hear the words from her mouth.
After pouring two more shots, she downed one and offered the other to me, but I held my hand up and shook my head no. I needed to keep my head right now, I couldn't get intoxicated around her, I didn't trust myself. No fuckin' way.
She chuckled, "Yeah, actually. Three guys. Can you believe that?" She tossed her head back and laughed deeply, on the verge of hysteria.
I didn't know what to say, so I just sat there like an asshole. This really complicated my plans for killing her boyfriend. Damn it all to hell.
"It's still new, but damn, it's been great. They're all so wonderful, I'm not sure what will happen in the future though, because they're not from here either. They're in town on a long term business assignment. Well, it could be long term, but I guess technically it could end anytime. So who knows where that will leave me at the end?" She sobered at that thought and clearly didn't like the taste of that reality so she quickly took the third shot.
"How are you getting home?" I asked quietly.
"Home? Oh shit! What time is it– oh moon maidens, I'm so rude, I forgot to ask your name. I'm Saige, by the way." She held her hand out for me to shake and I slid mine into hers with zero hesitation, watching the way her eyebrows lifted as our bond sizzled to life between our touch.
Dropping my hand, I held my watch out for her to see. "Oh hell sticks, I've gotta get home."
"I'm Johnny. Nice to meet you, Saige." I answered her question as she bustled around the space, distracted.
"You'll have to come by again when we're open and I can show you more of what I sell here. Damn, I'm going to be in a lot of trouble, my phone is dead." Holding it up, she showed me the black screen before shoving it into her backpack.
