BITTERSWEET

CHAPTER 66 / THE WITCH AND THE JOCK

Laurance and Lucinda had never especially been committed to their previous relationships with other people, none had gone especially wrong except that they couldn't hold onto someone for as long as they wanted to. Yet, between the pair, there had always been something, unspoken, a feeling that they couldn't quite grasp. 

When they were simple near each other, they ran through feelings of comfort, satisfaction, safety and relaxation. Sure, every once in a while, this hardened up, but again and again, softened within a short amount of time. 

They enjoyed each other's company and held onto those moments when it was just the two of them. Whether it was an unofficial date, a simple stroll down the path, or laughing around a drink, they loved it. 

Today was one of those days where the pair sat in the backyard of their temporary home and collaborated two of their favourite activities into a confiscated game. 

Lucinda had embodied herself with a simple telekinesis spell, where red wisps flew out from her fingers whenever she told them to. Meanwhile, Laurance was practising his soccer techniques and scoring kicks, aiming the ball to her face as if it were the goal, where she caught it with the spell. 

"One wrong move, Laurance, and you're going to be in a whole lot of pain," Lucinda earned as the brunette kicked the soccer ball into Lucinda's magic. 

"Why did you get that temp job at the bar down the street?" She asked, throwing back the ball into Laurance's knee as he manoeuvred it quickly. 

"I needed some extra cash, I get a whole lot of tips from women, so that's a plus," He considered bouncing the checkered ball from one knee to the other. 

"Oh? Any of them, I don't know, cute?" Lucinda questioned with a head tilt. 

"Attractive, yes. Cute, well yeah, but not my type," Laurance answered, kicking it back to her. "Why?" 

Lucinda shrugged, "no reason, just a thought." 

"How's your witchcraft going? Is it coming back to normal?" He asked gently, knowing the loss of her knowledge and abilities had run out the window to save thousands of lives the year before. 

She sighed and relapsed the crimson wisps back into her fingers. "Fine, I guess. Cadenza has been helping me where she can flashcards and trivia, that kind of thing."

Laurance sat down two metres away from her and held the ball in his hands. "Is it... hard? You know, to relearn what you'd studied years ago? Repeating all your school years? Knowing that your intelligence has degraded to the lesson you were as a child?" He pressed, studying the depth behind Lucinda's fiery eyes. They were sad, hurt, disappointed, and maybe even a little angry. 

"Yes," she mumbled, closing her eyes and looking away. "It's hard, sometimes so difficult that I can't get out of bed most mornings. Everything's at the tip of my tongue, but I have to study endlessly so that I can perform and asses myself. Even my encrypted wand feels so lifeless, so unused, not how I remember it being. So, yeah, it's hard, it's exhausting, but I have overridden my fears.

"Don't you see when Aaron's not thinking straight and stops suddenly as he's speaking? Or when he wakes up in the middle of the night screaming but hiding away so that he can't hurt anyone? And when Zane loses his temper, but instead of bursting our name, they're numbers? The trauma hasn't left us, it's scarred us both physically and mentally, disposing of nightmares you could never forget. 

"We're insane now, our mental states are nothing but chaos. Nana and Aphmau said if they were to have kids they'd have to put themselves at risk but pulling their scars open? Travis can barely sleep at night because he's too scared to even close his eyes. Aaron and Garroth scream in the middle of the night, suffering from constant night terrors, that it can take hours just to get them to respond, heck, even to calm down. I- I don't know. Some of us got out of it easily, but so many of us had to fight through it. Melissa even got shot, I- Laurance, it's hard, it's so, so, hard." 

Lucinda confessed every word, every word was true. Laurance shuffled down to her side and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispered as the witch in expectantly pulled him into a hug. It was sudden and enthralling, but he wasn't complaining. Not at all. 

"It wasn't your fault. Thank you for allowing me to vent, I didn't mean to unload a large portion of it on your shoulders," she apologised, pulling away. 

"Remember, I'll always be here for you, no matter what happens between either one of us, we'll work through it. We'll help each other wherever we can." Laurance took hold of Lucinda's cold hand squeezing it. Reassuringly, Laurance put their foreheads together. "Promise?" He asked.

Lucinda returned him with a warm smile, "I promise."

"I'll stay with you, Lucinda. I can always help you, you should know that by now."

"Yeah, thank you," she replied, watching Laurance's sky-blue eyes. His eyes were endless, perhaps they could even go on forever, no matter how she navigates and condescended herself through. She watched his eyes as they flickered from her eyes down to her lips. 

Laurance barely moved a muscle. "Can I kiss you?" He queried. 

Lucinda didn't have to respond, instead, she kissed his lips and he immediately kissed her back. With a smile between kisses and gasping for air, Lucinda used her hand to cup his cheek and draw them closer. Laurance held his hand within her long waves. 

"Don't leave me," she said.

"I'll never," he replied. 

"Dante! You owe me twenty!"