A Summer's Dream

Chapter 22~You're a Wizard?? Where's Your Staff??

A chill ran up my arms as we rounded the corner a few isles away. I arched my head to meet a pair of brown eyes. A finger pressed to his lips and his looming figure slipped down a book case and sat on the carpeted ground.

“You ok?” I didn’t miss the fact that our fingers were still interlocked and I sat down next to him to subtract the distance.

“Yeah, I just needed a moment by myself.”

I tried to hold back a small smirk. “But you’re not alone.”

“You don’t count.”

The look on my face must have given away what I was feeling. Taken back.

“That’s not what I meant.” He exhaled a deep breath and rubbed his right hand against his face. “I’ve been around people too much today and when that happens I get really tired. Sometimes I don’t catch what comes out of my mouth.” His eyes tried to find mine for reassurance but they couldn’t, so he continued. “I just wanted a minute alone. With you.”

I scratched the tip of my nose to get rid of an itch and nodded awkwardly. Is this where I say something witty and he laughs? Or is this the part when I look deeply into his eyes and we-

“Once the rain stops we should probably get home.” I glanced over and saw him staring down at his pocket watch. “It’s almost eight and I’m sure mum’s wondering where we are.”

“Yeah, you know how she is.” I could slam a book into my face. You know how she is? Come on Em, get your head in the game. My eyes fluttered up and caught his. Every fleck of purple and yellow was visible and it looked like a galaxy inside of his irises. You could get so lost in them it was scary. He leaned in, ever so slightly I could have missed it, but I didn’t.

“Yeah.” His voice was so soft and tender. “I was wondering…have you-“

“This is an abomination!” A head of blonde hair flew in front of my eyes and Martin crouched down in front of us; a book in his hand. “I came up with these jokes when I was like, 7. This isn’t a professional joke book! How am I supposed to get the ladies with these flops?” The frustration and sadness in his tone seeped out onto the both of us.

I slumped in my place; knowing the heavy mood was gone and replaced. I felt Terrence’s hand gently slip out of mine and he crossed his arms awkwardly. Thanks Martin.

“Give me one.” The boy next to me requested and Martin eagerly obliged. 

“How do you make an eggroll?”

“How?”

“You push it.”

There was a pregnant pause before anyone spoke, but when they did it was Terrence.

“I’m no expert, but I don’t think puns are the way to a girl’s heart. What happened to your pick up lines?”

“Girls thought I wasn’t serious.”

“And you thought a joke book would help?”

“Do you want my advice?” Martin looked over in my direction when I spoke.

“No but you’ll probably give it to me anyways.” There was a tint of humor in his eyes and I knew he wasn’t cross.

“Don’t try too hard; they notice. We like guys who can be confident in their own skin, kapeesh?”

“So I shouldn’t tan?”

Terrence smacked him on his upper arm and I held back a laugh. “Something like that.” In that moment I could have easily wished that Terrence would be one of those bad boys you hear about and order his friend away. He could wear a big leather jacket and ride a motorcycle. But that wouldn’t be him. And a startling revelation sounded off inside of me: If it wasn’t him, I didn’t want it.

“Ouch mate! That hurt!”

But I did appreciate privacy more.

“What are you guys doing?” Lucy and Craig rounded the corner and I let out a deep breath. Send in the cavalry.

“These two thought they could sneak off and we wouldn’t notice.”

The burnt red on both of our faces must have looked incriminating enough, but with the two of us sitting next to each other in a disserted isle it was probably undeniable that we were guilty.

“And you thought it was alright to barge in on them?” The redhead rested her hands on her hips in distaste. Lucy was probably the mother of the group. She kept all of her little ducks in order and corrected them when she saw fit. It was quite entertaining at times, until she turned to you with that look in her eye meaning that she’ll talk to you later. That’s the one that makes you fear for your life.

“Oh bug off.” Terrence’s face was as red as a tomato and lashing out was his way of coping with the embarrassment. How I knew this I won’t ever understand.

“It’s true mate. What if they…You know…Well…” Color spread across Craig’s face and I stood up abruptly.

“Oh look the rain stopped!” Wiping off invisible dust from my pants I walked over to the clerk with a small polite smile; waiting for Terrence.

“Sometimes I wish I were a wizard so I could make you disappear.” I overheard Terrence yelling at a whisper’s level to Craig. I choked back a laugh. No matter how much Terrence tried he couldn’t be threatening. Not with those puppy eyes. “I’ll see you lot later.” Speak of the wizard and he shall appear.

“Do you want me to grab your cloak for you? I think you left it in isle 7.” I playfully walked into him with my side, knocking him off balance as we entered outside. The air was charged with electricity and muggy warmth spread over my arms.

“Ha ha. I’m not amused.”

My mind was soaring and finally landed into a question. “What were you going to say back there?”

“When?”

“When we were sitting. You were about to say something when Martin came over.”

“O-Oh. That? Well…I-“

Achoo!

Blast my allergies. Terrence extended a handkerchief and I took it gratefully.

“It was nothing.” He sent a tender smile my way and I forgot what we were even talking about. He had that power. With one facial expression he can send me soaring above the clouds and forget everything around me. I guess he is a wizard.

I nodded, still not knowing what had just happened and attempted to give the white patch back.

“Keep it.” His smile spoke of nothing but kindness and he dug his hands into his pockets.

I knew he didn’t want to haggle over something so frivolous so I tucked it into my satchel I was still towing around. Without thinking I looped my arm through his and began skipping. Despite the heavy mood that was ruined earlier, I felt as light as a feather.

“What are you doing?” A melodic chuckle left him and I grinned back at the tall boy I was now dragging.

“Skipping! And if you don’t want to be left behind I think you’d better too.”

There weren’t many words I could put into that moment. We were just two kids without a care in the world skipping down an old path.

“Hey I see the house. Last one there has a peg leg!”

I was caught off guard by his tailored saying and I stopped in my tracks, only to be grabbed by the hand and thrusted forward by his force. He looked back at me with a grin on his face and a surge of electricity ran through our hands. The fact that he was holding mine said that he didn’t want to leave me behind and I couldn’t help the smile I was yielding because of it. He was too sweet for his own good.