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With trembling hands, Treech dropped a gauzy purple pouch into Lamina’s open palm, causing its contents to shift around. Immediately, he retreated away from her, scooting backwards on the floor until his back hit the edge of the coffee table.
Her brow crumpled in confusion as she opened the bag and peered inside of it. “Oh, these are, er, lovely.”
“Thanks,” he sniffed mournfully, unable to even look her in the eye. He rested his cheek against the wall sadly, waiting for the shit to hit the fan.
“What are they?” The confusion in Lamina’s voice was apparent.
“My crystals,” he muttered, staring intently at the embroidered hem of her jeans.
Lamina held one “crystal” up, pursing her lips in bafflement. “This is a piece of concrete.”
“I thought it was pyrite.” He scratched his head in confusion.
“And this is a rhinestone.”
He frowned down at the circle of shiny plastic. “Man, I was really thinking that was a ruby.”
She picked up another one and held it between her fingertips. “Treech, this is one of your adderalls.”
“Ah! So it is.”
“Ugh! This is a dried up piece of chewed gum!”
“Is it really?”
“Blech. It smells like cinnamon.” Her eyes narrowed as she glared down at the gum. “Only Tanner is psychotic enough to chew cinnamon gum. Treech, what is all this?”
“My crystals,” he repeated, embarrassment rushing to his cheeks. Those stupid, effective crystals that made the girl in front of him unwillingly fall for him. Was he ever in a pickle now. “Mina, I have to tell you something.”
She gingerly set the “crystals” down on top of her environmental policy textbook and reached for a bottle of hand sanitizer in her bag. “What is it?”
He and Lamina had been dating for a week, it was time to come clean. She deserved to know the truth, no matter how devastating the results would be for him. “Lucy Gray and Coral indoctrinated me into their witch’s circle.” Treech buried his face in his hands. “You only love me because I bewitched you using those.” He pointed guiltily at the incriminating pile of evidence, still hiding his gaze from her sheepishly.
When he finally did look up, Lamina had stuffed her knuckles into her mouth as her eyes swam with mirth. She opened her mouth but all that came out was a choking sound.
His eyes widened, had he accidentally poisoned her somehow? He hadn’t even dosed her with the love tea Coral gave him (mainly because it looked and smelled like a cherry Kool-aid packet).
But then she let out a guffaw.
Treech huffed slightly as he watched the levity turn her cheeks and ears pink. “I don’t think you understand, Lams. I’m a witch. Christians and pilgrims alike hate me.”
“I like witches.”
He perked up slightly. “You do?”
“Kiki’s Delivery Service is one of my favorite movies, you know.” Lamina tapped the pads of her fingertips against his knee.
He instinctively reached for his phone to write that little fact down in his notes app. “But I used my powers on you,” he protested, his wrist going limp. “I don’t know what’s reality anymore and neither do you.”
Lamina snagged the baggie of rocks with one swift finger, letting it dangle in front of his face. “If you were using these to do your magic, I think I’m in the clear.”
“But Coral said-“
“I’m not gonna lie, Treech, I think Coral and Lucy Gray may have been pulling your leg.”
Treech frowned as he pondered that notion. Coral had been near tears the entire time he was being “initiated.” His scowl deepened, he thought the ginger had been crying with pride. “But we watched Twitches after,” he protested weakly. “And they sent me home with a swag bag.”
She bit her lip. “What was in it?”
A handful of pixie sticks, the crystal that was apparently a piece of Tanner’s chewed up gum, a book of spells that looked to be Chappell Roan lyrics, and a coupon which he later learned was for a sex shop so he could buy a “wand.” “Top secret coven swag,” he shook his head hastily. “I’d tell you if I could.”
“Oh, naturally.” She laced her fingers together, resting her chin against her knuckles as she leaned forward gleefully. “Sounds like a fun coven.”
He perked up, pleased she hadn’t tossed him to the curb. “It’s me, Coral, Lucy Gray, Sol, and Iphigenia.” He hoped it wasn’t too hard for Lamina to hear that several of her friends were witches. “We’ve only all met together once: when I was being initiated. Sol offered to give me a stick and poke pentacle but I managed to push that off to the next meeting.”
“You should get it right here.” Lamina poked him in between the collarbones. “Or on your butt cheek. Either or. Fun to learn that I’m friends with so many witches.”
He eyed her hopefully. “They warned me you might be a vampire.”
“I’m a vegetarian,” she immediately cried out, baffled at the accusation. “Also I look terrible in red.”
“You do not!” He protested, wilting slightly in disappointment. He’d admittedly been excited at the thought of having a hot vampire girlfriend. Human Lamina was still perfect, though.
“Don’t you understand the gravity of this?” He asked urgently, shaking away thoughts of Lamina with fangs. “Your feelings for me aren’t real.” He screwed his eyes tightly shut. “You can break up with me now.”
There was a moment of silence, followed by the sound of Lamina shuffling over to him on her hands and knees. Suddenly there were a pair of hands cradling his cheeks and a pair of lips that tasted faintly of blackberry lip balm was pressed against his own. He cracked one eye open to see that she was smiling into the kiss.
His chest puffed up in pride when they broke apart. “You don’t hate me!”
“The very opposite, as a matter of fact.” Her eyes twinkled cheerfully.
“Really?”
She kissed his left palm, snagging his right hand to lace their fingers together. “My love for you is inevitable, Treech. I don’t need magic to want to spend my time with you.”
It was too much for Treech and he lunged forward to bury his face in the crook of her neck. “You’re perfect,” he mumbled.
She tsked in opposition to his comment before her eyes settled on the pouch of rocks once more. “Don’t tell me that’s what I’ve heard clacking around in your pockets all week.”
His face was so hot he feared there would soon be steam seeping out of his pores. “Perhaps.”
“Let’s go to a crystal shop and get you some real crystals,” she suggested with a lopsided smile.
“But-“ he began to protest, gesturing at the bag of nonsense on the table.
“Treech. This is a chocolate chip.” Lamina reached into the pouch and pulled out a brown “crystal.”
His eyes lit up excitedly. A snack!
She slapped his hand away as he reached for it. “Absolutely not. You do realize that piece of chocolate has been touching a dead beetle.”
He squinted through the gazue at said dead bug. “Aw, I thought that was a black agate!”
Lamina already had her phone up. “Yeah, we’re going to the crystal store today.”
He tackled her around the middle, sending her squealing to the floor. “I love you.” He kissed her shoulder, nuzzling into the crook in her side.
“And I love you, too.” Her eyes suddenly got a far off look to them. “Or is that the magic talking?”
“Stop.” He stuck out his bottom lip.
“Wait, is this why you’ve had a witch hat hanging off your bedpost all week?”
“Tanner gave it to me to congratulate me for joining the coven.”
“Surprised he didn’t turn you in like during the Salem Witch Trials.”
“Nah, he needs my services. I’m helping him brew up a love potion for Hilarius next week.”