Page 21 of The Tea Witch's Promise

Was this her way of showing concern? That in itself wasn't so strange, we'd been friends for a long time, and I was fairly instrumental in the successful running of the settlement. There was just something in the way she was looking at me, head slightly tilted and eyes narrowed, like she was reallyseeingme.

As much as I wanted to think that it was more, the rational part of me was trying to remind myself that she could just be being friendly.

Or maybe she wasn't as impervious to my feelings as I thought and had come to see me. Good sister or not, she wasn't Oliver's keeper and he didn't need hand-holding for a few scratches given to him by his familiar.

Hope swelled in my chest and I took a hesitant step closer, my heartbeat quickening. "Katie..." My voice cracked as I said her name. "Are you worried about me?" I put my hand over hers, hoping she wasn't about to pull it away.

Her cheeks flushed red and she quickly averted her gaze. "Well, it wouldn't do anyone any good if you hurt yourself. You're important. I mean, your role here at the infirmary is important."

I couldn't help but smile. She was so adorable and she'd never been a very good liar. I didn't want to jump to conclusions but she certainly looked a little flustered. If I'd caused that, and it was good flustered, that would make me a very happy man.

The door opened behind us and Oliver stumbled out of the examination, yanking me down to earth. I'd almost forgotten the main reason I’d stayed away from Katie.

She jumped back, putting some distance between us that was probably entirely necessary if I was going to regain the ability to actually think.

He smiled when he saw me. “Hey, Brew. Funny running into you here, huh?”

I chuckled. “Yes, what a coincidence. How are your arms?”

“Oh, it’s not my arm this time.” He turned around, exposing the scratch marks on his neck. “I tried to get Howie to land on my head. Stupid idea, don’t know what I was thinking.”

As a healer, I shouldn’t judge people for how they got their injuries. As Oliver’s best friend however, I got to judge him hard which was exactly what I was doing right now.

“You’re an idiot,” I said affectionately.

Katie cleared her throat. "If you're all fixed up, we should go."

"I'm ready," he said.

She turned to me and gave me a small smile. "Later?"

I knew she wasn't asking about a hypothetical time ahead. I nodded, causing a smile I didn't think I'd seen from her to spread over her face.

I waved the siblings out, doing my best to keep my usual composure when Katie passed right under my nose. She even touched my arm on her way out and smiled in a way that made my whole stomach flutter.

And just like that, all my reservations melted away. There'd been plenty of reasons why I hadn’t pursued Katie but that was when I thought she wasn't interested.

But she wouldn't have suggested any of what she just did if she wasn't. Not when she knew how I felt which meant there was now a possibility that I could have everything my heart had desired for as long as I could remember.

Chapter12

Katie

The roaring bonfirereached up into the night sky, the orange glow illuminating the faces of the people who had either come to add something to the flames, or were simply hanging out. Sparks lifted up into the air, carried away in the light breeze and adding to the atmosphere.

Over on the other side, a group of sound mages were making music that could be heard under the chatter of everyone around. Many of the younger members of the settlement would come out to the weekly bonfire to spend time with friends, have a drink, and just enjoy the atmosphere. It wasn't a particularly exciting event, but I always loved it, especially when it was cold and dry like this.

I got to the front of the brewer's queue and handed over a couple of coins. He handed me a tankard in return, overflowing with pale ale. I took a sip before moving away, so I didn't waste anything going over the rim. It was cold and refreshing, a perfect way to end the day. Though I also wouldn't have been opposed to a hot drink, but with the merchant not having visited yet, everyone was running a bit short on tea, and what we had left was being rationed for use in the infirmary. It was much more important to keep the settlement in good health than it was to have tea at a social event.

I headed back towards the fire, looking out for my friends so I could know where to sit. Though that was a lie. I was mostly looking for Brew. He'd told me he was coming, but I hadn't seen him yet and there was more than a small part of me that was desperate for that to change. Maybe I should have been clearer about what I wanted when I was at the infirmary earlier rather than trying to be subtle. He deserved better than that, especially after he'd been so honest with me when it came to his feelings.

This was far more complicated than I'd expected it to be. Then again, I hadn't given much thought to what it would mean to have a relationship with Brew.

I took a shaky breath. It seemed that my mind had gone from basic interest to something serious in a matter of days, and I wasn't sure what to do with that.

Thankfully, I spotted Carly over by the fire with one of her brothers and started to make my way over, only to realise that the discussion was of the heated variety and didn't seem to be going very well. It was only when I was a few feet away that it took a real turn, and Gus got to his feet and stormed off.

I grimaced. It seemed like things weren't going much better with him.