When I looked over, I found Jax watching me with a cautious expression.
I mouthed what’s going on but he didn’t get a chance to answer since Aria chose that moment to tap three times on the table. “Chloe, you came here tonight for me to read your cards. Let’s consult the deck so we can confirm the things my ball has shown me.”
I nodded, but I’d never been more confused. She reached across the table to hand the deck over to me, then set her hands over mine once I had a grip on the cards.
“Close your eyes, clear your mind of all things, and silently ask the cards one question. You may take a moment to figure your question out if you haven’t already got it in your mind.”
Oddly, the instant she told me to ask the cards a question, I knew exactly what I would ask. Closing my eyes I focused on what I wanted to know.
Will anything ever happen between Jackson and me, or did I ruin any chance by being a petulant brat for too long?
Once I’d asked the question I opened my eyes and set the cards down in front of me.
“Keep that question in the forefront of your mind and shuffle the deck,” Aria instructed. “When you feel your answer, pull that card and set it facedown on the table.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Just one card?”
I was confused because she normally told me to choose three.
“One is all you need today,” she assured me.
Realizing it was probably best not to do a whole reading with Jax sitting right there, I nodded and began shuffling. The two previous times I’d held Aria’s deck during readings, I’d questioned whether I was pulling cards because I really felt them, or if it was just random.
That wasn’t the case right then, though. I felt a buzz when I touched the right card, a jolt that worked its way up my arm. Pulling it out, I set it facedown on the table and then set the rest of the deck to the left of it.
Aria hummed something as she reached forward and picked up my single card. Turning it over, she made a triumphant sound.
“It’s just as I thought,” she murmured.
Looking down, I saw the wheel of fortune card. A wave of disappointment washed through me because I’d been hoping for a love card.
“Turn that frown upside down immediately,” Aria ordered. “This isn’t a bad card, Chloe. In fact, it’s perfect. I hoped this would be the one you would pick. This confirms what I already knew, dear. By taking that time away, you grew up and were able to reset yourself, which changed everything. Fortune is now at your side instead of miles ahead of you. That which your soul has craved all these years is finally ready to unfold.”
I felt wired and my senses were on hyper-alert. I didn’t realize my right leg was going a million miles an hour until Jax set his hand just above my knee. I stopped moving as the heat of his palm against my leg soothed me while at the same time it sent a totally different but far more potent sensation through my body.
“Now I’m going to tell you what you and Jackson are. Open your mind and listen with your heart. I promise all will make sense soon.”
5
Jackson
By the time Madam Aria was finished explaining about us being devoted souls, Chloe looked shell shocked.
She looked over at me as if in a daze. “You believe this?”
At some point during Aria’s explanation I’d taken Chloe’s right hand into mine and linked our fingers together. I gently squeezed to comfort her as I nodded. “After the reading with Aria when I was thirteen, I started paying attention, and when I did things got a lot clearer. I’d always known that I tried to get your attention and approval, but other than understanding that I had a crush on you, I didn’t fully get why I felt so strongly about it. The harder I tried, the more spectacularly I failed. Alec started insisting that I must’ve been repeatedly dropped on the head as a child because when it came to you I refused to give up.
“Once Aria told me how connected we were it all made sense. How even when I would pull your braid and you’d holler at me, I always felt more comfortable when you were close. I’ve never cared about anyone the way I care about you.”
Her eyes filled with tears and her lower lip wobbled. “I… I don’t know why. I was so mean.”
“There are many things Chloe has to tell you, Jackson. You have much to talk about tonight, but I promise it will be worth it,” Aria said kindly.
Chloe blushed and looked away as she grumbled something about sounding stupid. Aria made a hmph noise.