Oh, right. Soulmates.
“If I have to walk my fat ass out there, bitch, there better be a hot ass guy that has you staring stupid!”
That was a little too nail on the head for Violet. She needed to get back to Sam, before she really did come out there.
“I’ll, uhh, leave you to it,” Henrik fumbled out as he reached for the front door. He seemed to half stumble into it, his eyes only leaving hers at the last moment, taking all the warmth in the room with him.
Rushing back to her chair, Violet was amused to see Sam staring at her phone, as though it was a thousand times more interesting than anything else. Bitch. She probably was spying on her.
“Sooo, what kept you so long?” Sam asked, not glancing up from her phone as she spoke.
Ugh, she did. Of course she did.
“Absolutely nothing,” Violet lied with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
“Mmm...”
“Mmhmm...”
Sam finally looked up at her, a smirk curling over her lips. Yup. There it was. She was definitely spying. “So is Mister Tall, Buff, and Handsome available, or—”
“Roll onto your side so I can start sterilizing,” Violet said, cutting her off. She moved to the sink to wash her hands, despite the fact she would be wearing gloves, the only thing keeping her from harming anyone else as she worked. Even if she wasn’t actually touching a client, she wanted to make sure her hands were clean all the same. “And no, he’s not available.”
“Ha, well, not like I’m looking,” Sam choked out, causing Violet to blink. Sam, not looking? But, Sam was the queen of always glancing around. She was never serious with anyone for long, and was always shopping for her next conquest. “I might be seeing someone.”
“Bitch, WHAT?”
“And I think he’s a virgin,” Sam rushed to add, giggling on the last word.
“Okay, your story sounds way better than mine,” Violet announced, and shook her head a little. Sam and a virgin... what was the world coming to.
Although… it wasn’t like she had any room to talk.
As Sam began to talk, and Violet got to work, she took it as a sign. Henrik coming back, the warmth returning, the pull to Garoureve... well, not that last part, but, Sam, her anti-love friend, coming in talking about a guy? Not being available to be pragmatic and factual about dating and men?
It was a sign... A sign.
Of what, she had no idea.
Chapter 9
Aweekhadpassedbefore Violet even realized it, time seeming to have both stopped and flown by at the same time. She was floating through life, moving through it while clinging to whatever routine and schedule she could, because every moment she saw him, every second he was in her presence, everything felt like it was flying. Nothing made sense anymore.
Being away from him, she was always so cold, her skin like ice, but then with him once more, she was on fire, surely ready to spark a flame with a single touch. Fast, then slow. Hot, then cold. It was back and forth, this up and down, twirling and spinning. She didn’t think about her mother, didn’t think about her really odd conversation with Sam, didn’t even think about her shop or Garoureve or magic.
All she could think about was him. Every moment, every breath. When would she see him again? When would their eyes meet? When would their paths cross? What would he bring her that day? What would he say to her? What would hedoto her?
That was the thought that kept her most busy. What would he do, if there wasn’t this distance between them, this invisible barrier. Would he... would he pick her up and cart her off to nowhere? Would he take her into the back and spread her out on the couch? Would he stare into her eyes and play with her hair like he used to?
Fuck... of all the things possible... the thought of him playing with her hair...
For one week, he had been coming to her shop, daily. Twice a day, really. When he arrived in the morning to work at the nursery next door, and when he left work for the day. He always arrived early and always left late, specifically so he could spend a little time with her. Every time, he brought her something. Tea in the morning, and a pastry. He would set it carefully on the counter, leaving a distance between them, then would step back so she could see what he brought. In the evenings, he brought flowers from next door—the first time, a bundle of cut wildflowers, but then a small potted herb, and then a small violet plant, and then... more. More and more, each time.
He never came empty handed, he always entered with a smile, and he always left with his eyes unable to leave hers.
She was losing her fucking mind.
She thought the distance would make her crazy, being away from him after so long, him ignoring her for too many days, but seeing him constantly, it was going to give her a heart attack.