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It wasn’t her fault, but I didn’t know how else to handle it. And then I’d made the mistake of actually looking into her eyes and had blurted out the whole thing.

Her initial reaction was shock that turned into excitement. She was happy that I was Bren and Bibliofile. And then when I couldn’t find any words to give her, she got angry with me.

That was completely unexpected.

She called me out, right in the marketplace. Flayed me with her words as easily as if she’d held a knife to my skin.

Then she’d left me standing there, wanting to look down to see if I was bleeding anywhere.

I wasn’t.

Somehow, I got my shit together and made it back to my apartment.

Expecting to have a message from Honey/Melliferal, I checked my phone but there was nothing. Huh. She was probably busy with her family.

For the restof the night, I checked my phone every few minutes, but no messages from Honey/Mel while Arson snuggled in my lap. Seems she was giving me the cold shoulder.

I absolutely hated it, but I’d have to get used to it. This could be the perfect way to untangle myself from this complicated situation. Here was my out. Honey was pissed and didn’t want to talk to me. All I had to do was not message her. To keep the silent treatment going. After a while, she’d give up. Everyone had a different limit, but eventually, it would be too humiliating and not worth it to keep trying.

I wasn’t worth it. That I knew for a fact.

Honey would give up, and that would be that.

I just had to hold on until she gave up.

After a wretched night of sleep,I was in a shitty mood the next morning when I showed up at the marketplace. God, why did the Holloways have to have the table right next to mine? Why did Honey have to be a few feet away from me for four days a week? She was right there, and I had to pretend she wasn’t.

It was torture. Absolute torture. Every time I heard her lovely voice, I wanted to hang on every word. When she smiled at a customer, I wanted to run over and steal the smile for myself.

I’d never been a jealous person, but I didn’t know another word for the burning in my chest.

Everyone else got to bask in her light except for me. I’d banished myself to the darkness and now I was cursing my horrible luck.

I really must have done something terrible in a previous life.

The hours crawled by, and even though business was steady, I watched the big clock in the corner of the room like a hawk.

“Why are you mad at Honey?” a voice asked, and I snapped my eyes away from the clock to find Ellie Holloway standing in front of my table.

My day had just gone from bad to worse. If a hole opened up under my table to suck me down to the underworld, I would hop right in.

“I’m not mad at her,” I said immediately, but her eyes narrowed. Too perceptive for one so young. She was going to be holy terror when she got older.

“Then why aren’t you friends anymore?”

How in the hell could I explain the situation to this kid?

“It’s complicated,” I told her, but she just huffed and rolled her eyes.

“That’s what adults always say, but most of the time they’re lying.”

I let out a shocked laugh.

“You’re too smart for your own good,” I told her.

She grinned as if I’d given her the best compliment of her life. “People say that to me a lot.” I bet they did.

“In this case, it really is complicated. Has Honey told you anything?” I would assume she’d tell her siblings all about me and how awful I was.