Page 15 of A Cursed Heart

Though Freya had joined the school later on in the year, she had settled in well because of Ms. Matthews. I kind of wished she could be Freya’s teacher for kindergarten, but that looked unlikely.

“Hello.” Mal flashed her a pleasant smile, earning himself one in return. I felt another prickle of that unnamed emotion.

“Ryan, if Mal is going to pick Freya up at any point, don’t forget to let the office know. He’ll also need the password.”

“Right, thanks.” Mal gave me a questioning look. “Security stuff. I’ll explain later.” It made sense to put him on the list just in case I had to work late or something happened to me. His magic would be useful for protecting Freya, too, like Lydia had pointed out.

Freya waved before dashing inside to her friends. I took Mal to the office to register him as an approved pickup person and explained the password thing to him on our walk home.

When it was just the two of us in the house, the silence was a little strained.

I was so aware of him, of what he was, and how he was making me feel, that it left me feeling off balance.

He always stood a little too close, and though I didn’t really mind it, I was aware that he touched me a lot.

I guess he was trying to flirt, which I would not find cute!

“I need to clock in for work. Want me to show you the TV and maybe TikTok? Let you get caught up on things?”

“If you don’t mind. I’d like to learn more. Maybe finish the movie Freya was showing me.”

Yeah, any worries I had there were gone. He obviously cared about her already. “It’s cute that you two get on so well.”

“You don’t mind?”

“Why would I?”

“Essentially, I am the help. You do not have to treat me as a friend, but you have. I do not want to overstep any boundaries.”

“And that is why I’m alright with it. You care about what I care about. Freya loves you already.”

He stared at me for a moment, in borrowed clothes, his formerly neat braid slightly windblown, looking bashful. It was pretty fucking endearing, truthfully.

“Would you mind showing me how the shower works?”

“Oh, shit, yeah.” I led him to the bathroom and demonstrated how to turn it on. We were kind of pressed together in the small space. There wasn’t much room for two people to really move around in the stall. It made me aware of him in a way I’d never experienced with a guy before.

I could feel my cheeks getting hot. With a cough, I backed away. “I’ll lay out more clothes for you and order you some stuff of your own. We could go shopping, but I need to get work done.”

“It’s fine. I don’t mind wearing your clothes, Ryan.”

“Still, I’d rather you have stuff of your own. Favorite color?”

He considered the question for a moment. “Blue, like the sky. It has been a long time since I have seen it. What is your favorite?”

Looking at him, the bright red hair startling in its vibrancy, it was easy to find my answer. “Red.”

Finding Mal something to wear and picking out some basics for him only took a few minutes.

I logged on and read my emails while I waited for him to be done in the shower.

As I suspected, he took a long time. How long had it been since he’d been given the luxury of bathing?

Did his other owners keep him in the gem instead of beside them like a person?

Mal had mentioned me treating him like a friend, not a servant, which had me wondering about his life.

I couldn’t bear the thought of putting him back in the heart ruby.

His place was with me and Freya, as weird as that adjustment was.

I felt strangely comfortable around him.

Well, until he got too close that I could feel the warmth of his skin, then my heart would skip a beat.

When he returned to the living room, his long, damp hair loose and wearing borrowed clothes, I was glad all his other owners were dead so I didn’t have to kill them. How could any of them treat him so poorly?

We passed the day with me working in a nook in the living room I’d set up as an office.

When Freya was home, she knew to be quiet if I was on calls, though that wasn’t often.

I conducted most of my discussions via a messenger system while coding whatever we were working on.

Mal was just as considerate as Freya, though he did ask me questions from time to time.

I was on a rare call when pickup time approached. I hadn’t thought I’d need Mal to get Freya for me so quickly. Holding the phone away from my ear, I whispered, “Mal, could you get Freya?”

“Of course!” He beamed at me before putting on the shoes and hoodie I had loaned him. Being similar in size was so useful. It made shopping for Mal a breeze. I hoped he liked what I’d bought him. One day shipping for the win.

When they returned, they were both laughing at something. Freya was being carried, her eyes sparkling and hair looking windswept. “Daddy, Mal is strong! He says it’s because he eats broccoli. Can we have it for dinner?”

Whatever spell he had cast on her, hell, on me too, I didn’t want it to break. He fit with us.

We felt like a real family when we ate beef with broccoli and rice for dinner. Freya ate almost everything on her plate and went to sleep without a fuss, though only once Mal had read to her. I’d been completely replaced as favorite.

That night when we got into bed, I was filled with a sense of nervous anticipation.

“Would you like me to sleep on the couch?” Mal offered. “It’s quite comfortable.”

“No. Here is fine… I… just… ignore me. I’m overthinking things.”

Deep down, where I’d never admit it, I wanted to sleep next to Mal. Maybe I was obsessed with him, like a new toy or something. Once the novelty wore off, I’d go back to normal.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really. I’m… it’s just been a wild day. Wow, I can’t believe I’ve only known you a day.”

Mal had slotted seamlessly into the holes in my life already. It didn’t make sense.

“Do you regret it? Picking up the stone?”

I took a moment to think about that. With everything I was feeling, all that had happened in the last day, did I wish I hadn’t picked up the ruby?

When I thought of Mal being under Salvatore’s control.

Of missing out on the time we’d spent together.

Even Freya’s smiles and drawings with Mal.

I realized I couldn’t regret a moment of it.

“No. I’m glad you’re here.”

“I am too.”