Page 14 of Bewitched & Bewildered (Witches of Starbrook #1)

Chapter 14

Ozan

I don’t expect to see Juniper again. She was a flustered ball of chaos when she left, and I was drowning in desire.

By the morning, I’m fully recovered. The shop is clean, and I’m no longer overwhelmed by bliss. We should be able to forget it happened—because nothing happened.

It turns out that forgetting her is damn near impossible. She was on my mind before, but it’s nothing like now.

Juniper walks past the shop with her dark bag slung over her shoulder and a look of determination on her face. Her black dress stops right above her thighs, and her dark stockings are the only thing keeping her legs warm.

I could warm her with my hands. I look at the expanse of bare skin between her stockings and the dress and… I shake my head.

The potion is gone. Why do I still feel this? I’ve always been attracted to her, but it’s more than that now. It’s gnawing and pleading. There’s an eternal fluttering in my stomach.

If Juniper wants to talk to me, she’ll stop by. She’s not shy .

I want to talk to her . The desire pushes me out of the shop, lingering by the door and lifting a hand to get her attention.

“Hey—” I say.

“No.”

My heart plummets.

She could keep walking—but she doesn’t. She halts but won’t meet my eye. Her fingers fiddle with the strap of her bag. Warmth spreads across her cheeks like a soft, pink blush.

Juniper looks sweet as candy, but her eyes lift to meet mine, and there’s sharpness behind her stare. I could still eat her right up.

“We should talk,” I say.

“No, thank you.” The laughter falling from her lips feels more flustered than final.

“Why not?”

“There’s nothing for us to talk about.”

I grimace. “I think there is…”

We’ve kissed before—once—and I know it was moments from happening again last night. There was tension between us. It was more than the potion for me; it must be for her, too.

Why should we keep ignoring it?

“That will never happen again,” she says.

“What won’t happen?”

“Whatever you think happened last night.”

I lift a brow. “What happened?”

I’m desperate to get an answer from her. If she can admit she felt it too, we can go somewhere with the conversation. It won’t be easy. Anyone can see Juniper is stubborn, especially when it comes to me .

Her nostrils flare. “The potion. I’m swearing off brewing that potion.”

“Oh, don’t do that. We didn’t make the most of it, but… it could have been a grand time for someone else.”

“It was too strong.” Her features stay flat.

I cross my arms. “Is that your way of blaming your feelings on the potion?”

“Yes.” She lifts her head. “It is. Or it would be if I had any feelings, but there were no feelings. Do you get it?”

“Got it.”

“Good. If you don’t mind, I have to open my shop.”

“I don’t mind at all.” I shrug, trying to play coy. It’s probably too late for that. “I’ll see you around.”

“You probably won’t.”

“I hope I will.” I pause. “Can I come visit you later?”

Juniper hesitates. Her face is flushed again. Her lips part, and the wind blows, pushing her bangs around wildly.

“You can do whatever you want,” she says, “as long as you’re a paying customer.”

She doesn’t outright tell me to stay away. It gives me a spark of hope. There’s a smile on her face as she goes.

I can’t believe I’m letting myself get wrapped up in this again. Knowing I want Juniper differs from allowing myself to have her—or anything close to a relationship. The game of cat and mouse is too fun for me to stop, even though I know I’m headed into dangerous territory.

One wrong move and my heart is on the cutting board. Losing my first love made me feel like I lost myself. I don’t think I can take that again.

But this? Juniper doesn’t want me. This is safe. It’s a game for her, and I can pretend it is for me, too.

OZAN

Why would he want to see me again? I made a fool of myself with that potion.

I’ve done everything I can to push him away. It doesn’t work. And, okay, I don’t want it to anymore—but I need it to. Whatever happened last night is over. I got it out of my system.

There’s no way the effects of the potion are still lingering today. No matter how strong I made it, it can’t last overnight.

Why am I hot and flustered when I arrive at my apothecary? Why are there butterflies in my stomach? Why am I utterly frustrated? The last feeling lets me know it’s not the potion at all. It’s Ozan. He found another yet way to frustrate me.

I’m sure it would bring him tremendous joy to know he is now the object of my deepest desires.

The feelings fade into the background as hours pass.

I spend another day pretending to be my mother. That’s how I feel. It wasn’t the intention of opening the shop. I wanted to feel closer to her, but I don’t.

She never felt like this during her days at the shop. She couldn’t wait to talk to customers, decorate the shop for each occasion, and plan events. When I’m here, I don’t carry the same fire. I let the day coast by.

Our first big event is coming up, and I’ve barely planned for it. The Harvest Festival is important in Starbrook. I know that, but I don’t do anything to help us prepare .

Instead, my sisters take the lead. They do a fantastic job—better than I can muster.

As Halloween draws closer, the shop picks up. I sell a few tarot decks, spell candles, and crystals to people trying to get in the spirit of the season. None of them are witches, but human clientele is as important.

They may be even more essential. Witches can make their spell candles and potions on their own. They can charm their tea. Often, they buy from us for convenience, but they don’t need me to make magic for them.

Lunch comes, and Laurel takes her shift behind the counter, leaving me to duck into our little office. I pull out my thermos of chicken soup, inhaling the scent of thyme and rosemary as I screw off the top.

Maple made me soup even though I insisted I wasn’t really sick. Hopefully, it will cure whatever feelings are plaguing me.

This is officially going to be my favorite part of the day. I lift the steaming mug to my lips, preparing for a delicious sip. Footsteps enter the shop, but I pay it no mind as muffled words pass through the door.

A small, warm slurp of broth hits my tongue. I close my eyes, sighing happily.

The bliss—not from a potion this time—is cut short.

“Juniper!” Laurel calls, with glee in her lilted voice. “Someone is here to see you.”

Terrific. It must be a customer asking about a potion. I sigh and push my chair back, prepared to join her in the main room.

Before I can, a large hand shoves away the curtains at the door, and Ozan’s hulking figure steps inside. He shoves his hands into his pockets, peering at me with a bewildered look .

He’s already been in the office. He’s been in the basement. Ozan has been all over the shop. Why does he look like he doesn’t belong?

“You said I could come by,” he says.

I lift a brow. “I said you can come if you’re a paying customer. What are you going to buy?”

“I haven’t decided yet. I want to see you first.”

“I’m eating.” I lift the thermos.

“You interrupted my lunch yesterday.”

My eyes narrow. “Then this is revenge?”

“Maybe. It won’t take long.” He pulls his hands from his pockets, and… he’s holding something.

Ozan dangles a necklace in front of my face. It’s a lapis lazuli point on a silver chain. The magic radiates from it—an intense energy of focus. He sets it on the desk before me. The energy draws me in.

“What is this?” I ask.

“Payback,” he says, “for the drink you brought me.”

I press my fingers to my temples. “That was supposed to be me paying you .”

My gift wasn’t an invitation to start another competition! I’m never going to get even with this man. Not to mention that the gift was…well, a failure. Wasn’t it?

“We agreed it was a gift,” he says. “It’s normal to return gifts.”

“You didn’t get to enjoy the potion.”

“Oh, I enjoyed it.”

My lips part, but no sound comes from them.

I force myself to break the spell, and to tear my mind from thoughts of him enjoying the potion… the same way I did.

“Seriously?” I stand up and fix him with a glare. “What will this crystal do? ”

“I spelled it to enhance communication and concentration. I thought it could help with the shop.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“I don’t care.” He turns his back on me and makes his way to the door.

Without stopping to get the charm, I follow him out. A few customers are lingering around, but I ignore them.

“Don’t walk away from me!” I call.

“Too late,” he says. “I have a shop to run. See you later, Juni.”

Customers are staring. I don’t realize until he’s already gone.

Laurel’s gaze is on me, feeling heavier than the rest. Her eyes sparkle as she watches me from her spot at the register.

“He forgot to buy something,” I mutter.

“He is so into you,” she says.

“Be quiet.” My eyes dart to the customers.

“Oh, stop it.”

“Stop what ?”

“I wouldn’t worry about someone overhearing us. He already knows he’s into you. Did he seriously bring you another gift?”

“It’s payback. He’s trying to torment me.”

“That was his excuse.” She crosses her arms. “What’s the deal with him, anyway?”

She would be too young to know. Maple understands our history well, but I can’t say the same about my other sisters. Aspen would get it, too, but… she’s not here.

“He’s always been an…” I want to insult him, but it dies on my tongue. “I guess we just didn’t get along. We met in high school.”

“And?”

“And he was always one-upping me in class.” And vice versa. “We both ran for class president, and of course, he won. He was more popular. It’s all a popularity contest.”

“You’re too old to hold a grudge about that.”

“It’s not about that. It’s about him opening a new apothecary when I was still mourning my mother.”

He claimed not to know about it, and I believe him now. Believing him does nothing to stop the bitterness. I cling to the sour feelings in hopes of ignoring everything else I feel for him.

The throbbing. The need.

“Was he mean to you?” Laurel frowns.

“No. Some of his friends were, but…”

Ozan stood up for me. I still remember him smacking his friends upside the head and telling them to shut up. He was annoying, but better than most of the brainless jocks I went to school with. Many are still in town; some even dare to act like we’re friends now.

I won’t lump Ozan in with them, no matter how much I dislike him. It’s always been different. He and I are on even ground.

“It sounds like he’s always liked you.” Laurel presses her lips together.

“That is not the case.” I hesitate. “He’s different now that he’s older. Maturity does that, I suppose.”

“So, what’s going on now?”

“Nothing,” I say. “I brought him a bliss potion, and there was a…mess. But it was nothing.”

“A bliss potion? You mean, the ones you sell for three hundred dollars?” Her jaw drops. “I take it back. You’re into him .”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re blushing!”

“Laurel.” My voice is stern. “You need to stop scheming. I know what you did with the heater. That was out of line.”

“I didn’t do anything.” She laughs. “You make it sound like I broke the heater or something!”

“I wouldn’t put it past you.”

“Juni!” She pouts. “I didn’t. I wouldn’t .”

“Fine, but you sent him over. That was enough.”

“He looks like a guy who knows his way around a tool belt.”

Is it possible for my face to grow hotter? I think it does.

“I suppose… he managed to fix it,” I say blandly.

“He definitely did. This place is nice and toasty. I can see why you had to thank him, but I’m sure he would have liked another form of gratitude…” She waggles her eyebrows.

“Laurel!”

“What? I’m talking about, like, cookies.”

I would have given him anything he asked for that day. I still remember his warm hands holding mine and his dark, piercing gaze…

But Ozan didn’t ask for a thing. He was happy to stand there with me in the quiet.

Laurel doesn’t know about those things, thank goddess, and I have no intention of telling her. They’re pointless memories, ones I’ll keep locked in my chest. All for me.

Knowing would give her too much ammunition to continue her meddling.

No matter how warm his hands were, I don’t want anyone pushing us together. That’s the last thing either of us needs. Ozan doesn’t like me. He gains pleasure in tormenting me, but that’s different.

And I certainly don’t like him , no matter what my body seems to think .

“I’m just glad he figured it out,” I say. “It was easy.”

“It was too hard for you to do alone…”

“Don’t rub it in.” I turn away from her, hiding my hot face. “I’m going to finish my lunch. Don’t let anyone else disturb me—especially Ozan.”