Page 57 of Hard Rock Love

“I’m sure she appreciated it,” I told him. “You’re a good friend, Seth.”

He cracked a small smile. “I try.” He flicked a finger at the Time-Turner, sending it spinning. “You think this thing is made of real gold? We should snatch it. Sell it on the black market. Make our fortunes and retire in luxury.”

“I’m pretty sure something that small isn’t worth a lot, even if it is solid gold.”

Seth had a way of changing the subject whenever our conversations started getting too serious. He was more than happy to talk to me about my problems, to listen to my troubles. But whenever anything relating to his life came up, he would swiftly switch gears and soon we’d be talking about something completely unrelated.

I vowed that, the next time something personal came up, I wouldn’t let him derail the conversation. I didn’t necessarily want to pry into his life, but if there was something bothering him, I wanted to know. I wanted to help ease his troubles the way he did mine.

I took his hand and squeezed. He smiled down at me.

“Let’s head to the gift shop,” he said. “I want to buy you some kind of extravagant present.”

“You don’t have to—”

“Abby, I’m rich as fuck,” he said bluntly. “Let me please blow some money on someone other than myself for once, okay?”

“Well…” I dithered, wondering whether to protest more, but I couldn’t deny I’d had my eye on a certain something…

Twenty minutes later, I was the proud owner of a magic wand. It wasn’t a plastic replica. It was real — ten inches long, made of cedar wood. It came with a certificate of authenticity from Ollivander, the wand maker himself. The certificate said the core was unicorn tail hair, which was obviously false, but the idea made me happy anyway.

“Thank you!” I beamed at Seth, waving my hand around in the air, making swish-and-flick motions.

“Try not to poke your eye out with that thing,” he said. “Or mine.”

“You should get one yourself,” I told him.

“What would I do with a wand?”

“You could use it as a drumstick.”

He burst out laughing. “I’d love to see the look on the other’s faces if I tried playing drums on stage with a fake magic wand.”

“Who says they’re fake?” I poked him in the stomach with the tip of my wand. “Maybe you just need to have a little more belief in magic.”

“I already do,” he said. “Because you’ve clearly cast a love spell on me.”

My lungs squeezed at his use of the L word. It was way too soon for that. Wasn’t it? A part of me couldn’t help but want to leap for joy, but the more rational part of me said to calm down. He was just making a joke. That was all.

“I’m glad you had a good time,” Seth said as we exited the gift shop. “You were feeling down and I wanted a way to cheer you up.”

“You got an A-plus on that assignment,” I told him.

He stopped in front of his car in the parking lot.

“I’ve got to get to the studio now,” he said regretfully.

“Oh.” I played with my wand, trying not to let the disappointment show on my face. “Lots to do, I imagine.”

“Yeah. I’ve been telling the others I’ve got massage therapy appointments to make time for class, but I can’t keep using that as an excuse to miss work.”

He looked just as reluctant to get in the car as I did. Once we got in, he’d have to drop me off at home and head to work.

I could have spent hours more with him, but I understood his job would always be a priority. I couldn’t get in the way of that.

“I’ve got to study for some exams,” I told him, trying to make him feel better. “I’ll probably be holed up in the library for the rest of the day.”

Seth put his hands on my hips and walked me backward until I bumped into the car door. He kept going, leaning into me, getting closer and closer until his face was right next to mine.