Page 27 of How Not to Hex a Gentleman (Witches of Edinburgh)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

KENNEDY

" W here are we going?"

We stepped out of the apartment building and headed toward Old Town. It gets darker so much faster these days. So the streets are already in shadows. As usual, I have no idea what to expect from him. I don't have to be an empath to know he still feels bad about what happened the other day, but I can also tell what happened at the café is there as well. He's being extra careful around me on both of those counts and I'm honestly not sure what to do with that. I got so used to his chaotic personality that this demure Bennett feels off.

"I'm taking you to one of my favorite places in the city," he replies, walking a little ahead of me. He's keeping more distance between us and I realize I don't like it. That might actually tell me more about my feelings than any conversation I had with the girls.

"Bennett," I call out, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. People go around me as Bennett turns around, glancing at me and the distance between us in question. "Are you going to lead me there like a tour guide or would you mind walking beside me?"

His eyes grow round at my question before he runs a hand over his hair, disheveling it further. An older couple walks around me, chuckling a little. "You tell him," the lady says and I grin.

Bennett jogs up to me and offers his arm. The older couple stop behind me, giving us a tiny round of applause, and now I have to take his arm, don't I? I’m shaking my head with a mock-stern expression as I loop my arm through his elbow.

"That's better. Treat your lassie right," the older man says and then starts walking away. Bennett and I exchange a look, but instead of correcting him, we burst out laughing.

"You had to call me out in front of everyone?"

"Absolutely." But I don't take my arm back and Bennett doesn't say anything else as we continue down the hill toward New Town.

"Do you ever want to live anywhere else?" I ask, because it feels like I need to be the one to take the initiative right now or he's going to be this lost puppy forever, not knowing what to do.

Bennett glances at me. "I'm not sure. Maybe? I always think there's much of the world to see, but Scotland feels like home right now. If that changes in the future, then I'll move. Right now, I can't imagine being anywhere else." He says that last part staring straight into my eyes and my whole body tingles from the way he seems to be seeing all of me, all at once.

We're at a crosswalk, and it takes me a moment to realize people have started to cross while we're still standing still, staring at each other. There’s a moment where no one else exists and then, we both look away and start walking

We pass the museum at the bottom of The Mound, heading toward Scott Monument, but we don't stop there.

"What about you? What do you want to do after graduation?" Bennett asks and I open my mouth to reply but then realize I don't have a ready answer to that anymore.

When I left home, I was so sure about my choices. Sure enough, I left my aunt behind, even though she told me she'd never accept me back if I walked out. Now, with the magic brewing right under my skin and the acceptance and friendship I've found with the girls, I don't think my plans feel as sure anymore.

"You don't actually have to know," Bennett says, breaking through my thoughts.

I glance at him sharply, wondering how he can always tell exactly what I'm thinking. "I thought I knew, but when you asked just now, I realized that so many variables have changed, and I don't have an answer anymore," I say. My honesty surprises even me.

"Even without some magical destiny, there is no written rule that says you have to have it all figured out by a certain age." Bennett shrugs, pulling us around a crowd of people as we cross the street again.

"I guess I never really imagined that this...part of me would ever affect my future in any way." What Lily said about Bennett returns; about him being good in that way that makes me want to keep talking, to tell him my actual thoughts on the matter. "I'm sure you remember Olivia saying that my powers are like that of a child. It's because I spent most of my life suppressing them, hiding them deep inside of me so no one would see."

"And then you got a very visible tattoo to make sure you can't hide anymore."

I glance at Bennett, surprised at the observation. I'd never thought of it that way, but isn't that the truest way to look at it? The tattoo, the connection to the girls—it pushed my magic to the front of my being, the way nothing ever has before. It's like it knew this would be the only way to make me face these parts of myself.

"You're smarter than you look," I say, bumping our already close shoulders together. Bennett takes that opportunity to keep me that much closer and then I realize where we are. "St James Quarter? Are we going shopping?"

"Don't think I'm letting that smart comment pass," Bennett says and then pulls me away from the mall and up the hill. "No, we're going to the hill."

I turn in the direction he's pointing, and of course, Calton Hill, one of the best overlooks in the city and a place I haven't made a journey to yet.

"Did you secretly look at my Edinburgh bucket list?"

"I don't have to look at any list to know what you would like."

Somehow, I believe that. He seems to read me in a way that makes me think he possesses some kind of magic of his own. He sees me and through me in ways that terrify and thrill me at the same time. When that voice of caution starts to rise inside my mind, the years of learned behavior, he seems to quiet them now more than rile them up. Maybe that means there's hope for me yet.

"Ready for the climb?" Bennett asks as we reach a set of stairs.

"Most definitely."

BENNETT

There's a quiet tension around us as we make our way up the hill. There are a few ways to get up here, but Kennedy turns toward the very steep uphill option.

"Are you sure?" I ask.

She nods. "Yes." Her voice is full of determination. "I'm about to sound like a dog with asthma and too much excitement, but I'm determined. I know this is the quickest path to the top."

She doesn't wait for me but starts the steep walk up. I may be in shape, but the hills of Edinburgh continue to win every battle I have with them, so I'm also breathing heavily by the time we step into the clearing at the top.

"Wow," Kennedy says as she tries to catch her breath, her eyes on the few structures that occupy the top of Calton Hill.

The Nelson Monument is to our right, the National Monument is in front of us, and the City Observatory is on the left.

"You know," Kennedy takes another breath, "I don't actually know why that Parthenon-looking structure isn't finished."

"Because," I reach for her hand, but opt to take her sleeve instead, tugging her after me as I walk toward it, "the city didn't have enough funds to finish it back in the mid-1800s, so they never did."

"Well, that seems like a bummer."

She's still trying to settle her escalated heart rate, so I take it slow as I walk her into the little area in front of the Nelson Monument. She's still looking behind us when I step into her line of sight. She gasps as her eyes meet mine and then I'm the one unable to look away. She's a little flushed from the climb and the rapidly cooling temperatures, her hair wild from the wind. I have the urge to reach up and bundle her more into her jacket and scarf, but instead, I place my hands on her shoulders and turn her 180 degrees. I can tell the moment she sees the view. Instead of moving forward like I expect her to, she takes a tiny step back, right into my body, as she inhales. I don't dare move, my hands still on her shoulders as she looks out over the city.

From this spot, we can see the castle, rising up over the city. The Scott Monument is hidden by the Balmoral Hotel's large clock tower. The city is alive with lights and movement, and for a moment, Kennedy and I simply stand still, watching it all move by.

"Hiya," Kennedy whispers.

"Who are you saying hello to?" I keep my voice low, right near her ear.

She shivers a little and then looks up at me over her shoulder. "The castle."

I grin because it doesn't surprise me in the least. Kennedy would be the type of person to greet the castle every time she sees her. My eyes lift to watch the castle as well. From this direction, it almost blends in with the volcano it's resting upon, jagged tops of the buildings creating a downward set of steps, leading from the left, down the incline to the right. It's so much longer when you look at it from afar, seeing the whole for what it was meant to be—a stronghold. For some reason, Kennedy's attachment to it makes me like her that much more.

"Can we go up there?" Kennedy asks, looking up at the tower behind me.

Honestly, she could ask me anything at this point and I would do my best to make it happen. There's quiet happiness in her that shines brighter than the sun and I want to be the one to always nurture that.

"We can see," I reply, taking a step back and finally retracting my hands. When we walk up the stairs to the entrance, I'm glad to see it's still open. "It was closed for renovations for a while, but I guess they opened it back up."

I pay the lady at the entrance and motion for Kennedy to go ahead. She shakes her head and motions for me first. "If I'm going to be dying every single one of these," she glances at the sign, "143 steps up, I need you to walk ahead."

The lady at the entrance tries and fails to hide her chuckle, and when I grin, Kennedy only glares. I raise my arms in surrender and step in first. The stairs are narrow and winding and not the safest, but I make sure to take it slow. When we reach the top, I'm out of breath again as well.

There's a narrow door at the very top and an attendant on the other side of it. I say hello and wait for Kennedy. She pushes through the door and then steps in the opposite direction of me on the turret, whispering something to the girl.

"Kennedy?" I go to follow her but the girl at the door shakes her head at me.

"Give her a moment," she says, with a little shake of her head.

I glance at her and then at where Kennedy went, but I stay put. Not even thirty seconds later, Kennedy comes back around and gives me a tiny nod.

"Is everything okay? Do you need something? Is this too much?—"

"Bennett," Kennedy interrupts, "I'm fine, I just needed to fix my skirt."

The girl next to me chuckles and Kennedy shrugs, while my face flames red. I'm overreacting for nothing.

"Come on." Kennedy is the one to grab the sleeve of my jacket now, pulling me around the small turret. The view from up here is beautiful, even in the low light of the early evening. Kennedy pulls out her phone and takes a few pictures, but I can't stop staring at her. She turns to look at me over her shoulder, her hair flowing behind her in the wind. The image goes straight to my heart and bursts it open. She twists all the way around and takes a picture of me before she pulls her camera down and cocks her head to the side.

"Are you having a physical reaction to the height? Do you need to sit down?" She takes a step toward me and I shake my head.

"You're beautiful and I was only taking the time to admire you."

Kennedy freezes and I'm surprised at the words because they seem like too much too soon and I don't want to scare her away, but she only smiles. "Let's go see the half-finished one next." She doesn't wait for a reply, but takes the sleeve of my coat and pulls me behind her. If she wants to lead me around for the rest of my life, I think I'll be a very willing participant.