okay?’
‘I could use a glass of water,’ Belle admitted.
‘Come in then.’ Nick stood back and waved her into his apartment. Belle refused to think about the last time she’d been there, although she did guiltily glance at the bookshelf and notice the photo frame was back where she’d found it.
He poured her a glass of water and handed it to her before leaning one hip against the kitchen counter and crossing his arms. ‘Why are you here, Belle? I thought we were going to take a little time out to think.’
His voice was cool, but Belle refused to let it get to her. She knew that she wanted Nick, deserved Nick, and she wasn’t going to let him get away. If he didn’t want her, she’d find a way to accept that and move on, but it wasn’t going to happen without a fight.
‘Look at this,’ she said, holding up the crystal. The silvery glitter inside the orb had grown strong enough to cast a gleam through the kitchen.
Nick’s eyes widened, but he didn’t move. ‘That’s . . . shiny.’
‘Yes. And hot.’ She poked gingerly at it and yes, it was just as scalding as before. ‘I got concerned,’ Belle explained. ‘I wasn’t sure if it was hurting you, if the change in colour meant it was causing you pain or something, if . . .’ Belle trailed off.
Nick’s expression softened and he gave her a small smile. ‘It’s not hurting me,’ he said quietly.
‘No, I can see that.’ Belle shifted on her feet awkwardly – she’d rushed here, sure that something terrible was happening, and now that everything seemed fine she was confused, and embarrassed that she’d overreacted.
‘When did it happen?’ Nick asked, his forehead creasing. Belle could just about see the cogs of his rational mind churning over the problem. ‘And do you know why?’
Belle shrugged. ‘I was just out for a walk.’
‘Just out for a walk?’ Nick mused. He pulled away from where he was leaning against the counter and stepped into the living room. Belle followed, and they both took a seat. He leaned forwards, elbows on knees, hands clasped under his chin. ‘Go through the details. Tell me exactly what happened. Maybe there’s a clue in there somewhere.’
Belle doubted it, but she sat down anyway, keeping the burning silvery orb well away from herself. ‘Um . . .’ She cast her mind back, trying to recapture the events. ‘I went for a walk. I didn’t have any destination in mind, I was just walking.’
‘Did you see anyone? Talk to anyone?’
Belle almost told him about her near visit to Aunt Gertrude, but that would involve a whole other lot of explaining, so she decided to skip it. ‘No, I didn’t talk to . . . Oh, there was the cyclist.’
‘And?’ Nick prompted.
‘It was a really steep hill. I hate steep inclines, especially when I’m driving because I’m sure my brakes are going to fail, so I don’t know what I was doing walking up there, it’s insane —’
‘Is this important, Belle?’ Nick interrupted.
‘Uh, no, sorry. Okay. This cyclist was pedalling up the hill and I said I thought he was mad, or words to that effect, and he said it was all in the mind, you know, sports psychobabble.’
‘Right.’ Nick sat back and his frown deepened. ‘What else?’
‘Nothing else. I just kept walking and then a few minutes later the crystal started getting hot and when I pulled it out to look at it, it was glowing, like this.’ She held the object under discussion up against the light and they both stared at it for a while.
‘Did anything else happen before the crystal changed, Belle? Think hard.’
Belle imagined the street, trying to recall if anything out of the ordinary had happened. But she couldn’t think of anything, nobody else even passed her. ‘No, nothing. I was just walking and thinking and that was it.’
Nick arched an eyebrow. ‘Thinking? What were you thinking about?’
Belle could feel her cheeks heat with a blush. Could she admit to it out loud? Hesitantly,
‘I could use a glass of water,’ Belle admitted.
‘Come in then.’ Nick stood back and waved her into his apartment. Belle refused to think about the last time she’d been there, although she did guiltily glance at the bookshelf and notice the photo frame was back where she’d found it.
He poured her a glass of water and handed it to her before leaning one hip against the kitchen counter and crossing his arms. ‘Why are you here, Belle? I thought we were going to take a little time out to think.’
His voice was cool, but Belle refused to let it get to her. She knew that she wanted Nick, deserved Nick, and she wasn’t going to let him get away. If he didn’t want her, she’d find a way to accept that and move on, but it wasn’t going to happen without a fight.
‘Look at this,’ she said, holding up the crystal. The silvery glitter inside the orb had grown strong enough to cast a gleam through the kitchen.
Nick’s eyes widened, but he didn’t move. ‘That’s . . . shiny.’
‘Yes. And hot.’ She poked gingerly at it and yes, it was just as scalding as before. ‘I got concerned,’ Belle explained. ‘I wasn’t sure if it was hurting you, if the change in colour meant it was causing you pain or something, if . . .’ Belle trailed off.
Nick’s expression softened and he gave her a small smile. ‘It’s not hurting me,’ he said quietly.
‘No, I can see that.’ Belle shifted on her feet awkwardly – she’d rushed here, sure that something terrible was happening, and now that everything seemed fine she was confused, and embarrassed that she’d overreacted.
‘When did it happen?’ Nick asked, his forehead creasing. Belle could just about see the cogs of his rational mind churning over the problem. ‘And do you know why?’
Belle shrugged. ‘I was just out for a walk.’
‘Just out for a walk?’ Nick mused. He pulled away from where he was leaning against the counter and stepped into the living room. Belle followed, and they both took a seat. He leaned forwards, elbows on knees, hands clasped under his chin. ‘Go through the details. Tell me exactly what happened. Maybe there’s a clue in there somewhere.’
Belle doubted it, but she sat down anyway, keeping the burning silvery orb well away from herself. ‘Um . . .’ She cast her mind back, trying to recapture the events. ‘I went for a walk. I didn’t have any destination in mind, I was just walking.’
‘Did you see anyone? Talk to anyone?’
Belle almost told him about her near visit to Aunt Gertrude, but that would involve a whole other lot of explaining, so she decided to skip it. ‘No, I didn’t talk to . . . Oh, there was the cyclist.’
‘And?’ Nick prompted.
‘It was a really steep hill. I hate steep inclines, especially when I’m driving because I’m sure my brakes are going to fail, so I don’t know what I was doing walking up there, it’s insane —’
‘Is this important, Belle?’ Nick interrupted.
‘Uh, no, sorry. Okay. This cyclist was pedalling up the hill and I said I thought he was mad, or words to that effect, and he said it was all in the mind, you know, sports psychobabble.’
‘Right.’ Nick sat back and his frown deepened. ‘What else?’
‘Nothing else. I just kept walking and then a few minutes later the crystal started getting hot and when I pulled it out to look at it, it was glowing, like this.’ She held the object under discussion up against the light and they both stared at it for a while.
‘Did anything else happen before the crystal changed, Belle? Think hard.’
Belle imagined the street, trying to recall if anything out of the ordinary had happened. But she couldn’t think of anything, nobody else even passed her. ‘No, nothing. I was just walking and thinking and that was it.’
Nick arched an eyebrow. ‘Thinking? What were you thinking about?’
Belle could feel her cheeks heat with a blush. Could she admit to it out loud? Hesitantly,
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