Neve (Silver Skates #3) - Helen Scott Page 0,17
in here. I hope you don’t mind that I stayed?” His voice was gentle, as though he could sense the pain I was in, or maybe he was just feeling the same way.
“Of course not,” I said as I rolled onto my back so I could see his face. I wasn’t usually one to invite guys back to my place. Usually, I went to theirs so I could slip out as soon as they passed out. The weird thing was that I didn’t mind that he’d stayed. Normally, my skin would be crawling and I’d be worried he was a creeper, but I didn’t get that vibe last night or this morning.
“Do you want to get some breakfast?”
My stomach growled at the thought, and I looked down at it, startled, while Rory just laughed silently next to me.
“I’ll take that as a yes then, shall I?”
“Probably a good idea, since I don’t have any food here yet. Do you know a good place?”
“There are a couple places we could go, depending on what you like for breakfast. Yes, Now Bob is a diner that does some pretty amazing waffles and other diner food, but if you’re more of a pastry girl, there’s Jewels Cafe that has some lovely coffees and treats. I think there’s another diner somewhere as well, but I haven’t tried that one yet.”
“How long have you been here?” I asked, surprised by the knowledge that someone who considered themselves as “just passing through” had of the town.
“A week or so maybe?” he said with a shrug.
I wanted to tell him how bizarre I found it that he was visiting at the same time I arrived, that the pull I felt toward him was unsettling to say the least, but I also didn’t want to freak him out. Instead of opening up, I just said, “Waffles sound amazing.”
He nodded and smiled, but there was something in his eyes that I didn’t understand. A reverence almost? It was a quiet kind of amazement that had me wondering if I’d brought home a stalker who normally lived in his mom’s basement or something. And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to dislike the notion. Normally, if I felt the slightest thing off or weird about a guy, I kicked them to the curb faster than I could get a cab in the city.
“Waffles it is,” Rory said, a faint accent making his voice sound almost musical.
He didn’t seem to want to let it slip, so I didn’t bring it up, especially since I already knew he moved around. It could have just been something he picked up during his travels.
The two of us dressed, Rory putting on his jeans and sweater from the night before, while I rifled through my bags until I found something I thought might be warm enough. Though I was starting to suspect that a lot of my clothes were, in fact, not weather appropriate.
As we walked through town, I could feel magic brushing against my skin like the wind, but I never saw anything overtly magical. Excluding the shifters, about the most magical thing I’d seen so far in this town that was full of supernatural beings was Seren’s skates changing the night before, and even that seemed more like sleight of hand than actual magic.
“Have you seen much magic since you’ve been here?” I asked, curious what it was like after being in Silver Springs for over a week. Did he notice more strange things? Had he experienced any magic outside of his own?
“Not really. I mean, there are a few stores where it can be more obvious, but for the most part, people are just their normal selves. There’s just a magical undercurrent, if that makes sense?”
“Yeah, I think I know what you mean.” I paused for a moment and couldn’t believe what I was about to ask. “Have you been to the new ice rink?”
“No, not yet. Don’t tell me you have?”
I grinned and nodded. “That’s where I was coming from last night when I ended up at Vee. Maybe we could go sometime?” I wanted to scream at myself for just asking a guy on a date, but I was too busy waiting for his answer.
“I’m actually heading to the coast today and tomorrow. I need to stay in somewhat regular contact with salt water or I get cranky. My seal isn’t the most patient. I’ll be back on Monday though, if you want to go Monday night?”
“Sure, Monday night would be