âAnd youâre sure youâre okay?â She didnât want to press too much, not wanting him to pull away again. Still she didnât like the idea of him being hurt at all. âIf you need me to help I can⌠if youâre in pain.â Fae magic wasnât the same as witches magic but it was still magic and he was a hunter. It was something she had to remind herself, no matter how much she trusted him, knew heâd never hurt her, she still had to accept that. Things werenât as easy as she wished they were, it was easier when they were younger.Â
Sheâd never spent much time around witches, the most time had been when she was young and at the hospital. Winter had met Constance a few times before, never said much to her but she did know her. Most of what sheâd heard about the woman was from Lukas himself, she really only hoped she didnât actually mind Winter being there. No matter what her name was she was still from the Island. âSo she was the one who bandaged it?â His own patch jobs were something sheâd seem and this was better than those usually were. âIâd hate to have to try to sneak into the Godfrey house, I donât think iâd get that far.â Teasing she wanted to make him smile a little. âIâm happy to go with you.â she added. Lukas didnât usually talk about his mom, it was hard for him and she never forced it. Looking down at the ring in his hand she had to ignore the way her heart jumped at the motion, âIâll be there whenever you need me.â It was a promise. She squeezed his hand before he pulled it away.Â
âBlue hair would be a look for you.â Blue was her natural hair but whenever she got bored she changed it, she was also a fan of the red. âI think a darker blue than this. Maybe I can play with your hair some time.â Turning away from him she cleared her throat. There was no reason for her face to be reddinging like it was. âHey.â Winter stopped him, âItâs okay. I had fun and you got to see your sister. So itâs okay, I know what we are so thatâs what matters.â Friends. The word echoed in her head.Â
He wasnât sure if it was all alcohol or partial, but as he watched her. There wasnât much fault he could see in her. He knew he was supposed to find fault in her being what his father would call a âpixieâ, but it didnât exist. Lukas had tried hard the past three years his dad had vanished to forget about her. He had ghosted her, but he had never within that time period forgotten about her. How could he? She was his best friend, but did best friends make hearts squeeze with slight panic? Lukas glanced to his hand again. It still throbbed with some pain, but it was his own fault the glass had pierced it. Partly drunk or not he was still stubborn to the S. Â âItâs okay, Win.â He murmured again softly knowing she just wanted to help him. Thereâs a slim part of him that almost agrees, so that way she wouldnât worry about it anymore. Alas his overall pride hadnât been negated from the alcohol â at least not yet.
Thereâs a lump in his throat that the gulps down, sure that she could see right through him. Â Â Thatâs part of what made them best friends, they didnât have to speak aloud some things. He isnât aware that his own gaze had started to betray him, softening as he looked down to her. âSi, she bandaged it.â Lukas answered but then started to grin as she spoke about sneaking into the Godfrey house. âcould still both fail miserably. At least weâll be stuck as lawn furniture together.â He tried to joke back, but he wasnât very good at it. The grin remained beaming brightly across his features and pinching his dimples into place. âIâll be here for you too. I wonât go anywhere. I wonât vanish like last time.â He didnât think he had it in him to completely cut Winter out completely. She squeezed his hand and he felt the uncanny flutter in the pit of his stomach.
âYou think? What if I wore it as a mullet or a mohawk?â  Lukas still teased her as they walked their way to the exit. To their means to get out of this gala that threatened to asphyxiate them. His brows lifted curiously as he lifted a hand to tousle over what hair on the top of his head that he had. Play with his hair sometime? Heâd like that, but why did he feel like he wanted more than that? The night had started off with him being absolutely sure about most things, and how it was ending⌠He started to realize he knew absolutely nothing. Briefly he caught sight of the reddish tint to her face, which made his own feel warm in comparison. She didnât have to do much to stop him, as he leaned against the exit door and glanced into her face. They both knew each other as friends, but he started to feel more brazen with the liquid courage pumping through his system.
âI know what we areâ Her voice echoed in his mind and pulled him forward. The bandaged hand moved to stop her movement as well, and with his other arm he tried to steer her closer. The uninjured hand caressed her chin and tilted it upwards as he lowered himself down.
âI know what we are.â
The chill of the night air felt like it could chap his cheeks as he finally pressed his lips against hers. Lukasâs eyes slowly close as his heart hammered rhythmically in his chest. The pit in his stomach somersaulted violently, but all the problems surrounding this night seemed to have vanished. Lukas had crossed over another threshold this evening at the gala. Â What if this wasnât something Winter had wanted? The thought had him pull away briefly, sluggishly as if he didnât want to.
 âI..â have no clue what we are. The one syllable caught the path of her lips, and he made no immediate movement to correct it.