#{a boy}

AND I STILL DO AT EIGHTEEN,

THOUGH WE LAST TALKED IN TWENTY TWENTY.

HIS ROOM WAS ACROSS MY BALCONY

AND MY HEART FLUTTERED EVERYTIME

HE WOULD PASS A SMILE, OR A WAVE A HI.

I WOULD ACT LIKE I DIDN'T CARE BUT DEEP WITHIN

I WISH HE WOULD SEE HOW MUCH I ADMIRED HIM

HE WAS A GENTLEMEN BACK THEN

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT NOW,

CAUSE NOW HE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE

HE LIVES MILES AWAY, ABROAD.

I SOMETIMES VISIT HIS ACCOUNT

JUST TO REMEMBER HIS FACE,

AND MY HEART STILL FLUTTERS

THE WAY IT DID WHEN I WAS TEN

EVEN IF I AM EIGHTEEN NOW.

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE ADMIRER FROM AFAR

I WISH I COULD TALK TO HIM JUST ONCE AGAIN

HEAR HIS JOKES AND THAT STUPID VOICE

THAT MADE ME WANT TO STOP

AND LISTEN TO HIM NIGHTS AND DAYS.

HE MAY NEVER NOTICE ME,

AND I KNOW IT WELL ENOUGH

BUT THESE FEELINGS ARE MINE AND MINE ALONE

AND I'VE CARRIED THEM FROM TEN TO EIGHTEEN,

THROUGH EVERY MAY AND IN-BETWEEN,

GENTLY, LIKE A LETTER UNREAD,

FULL OF WORDS I NEVER SAID.

Where: Embrace

When: Early August

 Knock Knock Knock

He had meant to come sooner. But…Estela would understand…or she wouldn’t, he was about to find out either way.

Everything had been busy after the gala between C…and Nathaniel…and the Mausoleum…and the magic… and the cat that just didn’t seem to want to warm up to him or leave him alone. With all that, well, life had been busy.

The art had even gotten more chaotic. His wings had gotten looser and looser to a point that sometimes he saw photos on social media of AP’s work and he barely even saw the resemblance to the insect. He could also admit to himself, quietly, that none of these had been personal yet, those were the wings of others he had left at the University… and the alley…and everywhere else…. and he knew there was only time before his inner vandal required him to release the tension he felt growing out of his throat.

But he wouldn’t worry about that now, standing in front of his coven mates door, holding a box of mango chocolates, he thinks that’s what he remembered C saying she liked. Nevertheless, here he was, hoping that maybe Estela could help him with one of the things he was juggling, the magic…the silence.

Just as he raised his hand to knock again the door swung open to reveal a brunette young woman, just not the brunette woman he was there to see. Had c mentioned a partner… “Hi,” Everett squeaked, “I’m Everett, I know Estela, is she home?”