An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching. (Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the independence movement in India)
Felicia was sitting at the kitchen table, head bent low over the book while mindlessly breakfasting on self-mixed oats and cereals with fruits and nuts.
The chapter she had picked for reading this time was titled Practice makes perfect, and she was hopeful about it because she had already had enough of theory and wanted to move right on to practice—though how on earth she could practice with a fire core inside her, she had not the slightest idea.
She let her thoughts wander.
Why did Joshua want her to watch the movie? Where was he going? Why did she want to know?
For a moment, she wondered whether what he showed to her was only half of whatever truth and life he was living.
Maybe he wasn’t a private investigator after all. Or maybe he was, and had come here only for some case and would leave as soon as it was solved? The thought sent a stab of pain and fear through her. Only a few meetings and displays of magic, and she was already loathe to lose him. What if he had a wife and children to get back to or at least a gorgeous girlfriend that didn’t threaten to explode in a fire ball whenever he touched her?
Somehow, she doubted it. There was a distant and lonely and aloof air about him which made it unlikely that he led a normal family life. Besides, he had kissed her twice, and both times she had felt that he wanted to go farther. Now this was a thought to linger on…
Before she could dwell on what could or couldn’t happen between them, and how far she would go, another thought crossed her mind. What if he had tired of her and simply left? And if this was the case, what would it mean to her? Sitting straighter in her chair without realizing it, she swore to herself she would not pine after that infuriating, gorgeous Norse god of ice, and continue to work on finding herself and living with fire.
“Are you thinking about your boyfriend?”
Cindy’s voice cut right through her pondering and had her choke on a spoonful of breakfast.
Glaring at her, she asked, “Aren’t you too awake and nosy for this time of the day?”
Her roomie didn’t mind her harsh tone, as usual. Instead, she grinned and yawned. Shuffling over, she sank down onto a chair.
“It’s never too early in the day to talk about boyfriends.”
Felicia sighed, got up and dumped the congealed, cooled down mass left at the bottom of the bowl into the dustbin. She took extra care to wash the bowl, the spoon and her hands because she dreaded having to discuss Joshua. When she threw over her shoulder, “He’s not my boyfriend, I told you so”, she heard Cindy click her tongue.
“Oh, don’t give me that. Then why did he send you two gifts in a row?”
Felicia whirled around.
“How did you know he’s the one who left the parcel last night?”
“I didn’t. I was guessing because of the way the book had been left. At least tell me his name, come on!”
“What would you do with a name?”
Now her roommate looked hurt.
Cursing silently, she sat back down at the table, determined to get this over with as fast as possible.
“All right, all right. His name is Joshua.”
Her companion leaned forward on her elbows, face resting on her palms.
“And, and? God, this is as difficult as pulling out a loose tooth!”
Despite herself, she had to laugh. All of a sudden, she wanted to confide in her almost-friend. Well, at least about the side of the coin that involved her finding him attractive and him showing interest in her. The magical side was nothing to be revealed.
“I have no practice in this, bear with me,” she said, surprising herself with how comfortable she sounded.
“Spill the beans. How long has this been going on? How did you meet?”
Gone was the feeling of comfort. How to tell that she had first met him when he had pulled her out of a burning house?
Cringing inwardly, she replied, “He came to the library to register some days ago. Said he was new here, and wanted to borrow books.”
Cindy raised her eyebrows.
“So he’s an avid reader? Should be a fit partner for someone who always hides her nose behind book pages. He sure doesn’t look like a nerdy bookworm, does he?”
Once again, the lightness was back. Nerdy was the last thing that came to mind.
“To me, he’s handsome in some… I don’t know, cool and dangerous way. And his voice is so enticing.”
And his scent, she added in her thoughts.
Cindy’s grin was getting broader and broader.
“Definitely agree. You have to introduce him to me properly one day. I’ll promise I won’t drool again.”
She giggled, but it barely registered with Felicia because she was thinking whether Joshua would take the next step and visit her. After all, they weren’t in a relationship and he preferred keeping things on a mysterious level and taking the upper hand.
There was another thought that had entered her mind while listening to herself describing him.
In so many ways, he was like a vampire. Cold, hard, white, magical, commanding, knowing, secretive, powerful. But vampires didn’t go out in the sunlight to leave packages at doorsteps, and he had certainly never shown any thirst for blood. Hell, vampires didn’t exist—although freaks like her existed.
“Earth to Feli, are you there?”
Her roomie was waving her hand in front of her face, annoying her, but at the same time making her feel guilty for being annoyed so easily by someone who meant her no harm.
“You’ve got it bad, don’t you? Tell me more about your handsome hunk. What does he do, how does he tick?”
She frowned.
“It’s… complicated. I don’t know much about him. We’re mostly talking about me when we meet. That is, if we talk at all.”
“Oh-hooo! What are you two up to that you don’t manage to talk much?”
This time, she groaned out loud.
“Oh please, stop it! It’s not like that. This isn’t love, it’s attraction. It’s not a real relationship. We don’t match, so we can’t be a couple. He’s my total opposite.”
Why did she sound so upset?
Her companion sobered up at her tone and choice of words, but couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
“Ever heard of the saying, opposites attract?”
She stared at her for a moment.
Was that it? Was it what had brought them together like two poles of a magnet? What made her long for him? Fire and ice in some weird match against or with each other?
Frowning again, she got up.
“You can spin all the love theories you want, but leave me out of it. I’m going to watch that damned movie.”
Felicia walked out of the kitchen, not caring that a small voice in the back of her mind told her she should have offered Cindy to watch the movie with her, as she had been so enthusiastic about it the night before.