Page 40 of Clinically Bewitched
“Is everything okay?” she asked. “You were gone for a while. I was starting to think maybe you’d gotten lost. The universe can be tricky sometimes with directions.”
“We need to go,” I said.
“Go?”
“Home. Back to Connecticut. I have a flight in three hours.”
“Oh!” She brightened even more, which I hadn’t thought was possible. “We’re going to Connecticut? That’s wonderful! I’ve never been to Connecticut. Is it nice? I bet it’s nice. Very historical, right? Lots of old buildings and fall leaves and—”
“Athena.”
She stopped talking.
“We’re going to Connecticut,” I said carefully, “because I can’t file for an annulment until I’m back in New Haven. Which means you’re coming with me. And then, once we’re there, we’re going to a lawyer, we’re going to file the paperwork, and we’re going to undo this entire situation. Understood?”
She tilted her head, considering.
“The universe works in mysterious ways,” she said finally.
That was not an answer.
That was definitely not an answer.
But I didn’t have time to argue because if I didn’t leave now, I was going to miss my flight, and the thought of spending one more night in Las Vegas, one more night in this cosmic nightmare, was enough to make me want to walk into the desert and let nature take its course.
“Let’s go,” I said.
She stood, grabbed her bag, which appeared to be made of some kind of woven hemp and had crystals dangling from the straps, and followed me out of the restaurant.
“This is so exciting,” she said as we walked toward the elevator. “I mean, I know you’re stressed. I can feel your energy. It’s very spiky right now, very jagged, but this is actually perfect. The universe is bringing us home together. Toyourhome. Which will becomeourhome eventually, once you stop fighting destiny and accept that—”
“We’re getting an annulment,” I said.
“—we’re meant to be together,” she finished, completely ignoring me.
The elevator doors opened.
We stepped inside.
I pressed the button for our floor—ourfloor, because apparently, we were sharing a room now, because the universe had decided I hadn’t been humiliated enough—and tried not to think about what came next.
The airport.
The flight.
Six hours trapped in a metal tube with Athena.
And then home.
Where I’d have to explain this to everyone.
Fitz was going to have a field day.
My sister was going to kill me.
And Athena... Athena was going to keep talking about the universe and destiny and cosmic alignment until I either accepted it or had a complete mental breakdown.
I was leaning toward the breakdown.
