Page 28 of This Witch Is Not Wicked

“I thought the entire point of this was to not actually date. If you’re going to have to get to know me, to parade me around, why not just date someone for real?”

This was already a lot of effort.

“Because this is temporary,” Nevan said. “And you won’t monopolize my time like a real relationship would. I can see you publicly once or twice a week. I don’t have to spend the night at your cottage or meet your family.”

I winced. That was true. Especially when I had no family for him to meet.

“Get to know each other how?” I asked, already not liking where this was going.

“Your favorite color,” he said. “Your favorite comfort meal.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Comfort meal? What is a comfort meal?”

He adjusted his spectacles. “Like if you’re sick or have had a rough day and just want to eat something that will make you feel better. My mother always made me this soup I loved with these thick noodles she’d make by hand and chicken and herbs from her garden. Every time I’m feeling down or unwell, that’s what I crave.”

“Well, that explains why I’ve never had a comfort meal. My mother was much too busy to ever cook for me.”

His eyes widened, and I realized what I’d just said. That I’d just spoken out loud about my mother to someone. I hadn’t spoken about them for . . . centuries.

Nevan was staring at me like I had two heads. “I’m sorry,” he finally said. “Doesn’t sound like a very good mother.”

That was an understatement.

“So what would be your favorite comfort meal?” He traced the top of an empty potion bottle, finger going round and round. “If you were sick, what would you crave?”

“I don’t get sick,” I said absently, fingers pinching my amulet.

“What?” Nevan asked.

I winced. Dammit. Something about this man and his innocent curiosity cracked me open in a way I wasn’t used to. The problem was I kept saying things I shouldn’t have been saying. As a demi-godwitch, I rarely succumbed to illness. I glanced at the liquid in my amulet. Maybe that would change soon enough.

I cleared my throat. “I have an excellent immune system is all I meant.”

“Right,” he said, still staring at me in this mystified way. Like he was awestruck or something.

“If I were to get sick, I suppose I’d love a good cup of tea. Ginger is my favorite. Always makes me feel better.”

I could only get that type of tea in town, and I hadn’t been to town for years. Fairwitch didn’t appear to have a tea shop, but even if it did, I doubted the owner would welcome me.

“Okay.” Nevan eyed me, lips tipping up into a smile, dimples showing. “Well, I just learned something new about you. See? Not so bad.”

“Chicken noodle soup,” I said, remembering his comfort meal.

“Ginger tea,” he said back, and it felt like progress, no matter how small.

He turned to face a chalkboard that hung on the stone wall. “I wanted to start making a list of questions or things we should know about each other.” He grabbed a piece of chalk and started scribbling on the board, then paused and turned. “We should also set some boundaries.”

“Like what?”

The tips of his ears turned red. “Like what we’re allowed to do and not allowed to do. Last night when I grabbed you and pulled you into me, you hesitated. I didn’t know if it was okay that I did that, and I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable.”

“Oh.” I straightened, unsettled by his observation. I wasn’t used to physical touch, even innocent touches. When Ambrose had visited, it was about sex. Nothing else. But when Nevan touched me, it felt intimate in a way I’d never experienced with anyone. None of the godwitches or demi-godwitches ever wanted to touch me, to have anything to do with the godwitch of poisonous plants.

“If we’re going to do this convincingly, we’ll have to touch a little bit,” Nevan said. “Holding hands, hugging, my arm around your waist. Those types of things. Are you going to be okay with that?”

I thought of Cillian’s words last night, how he’d been so close to exiling me. The only reason I was still here was because Nevan had announced our relationship. If I wanted to stay in my home, I didn’t have much choice.

I crossed my arms. “Yes, that’s fine.”