Vulnerable: Book 1 of the Magic Mutations Series | ✓

10: Prince Charming's Mansion

Monday morning came, the sun breaking into my room around the curtains, rousing me from my slumber. With a sigh, I climbed out of bed and began my morning routine.

Yet regardless of what I did, nothing could shake the knotting pit in my stomach.

Today was the day that Ben was going to tell me 'everything'.

To say I was worried would be an understatement. I was terrified that, whatever he was going to tell me, would give me a reason to run, and then this spark of magic and light in my life would be gone.

I didn't want to lose the light. I wasn't ready to go back to how things were before... When the nightmares of having lost something returned. Ever since that pull to Ben began a week ago, I no longer faced the terrors of the night.

So I did my best to convince myself that morning that, no matter what he told me, I'd do my best to accept it.

I wanted us to be closer.

I didn't want him to go...

Yet in the back of my mind, the look of fear in his eyes that said he was so sure I couldn't accept him clouded every action of mine that morning.

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I went to the library, as usual. But Ben wasn't there when I had arrived. Yet it didn't take long past 9:30am for him to send me a text that he would come pick me up when I was done.

He said he wanted me to be able to do my research with no distractions.

The morning went as all mornings did before I met Ben. I set up my station: pencils to the right, notebook in the middle, pencil case to the left, laptop to the front. Went and grabbed my books. I decided to go back to fairies today, filling in as much research as I could.

The hours flew by... until suddenly someone had sat down across from me.

Hesitantly, I raised my gaze, meeting the expected blue.

He gave me a small sad smile, like today was the day we end. Today we say goodbye.

So I closed the book, packed up my things, and got out of my chair, not saying a word to him in the process.

If this was really how he thought it would go... perhaps it was time to rip off the bandaid for both of us.

As we walked down the steps, out of the library, and down the footpath towards the tube station, I couldn't stop being conscious of the large distance between us.

Not even in reaching distance, he didn't speak to me, and he most certainly didn't hold my hand.

Just shy of the station, I came to a stop. "We could just not do this," I almost begged.

But he shook his head, taking a small, wary step closer to me. "I have to tell you. This can't go any further until you know everything. Know your options..." Sadness swirled in his gaze as I could see him yearning to give into my suggestion...

Though all I could think about was his label. This? Us? A relationship? A friendship? What exactly are we?

I knew this wasn't the time to be caring so much about the clarity of our rapidly forming relationship because he had something really serious to tell me... most likely that he was really sick. But I so desperately ached for his admission that he was mine and I was his.

But instead of asking, I simply said, "Okay. Where are we going?"

He took a deep breath. "To my place."