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She couldnât see, but she could feel the planter continuing to lean more and more to the side. When that small bit of weight was suddenly taken away, Isabella let out the smallest gasp and braced herself for a clattering noise that would never come. Just as she was about to crane her neck to see what happened, she caught a quick glimpse of a hand reaching out to take another flower arrangement. The planter left her possession and Isabellaâs hidden face emerged from behind the leaves and flower petals.
âOh, hi there,â she huffed sheepishly as she smiled, finally able to see the man that had come to her aid. Noticing the the heavy cafe door was no longer threatening to shove her back outside with its own weight, Isabella quickly made her way inside.
Somewhere in the back of her mind she could almost hear her motherâs condescending voice telling her to stop wasting time and just use magic to take care of this menial task. Â
Despite the amount of planters she was carrying in her arms, Isabella now stepped over the threshold with ease. It was as if those two planters were the only things holding her back from being an otherwise functioning person.
At the question, Isabella found herself quickly glancing around the shop as though the answer would be sitting in one of the seats or hidden in a plush cushion. âMaggie said sheâd leave a big table for me open in the backâŠâ she muttered for a moment before spotting the mentioned table. âOh! There it is,â she said as she nodded her head in the direction of the table, silently signaling for the man to follow her. âThank you so much, I really owe you.â said Isabella before she started to lean down to carefully place the armful of planters on the wooden surface.Â
He gets a smile when some of the flowers clear and he can get a better look at her. Pretty is his first thought, which is both welcome and unfortunate. He was too good at killing pretty, a trail of ruination behind him, until heâs amazed some days that he ever got the stains off his hands. Amazed that everyone here canât see them now, pretending heâs somehow normal, somehow nice, hands filled with flower pots instead.
It always feels like an act, every second he pretends heâs human, even the smile he offers back to her. Like muscle memory, the ghost of the man he used to be still hovering somewhere in his bones. Heâd been a fake when he was alive too, and maybe it was only fitting that this was what he ended up as. Just as fitting that there was no one to really miss him when he disappeared.
At least he liked to think he was good at faking it. Humor coloring the words now that he can see her. âSo there is a person in there.â
He follows her directions, constantly aware of the space around him and between them. Heading towards the back of the cafe to settle the planters in his arms next to the others. The gratitude shrugged off with that same easy smile plastered on his lips.
âNo worries. Looked like you needed a hand.â
He canât look at her for long. That was a still a work in progress, because his eyes still tended to drift towards throats. Try to find the outline of veins, to wonder just how easy it would be to rip open skin. Actions were easier to control than thoughts, so he nods his head back towards the door instead. âYou got any more out there?â












