I took another deep breath, unable to look at her as I admitted the truth. “Because what almost happened in that bathroom – it didn’t go the same way in my premonition the night before.”
She immediately gawked at me. “You mean?”
“Yeah,” I admitted, still not able to look at her. “It’s why I was able to stop it, because I knew exactly what was going to happen before it did. And I knew what would happen if I didn’t put a halt to it right when I did.”
Shockingly she relaxed a little, only to chuckle quietly. “Well, it’s good you blocked that kiss then. Freya would probably kill me if you hadn’t.” She then frowned. “And I’d feel horrible if Rose found out I messed her family up.”
I was honestly a little confused by her calm reaction, with her seeming almost relieved to discover we definitely would have had sex if our lips made contact, but decided not to ask why. Because the ‘obvious’ needed to be pointed out too, as much as I didn’t want to talk about it.
“But, you know, that’s kind of the point,” I continued. “I like having you around, but I don’t think it’s right for us to expect you to put your life on hold indefinitely.”
“Wait,” Heidi abruptly said, almost cutting me off. “Are you suggesting I should date?”
I felt dizzy even thinking about it, but she needed to know the truth. No way in hell did I want her to start dating – not ever – but I also couldn’t let her believe anything was ever going to happen between us, because it just wasn’t realistic.
“I’m not trying to say that exactly, but I am aware of what you initially wanted in exchange for keeping Lily young forever. And I just really don’t think Freya or Lily are ever going to be okay with that.”
Heidi’s face was immediately flushed again as she tried to hide her eyes with her hands. “Shit Sam, way to be awkward,” she mumbled in a shaky voice.
“Sorry,” I said sincerely. “But I care about you Heidi. And selfishly, no, I’m not crazy about you dating. And if you’re comfortable with how things are right now, then that’s perfectly fine with me. But I also don’t want you to stay secluded from the world – from your friends – just because you’re hoping for something that realistically is unlikely to happen.” I cleared my throat, lowering my voice. “As much as I personally wouldn’t mind it happening.”
Heidi’s ears were bright red now, so I decided to shut up so she could collect herself, and so I didn’t get myself in any more trouble. After a minute, she took a deep breath, her expression becoming more reserved.
“Well, I don’t have any friends anyway.”
“Really?” I said in surprise. “I mean, I know you haven’t been around them for almost four years now, but I would think the friends you had before all this happened would still want to hang out.”
She shook her head, her lavender eyes tight. “No, not really.” She finally met my gaze again. “Kind of hard to have real friends when your sister is one of the most popular superheroes. I couldn’t have a conversation with anyone without them bringing her up in the first couple of minutes. And I went to a private school even, so it wasn’t like there weren’t other people there who had rich and famous family.” She sighed. “It was especially bad with the guys. It was like all they could talk about.”
I shrugged. “Maybe because they were nervous, and it was an obvious subject to discuss. I mean, to be honest Heidi, I’d probably be a little intimidated to talk to you myself, if I just randomly saw you in public.”
She gawked at me, only to scoff. “Oh, stop teasing me.”
“Teasing you?” I repeated. “I’m totally serious. You’re definitely just as pretty as Lexi is, if not more so. Especially with all those piercings you have in, if I’m being honest.” Especially the snake bites in her lip, I added silently in my head. For some reason they made me want to bite her plump bottom lip so bad. I cleared my throat. “Never thought that kind of thing would look so good on you.”
“Wait, you think I’m hotter?” she asked curiously.
Shit.
“Umm, well, everyone has their own tastes, and I…” Dammit, I was really digging myself a hole, because there was no doubt Freya would find out about this conversation eventually. “I really can’t voice my opinion on that.”
“You think we’re both hot, right?” she said with a grin.
“Dammit, Heidi,” I mumbled, staring at the road while the car continued to drive itself.
She only grinned wider. “I mean, everyone knows my sister’s hot, so that’s not surprising. But you thinking I’m even hotter than her is kind of a big deal.”
“Anyway,” I quickly continued, attempting to get the conversation back on track. “It’s up to you. If you’re fine with how things are, then that’s great. But I just want things to be fair for you, because I sincerely care about you, and asking you to put your life on hold isn’t fair.”
She nodded, finally growing serious again. “Well, I’m fine with how things are right now,” she admitted. Her expression then became somber. “B-Blaze…” She stopped, unable to continue.
“What about him?” I prompted gently.
She took a deep breath, seeming to get ahold of herself. “He was really convincing, you know? Like, he was charming and handsome, and of course famous and rich, so I felt like he was someone safe to be around. Like, I didn’t even see it coming.” She shivered in response to her memories. “Sam, it really scares me. That I could look at someone else and not even realize they are this horrible, horrible, person just waiting to
