3o.
chapter thirty
seeing rituals

We were on the ride home when...

"Say, Serena. Is that book interesting?"

I flinched, eyes widening. My fingers involuntarily curled around my bag. "It's... good."

"What's it about?"

Trust me, you won't like it.

"How to make cookies sweet!"

He blinked, a frown replacing his smile before he switched to one-hand driving. "This is fun, you know. A sort of challenge when your right hand is injured."

I eyed him suspiciously, gaze narrowing. "Is your right hand injured?"

Ash let out a small laugh — a simple one that made my heart flutter. "'Course not. Just saying."

A minute sense of relief coursed through me. Whether it was out of the change of topic or to learn that he was alright—or both—was uncharted territory. Concluding it to be both, I relaxed against the passenger seat.

The hum of the engine soothed my nerves, weighing my eyelids. I was about to embrace rest when Ash spoke up. "Serena, is Mom-in-law at home?"

"Mhm."

"Okay."

I didn't quite consider why he'd asked that. Maybe I should have.

It was a fine drawing in front of me. But I couldn't, for the life of me, comprehend what it was. Strewn about with stars of the same size was a symmetrical circle. In the midst sat a jar—a container that held something shaded in red.

"What's this?" I pointed at it, looking to Ash, who was smirking.

"The blood of the one I wish. The one I'm going to change threads with—Lillie."

Rage rose through me, untapped but leaving a hollow when I burst out. "I thought you loved me!"

"Serena," he called out, running a hand through his hair. His expression didn't change. Much to my chagrin, he kept at it. "Serena. Serena. Serena!"

My body woke with a jolt. Swiveling in my seat, I recognized the neighborhood to be my home's. "Hey, you okay?" came his soothing voice. The very same brown eyes that had held malice a few moments ago now glimmered with nothing short of concern. Maybe even something more.

It was a dream. My subconscious had mashed everything that had been happening together to piece together a terrifying otherwise of reality. Gripping the door, I gave him a weak smile.

"I'm fine."

But his frown didn't cease. "You're pushing yourself too much. Especially ever since the entire Gary-Misty incident. You've got to rest."

I shook my head, the same façade plastered on my face, though my heart raced—raced to pull him close, look up at him, and ask him if what he felt for me were plain words or lingering actions.

But I didn't.

I swallowed it all—the heaviness, the doubts, and insecurities. I couldn't simply drag him into my problems. And so, I didn't.

Stepping out of the gloomy car and into the freezing evening air seemed to help, even if it was just for a bit. The nightmare had shaken away my drowsiness, but with adrenaline came overthinking.

My heart broke into a marathon while I waited for Mom to pick the door. His sure, solid presence lingered behind me—the usual warmth he radiated suddenly chilling my bones for no fault of his own.

Mom's smiling face came as a relief when she opened the door and stepped aside to let us in. "Welcome home, sweetie. You too, Ash, hun. Make yourself at home!"

My eyes wandered to him as I shrugged off my coat. He flashed her his signature grin and started slipping out of his shoes. Midway, he caught me staring, and his eyes melted back into the same concerned pair.

Gulping, I offered a reassuring smile and set my bag down by the coat stand. Mom immediately placed it on the tepoy. "Dinner's almost done. Would you like to stay, Ash?"

The boy immediately turned to me, his gaze seeking permission. All I did was... smile. And he took it as the cue to stay.

"Can't turn you down, can I, Mom-in-law?"

She clapped her hands, shooting me an affectionate look before leaving for the kitchen, her voice echoing behind her. "Freshen up, the dinner's not running away!"

"Yes, Mom!"

I turned to Ash, only to catch him staring back. There was an awkward air between us, and it took me long enough to comprehend the fact that he could sense my emotions. Damn him for it all.

"Anything wrong?" I asked innocently, tying my hands behind my back and venturing towards the staircase. His gaze lingered on mine for a bit longer than necessary before he shook his head.

"I'll take the refreshment room on the ground floor, and... wait for you."

His voice was unusually quiet as he exited the hallway. Shrugging it off as overthinking, I raced to my room to freshen up. Boy, was I in need of a long soak, but it had to wait until after dinner.

— xoxo —

Dinner was worse.

I wanted to run away and hide in my room for no reason. Yell into the pillows about the nightmare I was trying to forget. Every time those warm brown eyes settled on mine, my heart gave a jolt.

He was carefree, though—chatting with my mom as if they knew each other for a long time, cracking jokes, and helping serve. Perhaps I had to up my game if I didn't wish to be beaten by my own soulmate in my mom's eyes in terms of affection. She seemed to absolutely adore him.

Who wouldn't? He was this tall ball of sunshine with unruly hair and brown eyes that glowed like they were about to set anything and everything around them on fire. Not to mention the lopsided boyish smirk he always had on...

When Mom went to put her dishes away, he leaned across the table, speaking in a hushed tone so that only I could hear. "Serena, if something's bothering you, please tell me."

My heart fluttered. I shook my head, plastering another one of my bright smiles. The problem? It didn't reach my eyes. Another problem? He knew what I was feeling.

He was about to open his mouth to retort, but his phone rang loudly before being attended. Whatever happened next was a blur.

His face grew from concerned to ultra-worried. Then came the set jaw and blanched knuckles before the chair was pushed back, and food forgotten.

"I gotta go," he said urgently, his phone still in hand. "I'll meet you later, Serena. Please tell Mom-in-law, too. Good night!" With that, he left—left the doorway open and my mind scrambling to come up with an answer that the voice he spoke to wasn't Lillie's...

— 🫧 —

Okay, the act
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Miyoko x