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You too, Amrita x

Jamie put his phone down, frustrated. Despite his conversation with Aiden, he was getting really angry, feeling like something was conspiring to keep him and Amrita apart. It was ridiculous. He understood everything the other man – and cat and bird – had said, but he disagreed. Surely he was old enough to be able to make his own decisions, on his own timelines! He and Amrita had been missing each other for nearly a month now, and that pissed him off.

He glared at the drawing on his desk, then grimaced as his lines started rearranging themselves. ‘No, stop. I’m not angry with you. I’m just disappointed. Again.’ Thankfully the magic listened, and the blueprints returned to their proper positions before anyone else saw – although somewhat sulkily. ‘I don’t blame you. I feel much the same.’

He stared morosely out of the window, then smiled when he realised the little cherry tree in the atrium was starting to blossom. It was early, but the little tree was a bright spark of colour against the rest of the steel, glass and concrete – all things Jamie loved – and it made him smile. He took a quick picture and sent it to Amrita. Seconds later a little heart appeared at the bottom of the picture – she’d seen it and loved it, which made him smile a little more brightly as he picked up his pen and went back to adjusting the latest designs.

* * *

When Amrita headed back to her car later that day, she had to laugh – it looked like someone had dumped pale pink confetti all over it. She looked up and was quite surprised the tree she’d parked under had any flowers left when so many of them were now decorating her car. It seemed early for blossom, and even earlier for it to fall, but she had been seeing flowers since she’d driven into Hudsbury to meet her newest patient – another referral from Mia.

She swept the blossoms off quickly with a folder, smiling as they fluttered around her. They didn’t all let go with the first sweeps: some hung on stubbornly, forming the rough shape of a heart on her window. She smiled as she brushed them off, but kept hold of a couple still attached to their stems and tucked them into the top of her breast pocket – a tiny posy of spring cheer.

She set her satnav for her next appointment, and set off – singing along to the radio. After a few streets, she realised something was wrong and pulled over. Why was the predicted arrival time over three hours away? Curious, she tapped the route to see the destination and work out what had gone wrong. The destination was a street name she didn’t recognise, in a town that was only vaguely familiar. She zoomed in on the screen to see more and was surprised to see a large blue patch. Hadn’t Jamie said he would be working on a lakeside property? That was really odd… She’d heard of people’s phones picking up on conversations and adverts before, but locations and satnavs?

Shaking her head, she reset the system and headed to her next appointment, smiling at the familiar swoony song that seemed to have become a favourite of the radio DJ.

* * *

Jamie tried not to roll his eyes. That was at least the third time that morning he’d heard the song. He shouted to his smart speaker to change channels. Obediently, it did. Only for the weather report to end and be replaced by the fourth rendition of the song.

‘It doesn’t matter how often you play that tune, it won’t make any difference.’

If anything, the music got a touch louder.

‘It’s not that I’m not listening to you. I know what the hint is – you want me to see Amrita. I know. I want to see her too. But it doesn’t change the fact that we’re both busy and struggling to find time to get together.’

The music quietened and slowed a touch, almost sulkily.

‘I know it should be simple.’ Jamie fiddled with his pen. ‘I want to spend time with her, and she wants to spend it with me. But I’m needed on site a lot still, and it seems the days I’m not on site are the ones that she’s needed by her family. It’s just not working out right now.’

‘Hey, J? Did you call?’ Alice, one of the admin team, poked her head around the door.

‘No. I was just… arguing with the speaker.’

‘Squabbling with technology, or not doing what you should be?’ Alice grinned, used to the magical chaos so common in Hudsbury.

‘More the latter than the former,’ Jamie admitted.

‘Dangerous thing, to ignore magical warnings.’

‘I’m not exactly doing it by choice.’

‘Do you think it cares?’

‘I’m hoping so.’ But he wasn’t convinced.

‘By the way,’ Alice added. ‘Did you know we’ve got a minor pixie infestation in the building? Is that something to do with it?’

‘I think it might be.’ He cringed.

‘Well, whatever it is, please try to sort it out soon. I do not want to spend another afternoon doing battle with the printer or dealing with another snowstorm of shredder confetti!’

‘Sorry.’ Jamie winced, wishing he could sort things out.

* * *

‘Bye, Ma. Try to behave for Amrita!’ Aiden dropped a kiss on her forehead and chuckled as she swatted the drying-up towel at him.