A Human’s Guide to Surviving Magical Mishaps

My tears seem to be exactly what George expected. He doesn't hesitate, he pulls me into the biggest bear hug and lets me press my face into his shoulder and soak his shirt with my tears. He doesn't ask me to talk or tell me that it's alright. He just lets me cry. When I finally run out of tears, I pull away from him and curl up into the corner of the couch. My eyes are all sore and my nose is running. George steps away for a minute and comes back with a box of tissues. "Thanks." I sniffle.

"Alright my girl, tell me what's frustrating you." He prompts.

"Frustrating?" I echo, my tone a question. Everyone has been saying they expect me to be sad, or scared. But George assumed my tears were from frustration. I wonder why.

"I know you well Kat. I already know that you're sad. I've spoken to your friend Lucy every day since your father passed. Your friends have been taking good care of you. You wouldn't make a trip down here just because you're sad. You wouldn't cry on my chest if you were angry, you wouldn't have come alone if you were scared. Which means you are probably frustrated. I can think of a million reasons why you might be frustrated right now, what can I do to help?" He explains clearly. I stare. This is why George is so good at his job, he pays such close attention. Not to mention people tell him everything. Even with his new promotion I doubt that will change. Sure, people won't come in and formally report things, but he'll be standing by the coffee machine in the break room casually making conversation and he will hear all the newest gossip. He's so comfortable to talk to, at least once you realise that he's basically a gentle giant. I take a deep breath and like so many other people have, I tell him everything. I completely spill my guts. I tell him about my feelings for Ashton, I tell him about how Ashton saved my life and all about the connection between the two of us including my feelings and fears about it. I tell him about the secret Ashton kept, I tell him how I'm not totally sure about Ashton's feelings. Then, I tell him about the choice I need to make. How I need to figure out if Ashton is staying here or if I'm going to go stay in the fae realm. I tell him all the pros and cons I can think of for both arguments. I talk and talk and talk. I ramble on about every single worry and concern that I have for almost an hour.

Aside from an occasional thoughtful noise, George has stayed pretty much completely silent. He's nodded sympathetically and smiled at a few of my descriptions about the fae realm, but he's not given any opinions or judgements. When I run out of things to say and fall silent, he is still quiet, thinking over what I told him.

"So, it seems to me, that the main reason you are confused and frustrated, is you aren't sure if going to the fae realm and staying with your fae boy is a good idea. You're worried that you would be letting your dad down because he never seemed to approve of Ashton, am I right?" He sums up. I nod, staring down at my hands. There are a million things on my mind, but that's the real issue, the thing that's stressing me out and making it impossible to relax. George gives a deep sigh.

"Is your fae a good man?" He asks suddenly. I look up, kind of confused at his sudden line of questioning.

"Yes. Of course." I answer easily.

"And staying here or leaving, it's your decision, he isn't making it for you." He confirms and I nod again. "Yeah, he offered to stay here with me if I don't want to go." I agree.

"Then you should just do what you want to do, don't worry about what your dad would have wanted, or what Ashton wants. Don't worry about your friends either. You can come and visit them and a simple change of address is not going to be enough to ruin a good friendship." He says firmly. I frown at him.

"But dad..." I trail off, not wanting to repeat how I don't think he would approve, how he barely tolerated Ashton. To be fair, it wasn't Ashton specifically he disliked, just how being with him might screw up my life. George sighs again and looks me straight in the eye.

"Look Kat, I don't want you to take this negatively, but you have been worrying about your dad far too much. You have ever since your mother died. Your dad changed, I saw it, he was never quite the same. He spent all his time worrying about you or working, and even while he was working he somehow found the energy to worry about you at the same time. He loved you, more than anything, but he was very overprotective of his little girl. You know that. What you might not have noticed is that you have always been just as protective of him. Sure, he had a dangerous job, and there was nothing you could do about that. But you were worried he would work himself to death, that he would stop coming home or taking breaks. You knew that the only reason he ever bothered to take time off was to spend it with you." He says a serious expression on his face. I'm... Confused. I don't know what he wants me to take from this.

"I... I guess so." I agree, almost reluctantly. George takes my hand and gives it an encouraging squeeze.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but you knew that your dad needed you every bit as much as you needed him, probably more. You gave him a reason to live his own life. But because he depended on you so much, you've held back. You never considered going away to university, or moving into a place of your own." He says pointedly.

"My grades were never that great, and moving out takes money." I object half heartedly.

"Your grades were fine and if you wanted them to be better they would have been. You're a smart girl. As for money, you have a job and I know that you could work more if you wanted to. You could get a friend to move out with you and get a place. It's completely possible, and you've never even considered it. You don't need to pretend that you couldn't afford it. If you wanted to move out you would have made it happen. I glare at George, kind of annoyed. "Are you trying to say that my dad was holding me back?" I say darkly. George shakes his head.

"No, he would never have done that. Not on purpose at least. You chose to hold back, to take your time deciding what you want from life because neither of you were ready to be away from each other. There's nothing wrong with that. You got to spend time with him, and given how everything turned out I'm sure you appreciate that time more than ever. But that time is over. Even if you stay here things will never be the same again. No one is meant to stay the same forever Kat.. Change happens whether we're ready for it or not. A lot of the time change hurts, but it doesn't have to be all bad." He tells me gently. I relax once I realise that he isn't saying I was wrong to have not been more independent or ambitious. "So... What are you saying I should do?" I ask. I just want an answer to this problem. George gives me a sad smile.novelbin

"I'm not telling you what to do. I won't even tell you what I think you SHOULD do. Because all I want is the same thing your dad wanted. For you to be happy. If being happy means staying here, I will do everything I can to make sure that fae never takes you. I'll help you figure out how to live here, I'll even help your fae figure out how he can build a life here. But... If being happy means leaving that's alright too. You're a strong girl and you can build a life for yourself wherever you like. You can choose where you want to be happy Kat, and with whom. No decision that you make will be wrong, and if you don't like the outcome then you'll find a way to change it."