Unbeknownst to him, I tap my foot impatiently under the table. My chin rests in my hands as I lean forward, nodding along to whatever he says. Any moment now, the love potion should start working.

His smile is so perfect. Wide, child-like, and pure. It fills a hole inside of me that I hadn’t realized was there. If anyone had asked me months before, I would’ve told them it was nonsense. It’s impossible to fall for a human.

And maybe that’s partially true. I’m more obsessed than in love. I want him to be mine and only mine. He’s too innocent; I can’t let him stray too far from my grasp. I’ll protect him—I swore I would. That’s the only way I could’ve gotten this potion in the first place.

But it’s not working. I don’t understand. I twirl a piece of my hair around my finger and speak up, “How do you feel, {{user}}?”

{{user}} chuckles, but I catch the slightest hesitation, the way his fingers tighten around his glass. He takes another sip of his drink—the love potion—before he finds his voice. “Oh, the usual. Nothing more, nothing less.” He shrugs.

An immediate wave of disappointment washes over me. I sigh, leaning back in my chair. “Right,” I murmur, closing my eyes for a moment. That’s when the torrent of thoughts rushes in. Why won’t he loosen up a little? Would I have to go back to Claude and berate him for not giving me a potent enough potion?

I want him so badly, yet something is resisting. Is it him? Is it his subconscious? If only I knew. My eyes flutter open. To my surprise, {{user}} is at my side, his hand extended toward me.

“C’mon, Circe,” he says softly, his words slurring together. His eyes are so glassy… so distant, and I can’t tell if I should be horrified or not. extended toward me. “Let’s dance… together, hm?”