“We don’t talk all the time. But yes, I guess we do talk a lot.” Willow drew her hand away from his. “Look, it’s just being with another half-angel, and both of us being psychic. I suppose there’s a sort of bond between us, without us even thinking about it.”

“You really care about him.”

Her green eyes were steady. “Of course I do.”

“I mean, not just because he’s half-angel. Because he’s him.” Jesus, why was he doing this? Why couldn’t he just shut the hell up?

“Alex, will you—” Willow broke off, looking frustrated. “Yes. Okay? I care about Seb a lot. I’d care about him a lot even if he wasn’t half-angel. The fact that he is just makes it an even stronger connection. But I don’t—” She worked the screwdriver against the panel again, turning it almost angrily. “I don’t want that to make you feel pushed out, or ignored. I love you. My friendship with Seb has nothing to do with our relationship.”

“No, except that it feels like there’s three of us in it sometimes.” He’d been thinking that for weeks; it was a relief to finally say it.

“Alex.”

“Well, sorry, but it does. I hardly have any time with you now, do you realize that? We hardly had any time together before, and now we have even less. And even when we’re alone together—”

Her eyes had gone very large. “Even when we’re alone together, what?”

“You’re always thinking about him.”

“I—” She stopped abruptly, cheeks reddening. Flustered, she glanced down; he saw her swallow.

Alex stared at her. It was something he’d wondered, but hadn’t really believed. He’d expected her to tell him he was being ridiculous. “You do, don’t you?” he said slowly. “When we’re alone together, you’re still thinking about him. Do you think about him even when we’re—”

“No!” she burst out. “God, of course not! How can you even say that?”

“Well, I don’t know what to think! Help me out here, okay? How exactly are you thinking about Seb when we’re alone together?”

“I don’t! It’s – there’s this sort of link between us, that’s all. Like, I can see what he’s doing, or where he is in the house...” She trailed off at the look on his face.

“Say that again,” he said, the world ringing in his ears. “You have a link with him? You can psychically see whatever he’s doing?”

“Not all the time! Just – I might get a flash, sometimes.”

“Like when you’re thinking about him,” he said acidly, and saw her cheeks turn redder. “So what about him? Does he have this link too? Can he watch everything you do?”

“Alex, you’re getting totally the wrong idea about this, I promise you—”

“Answer the question!”