Chocolate & Caffeine Capitulation

Meredith felt a sudden sting in her thumb. She pulled it free from her teeth and peered at the bleeding digit. Using her magic she healed the jagged skin.

            “Shit,” she muttered to herself. The nail biting was new, but at least she’d limited the new, horrible habit to just her thumb. For now.

            Too bad magic couldn’t grow back fingernails. Since that wasn’t an option, she used a glamour spell to make the chewed nail look longer, hiding the evidence of her new habit. Then she magically applied a new coat of shiny polish. She wondered whether it would be considered cheating if she changed the nail polish to taste like chocolate. No one would know, but then she might bite them more if they tasted like—

            “Meredith!”

            She jerked her head up to look at Morgana, her sister’s brows narrowed with impatience. “What?”

            Morgana huffed out a breath. “I called your name three times! You were so lost in your head, it’s like you forgot I was even here.” She held up her mug, as if Meredith needed the reminder they’d been having coffee together, and maybe she did because she’d been so distracted. “Enough of this! Rowena was right.”

            “Right about what?” Maybe if she feigned ignorance, Morgana would drop the subject.

            “Meet me in the back room,” Morgana said before flashing away.

            Meredith hadn’t missed that her sister didn’t say what their cousin was right about. Nor did she say why they needed to go to the back room.

            In the past two years, the females in her family had taken to congregating in the back room of their restaurant’s kitchen whenever they had deep things to talk about. The meetings never started off as just a time to chat and catch up. Although they usually ended with copious amounts of wine and chocolate, which was a bonus.

            Mmm, chocolate. Her mouth watered at the thought of biting into a huge chunk of milk chocolaty goodness. She’d let it melt and coat her entire tongue so she could enjoy the richness of it for as long as possible.

            Or she could conjure enough M&Ms to cover the small table and sort them by color. Then she’d eat one color at time, savoring each small, delectable, candy-coated piece.

            With visions of chocolate in her mind, she prepared to flash when she remembered there would be no chocolate for her today.

            Meredith shook her head to dispel her sudden sadness. She didn’t need chocolate, so she wasn’t going to eat any.  It had probably been a stupid idea to have given it up in the first place since she was already healthy. Not like some chocolate would make a difference, but she’d promised herself. With her promise firmly in her mind, she flashed to the hidden alcove to the side of the kitchen.

            When she was only a few steps from the door, Rowena called her in. “Hey, sweetie. Jo is already here. Please come in and close the door.”

            Meredith hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she would be able to stick to her resolve if the meeting ended the way all the others usually did.

            “Oh no, you don’t,” her sister said, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the room. The door shut behind them.

            Morgana pulled out a chair and motioned for her to take it.

            Meredith had a sneaking suspicion she knew what this meeting was all about. She sat down and looked over at her cousin Jo, who just shook her head.

            “I’m here,” Meredith said, holding her hands in her lap so she wouldn’t be tempted to bite her thumbnail. She glanced at Isabella and then Morgana before settling her gaze on Rowena.

            Rowena pulled out a chair, tucking her long skirt beneath her as she sat. “Meredith, Jo… we love you and we’re all worried about you. You’ve both changed. You’re angry and distracted. It’s been ten days, and we…” Isabella and Morgana moved around the table to stand on either side of Rowena, flanking her chair like sentinels. “We think this has gone on long enough.”

            “No. I won’t give up,” Jo said. “I made a promise to myself, like Meredith did, to be healthier.”

            Isabella chuckled. “You were drunk on wine when you made that promise.”

            “Exactly. Maybe I should have promised to give that up, too, and not just caffeine.” Jo dropped her forehead to the table with a soft thud, the movement so full of drama that Meredith knew Jo was going to relent. Jo lifted her head and raised her eyebrows, her brow piercing glinting in the soft light. “Mer?”

            “Look, it’s January tenth. Like you said, it’s only been ten days. Have we really been that bad?” Meredith asked, glancing at each of the women in the room.

            “Bad?” Morgana’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, you can’t concentrate, and you’re biting your thumb nail, which you never do. This morning you made it bleed, and don’t tell me you didn’t! I saw the blood before you healed it. And your own husband is avoiding you because you keep snapping at him!”

            Meredith winced, knowing it was true. “I thought I could do it.”

            “But, sweetie, that’s the point. You don’t need to do it.” Rowena reached over and placed her hand on top of Meredith’s. “There was no reason for you to give up chocolate. You love it and you don’t need to give it up to be healthy.”

            “Don’t forget about Jo thinking it would be a good idea to give up her beloved coffee,” Isabella said on a laugh. “I thought she was going to bite the server’s head off when we had lunch yesterday. And all he did was ask if she wanted some coffee.”

            With another dramatic show, Jo dropped her head to the table once more. She softly banged her forehead twice before sitting back upright. “Okay, you’re right. Don’t ever let us ever make New Year’s resolutions again. Especially when we’re drunk.”

            Meredith didn’t want to go back on a promise to herself. “Look, I get that I’ve been a bit testy, but—”

            “A bit?” Morgana screeched. “Are you kidding—”

            “They need some incentive,” Isabella said, moving over to Morgana and putting her hand on her shoulder to stop her tirade.

            “Meredith, Jo, you don’t need to give up anything. I get that you made these goals because you think you need to be better, but you’re both perfect just the way you are.” Isabella waved her hand toward the table, and five large mugs appeared. Meredith could tell one was her favorite latte, just from the smell wafting over to her. It wasn’t chocolate, but her mouth watered just the same.

            “Oh, fantastic idea,” Rowena said as she waved her hand. A box of assorted Belgian chocolates landed beside the cups.

            “Let me sweeten the pot,” Morgana said and laughed at her pun as she directed her hands at the table. A bowl of chocolate M&M’s and a demitasse, which Meredith guessed held a double shot of espresso, appeared.

            “Okay, fine!” Jo blew out a breath, and her purple bangs fluttered as she picked up the delicate espresso cup and brought it to her nose to inhale before lifting it toward the middle of the table. “Here’s to never making drunk resolutions again!”

            As everyone toasted Jo with their coffees and said “cheers!”, Meredith held up her cup but didn’t speak. She was too busy enjoying the first bite of chocolate she’d had in ten days.