Rushing through the back door with a smile on my face, I felt a stab of disappointed at the greeting I received from the dark and empty kitchen. Unhappily, I set my bag on the table and dug the leftover soup from last night out of the fridge.
While I leaned against the counter waiting for it to warm, I wondered again about his coveralls. I’d never gotten an answer about them. He probably worked somewhere, which would explain the wallet with the GED and the driver’s license. But where? I could drive around and look for him, but I had no idea where to start looking.
Sighing, I settled at the table to eat and study. That he might have a job, didn’t bother me. That he bailed on what I considered our dinner night without a note or warning, did.
When he wasn’t home yet by six, I decided to head to the library to work on my speech. I needed the reference materials for research. Studying at the library without my pull thoroughly increased my efficiency. Thanks to the uninterrupted work, I finished my speech by eight and headed home.
The windows glowed with light and I felt a spark of excitement wanting to share my unusual experience at the library. Pulling into the driveway, I saw Rachel’s car already crowded the garage. It meant I couldn’t talk to Clay freely, but I could still manage to whisper to him when we went to bed.
Inside, Rachel sat on the couch alone, no sign of Clay. She claimed to have just arrived home herself and tried talking me into a movie. She didn’t mention Clay-the-dog so I told her I felt a little tired and went to bed early. I had no explanation for his disappearance and didn’t want her to worry. I hoped that she thought he already lay sleeping on my bed.
The next morning I woke snuggled up against Clay, who must have snuck in at some point during the night. Though Rachel technically turned on the heat on the first, she kept it low, which made Clay’s extra heat nice.
When the sleep cleared enough from my head, I realized he laid next to me on his back in… man form. I held still trying to decide how I felt about it. When I’d been sick, he’d done it to help me. There hadn’t really been a choice. I wasn’t sick now. But he wasn’t being weird about it. So should I really make a big deal out of it? I decided not to. Although warm feet felt nice, a warm all of me felt better.
Considerate, he wore a shirt and, though I wasn’t going to check, I felt sure he’d included shorts. I shifted my head from against his side to look up at him.
He lay with both arms behind his head. His hair again covered the majority of his face. I thought he’d gotten over that phase. He’d worn it back since Saturday whenever he turned man.
“It’s annoying not being able to see you,” I said in place of a good morning. I flipped to my stomach and propped myself up with my elbows to get a better look at him. “If you don’t talk, and I can’t see your face, how am I ever supposed to figure out what you’re thinking?”
I reached out to move some hair out of the way, but he stopped me in a blurred move, catching my wrist gently in his hand. He didn’t let me any closer. First, he ditches me on dinner night then he won’t let me touch him? The thought stopped me. I really hadn’t touched him before either, at least not as a man. Maybe he was like me, a little standoffish. I could understand that.
“Seriously, Clay, what kind of bribe is it going to take for you to get rid of some of that hair?”
He flashed his elongated canines at me again in explanation. “Can’t we at least trim it back some?” Okay maybe a lot, but I knew to start with baby steps.
He tugged my hand to his chest, laying it flat. I patiently allowed it. With him, everything was guessing or pantomime. His chest warmed my palm. So much for my theory about not wanting to be touched.
Using his free hand, he tapped my mouth. I frowned, perplexed.
“What, you want me to be mute like you?” I asked in disbelief. Was he hinting I talked too much?
He shook his head and reached out again. This time, he cupped my jaw and lightly ran his thumb over my bottom lip. I couldn’t see his eyes, but read his intent.
“Whoa!” I scrambled out of the bed as if it caught fire, but marginally calmed down when he stayed where I’d left him.
He turned his head to study me as I stood trembling dressed in a tank top and lounge pants beside the bed. I nervously rubbed a sweaty palm, the one that had moments before rested on his chest, against my leg. His whiskers twitched down. I couldn’t recall him frowning at me before.
I almost asked where this idea suddenly came from, but guessed it a long time coming. According to the Elders, when an unmated male finds his female, he begins a courtship of sorts. The end goal is to Claim his mate.