Page 12
Story: Petty AF
More than a punishment for a perceived slight, the curse was an attack on his sense of self, a calculated way to strip him of agency. Not to silence him, but to turn his own voice against him, making it a liability.
Watching him wrestle with that realization gutted me.
Outside on the sidewalk, I caught him by the elbow and turned him to face me. “River, I’m sorry.”
“Why?” He tilted his head, his eyebrows drawn together to form a crease across his brow. “You didn’t do this.”
“No, but I should have…” I trailed off, unsure of exactly what I should have done.
Seen it coming? Prevented it? Never allowed him within twenty yards of Joss Weller in the first place?
While those things sounded good in theory, it seemed vaguely conceited to think I had that kind of control over other people. Additionally, anything I might have done afterwards in an attempt to rectify the situation would have only made things worse for him.
River shook his head. “This isn’t your fault.” Pulling his wrist free of my grip, he took my hand instead and squeezed it. “If anything, I should be apologizing to you. I’m sorry I dragged you into this.” He sighed and carded his fingers through his hair. “I should have kept my stupid mouth shut.”
We could go back and forth all night, divvying up the blame, but it wouldn’t solve anything. In reality, neither of us had done anything wrong. That didn’t make it feel any less shitty, though.
“It’s probably fine,” he added with a forced smile. “I’m sure it’s temporary. I mean, I’ll probably wake up tomorrow and be back to normal.”
I didn’t believe that for a second, and deep down, he likely didn’t either, but I’d let him hold on to that hope for now. Especially when we had other matters to discuss—like that kiss—and in this case, his lack of filter might actually be beneficial.
“So, we should probably talk.”
“Agreed, but just so you know, I’m very okay with being mated to you.” His face flamed, and he closed his eyes with a quiet groan. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to just blurt that out.”
Okay, fair, and I had sympathy for his embarrassment, but while he hadn’t intended to say it, I had needed to hear it. Though not naïve enough to believe that a fate bond meant the same thing to him as it did to me, knowing he didn’t hate the idea eased some of my worry.
In my experience, humans tended to have weird hangups about things like fate and destiny. Rather than a gift, they decried it as an intrusion, an attack on their free will, whereas shadelings took a more balanced approach. To us, a fate bond felt as instinctual as breathing, but we also understood that it took more than a spark to light a fire.
The fact that he had felt it and recognized it for what it was, however, surprised me. “You know?”
“Not at first, but I felt drawn to you ever since I first saw your picture on the MNSTR app. I was super nervous about meeting you, and I’ve wanted to climb you like a tree all night.”
His face turned so red that I legitimately worried that he might pass out right there on the sidewalk. He didn’t stop there, though.
“The kiss kind of sealed the deal because it’s not rational for me to want to claw someone’s face off for looking at you.” He took a deep breath that expanded his chest and let it out in a rush. “I would also really like to stop talking now and find somewhere to curl up and die, but that doesn’t seem to be possible.”
I had never heard someone speak with such raw truth, and while I hated the reason behind it, it would be a lie to say I didn’t enjoy hearing it. Still, no one should be forced to make those kinds of confessions. Just because he felt it didn’t mean he’d been ready to voice those emotions.
I made a silent promise to be more careful and precise with my questions in the future. At least until we could figure out how touncurse him. Right then, however, I could at least offer him the same honesty in return.
“Just so you know,” I said, echoing his words back to him with a smirk. “I am very okay with being mated to you as well.”
I could have left it at that. River likely wouldn’t have protested, but it also wouldn’t be fair. Realizing that didn’t make it any easier. I still struggled against my natural predisposition to shield myself from vulnerability, driving home how difficult this must be for him.
Taking a calming breath, I squeezed his hand and pulled him closer, letting his nearness and his scent ground me. “I’m sorry for how our first kiss came about, but I’m not sorry that it happened. I’ve been thinking about kissing you all night, and I’ve felt possessive of you from the moment you walked into the cafe.”
His eyes darted to mine, his expression softening as he swayed toward me. “Really? You’re not just saying that? You’re really okay with being mated to me?”
“Yes,” I answered without hesitation because I’d never been more certain of anything. His openness demanded my own, and in this moment, I wanted him to know exactly where I stood. “I don’t believe fate forces us into something we don’t want. It just gives us a little nudge in the right direction.” I grinned, closing the last bit of distance between us. “Right now, I like where it’s pointing.”
“Me, too,” he murmured, his shoulders sagging with obvious relief. “So…what now?”
The idea of being parted from him made me unreasonably angry, but thankfully, I no longer had to come up with clever excuses to keep him with me. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving!” He groaned dramatically. “Don’t rich people eat?”
Laughing, I threaded our fingers together and headed down the sidewalk, away from the hotel. River fell into step beside me,and we walked in silence for a few minutes, the noise of the city a steady hum in the background.
Watching him wrestle with that realization gutted me.
Outside on the sidewalk, I caught him by the elbow and turned him to face me. “River, I’m sorry.”
“Why?” He tilted his head, his eyebrows drawn together to form a crease across his brow. “You didn’t do this.”
“No, but I should have…” I trailed off, unsure of exactly what I should have done.
Seen it coming? Prevented it? Never allowed him within twenty yards of Joss Weller in the first place?
While those things sounded good in theory, it seemed vaguely conceited to think I had that kind of control over other people. Additionally, anything I might have done afterwards in an attempt to rectify the situation would have only made things worse for him.
River shook his head. “This isn’t your fault.” Pulling his wrist free of my grip, he took my hand instead and squeezed it. “If anything, I should be apologizing to you. I’m sorry I dragged you into this.” He sighed and carded his fingers through his hair. “I should have kept my stupid mouth shut.”
We could go back and forth all night, divvying up the blame, but it wouldn’t solve anything. In reality, neither of us had done anything wrong. That didn’t make it feel any less shitty, though.
“It’s probably fine,” he added with a forced smile. “I’m sure it’s temporary. I mean, I’ll probably wake up tomorrow and be back to normal.”
I didn’t believe that for a second, and deep down, he likely didn’t either, but I’d let him hold on to that hope for now. Especially when we had other matters to discuss—like that kiss—and in this case, his lack of filter might actually be beneficial.
“So, we should probably talk.”
“Agreed, but just so you know, I’m very okay with being mated to you.” His face flamed, and he closed his eyes with a quiet groan. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to just blurt that out.”
Okay, fair, and I had sympathy for his embarrassment, but while he hadn’t intended to say it, I had needed to hear it. Though not naïve enough to believe that a fate bond meant the same thing to him as it did to me, knowing he didn’t hate the idea eased some of my worry.
In my experience, humans tended to have weird hangups about things like fate and destiny. Rather than a gift, they decried it as an intrusion, an attack on their free will, whereas shadelings took a more balanced approach. To us, a fate bond felt as instinctual as breathing, but we also understood that it took more than a spark to light a fire.
The fact that he had felt it and recognized it for what it was, however, surprised me. “You know?”
“Not at first, but I felt drawn to you ever since I first saw your picture on the MNSTR app. I was super nervous about meeting you, and I’ve wanted to climb you like a tree all night.”
His face turned so red that I legitimately worried that he might pass out right there on the sidewalk. He didn’t stop there, though.
“The kiss kind of sealed the deal because it’s not rational for me to want to claw someone’s face off for looking at you.” He took a deep breath that expanded his chest and let it out in a rush. “I would also really like to stop talking now and find somewhere to curl up and die, but that doesn’t seem to be possible.”
I had never heard someone speak with such raw truth, and while I hated the reason behind it, it would be a lie to say I didn’t enjoy hearing it. Still, no one should be forced to make those kinds of confessions. Just because he felt it didn’t mean he’d been ready to voice those emotions.
I made a silent promise to be more careful and precise with my questions in the future. At least until we could figure out how touncurse him. Right then, however, I could at least offer him the same honesty in return.
“Just so you know,” I said, echoing his words back to him with a smirk. “I am very okay with being mated to you as well.”
I could have left it at that. River likely wouldn’t have protested, but it also wouldn’t be fair. Realizing that didn’t make it any easier. I still struggled against my natural predisposition to shield myself from vulnerability, driving home how difficult this must be for him.
Taking a calming breath, I squeezed his hand and pulled him closer, letting his nearness and his scent ground me. “I’m sorry for how our first kiss came about, but I’m not sorry that it happened. I’ve been thinking about kissing you all night, and I’ve felt possessive of you from the moment you walked into the cafe.”
His eyes darted to mine, his expression softening as he swayed toward me. “Really? You’re not just saying that? You’re really okay with being mated to me?”
“Yes,” I answered without hesitation because I’d never been more certain of anything. His openness demanded my own, and in this moment, I wanted him to know exactly where I stood. “I don’t believe fate forces us into something we don’t want. It just gives us a little nudge in the right direction.” I grinned, closing the last bit of distance between us. “Right now, I like where it’s pointing.”
“Me, too,” he murmured, his shoulders sagging with obvious relief. “So…what now?”
The idea of being parted from him made me unreasonably angry, but thankfully, I no longer had to come up with clever excuses to keep him with me. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving!” He groaned dramatically. “Don’t rich people eat?”
Laughing, I threaded our fingers together and headed down the sidewalk, away from the hotel. River fell into step beside me,and we walked in silence for a few minutes, the noise of the city a steady hum in the background.