Page 32 of A Winter Crush

“Oh. She knows about us?”

The corner of Wareth’s lip tipped up. “She put it together.”

“And you wouldn’t mind? Me coming along?”

“No, I wouldn’t mind you coming.”

“Then I’ll come.”

They finished tidying up and exited the studio, walking towards Sariah’s house. Ori smiled. If Wareth was bringing him to his friend’s house, then maybe this was more to Wareth than just sex. At least, Ori hoped it was.

ChapterTwenty

Ori hefted the board of mugs onto his shoulder, leaving the studio. He walked around to the space beneath the awning. He placed the board on the dirt by the beehive-shaped brick kiln.

“I’m still not sure about your choice of glaze.” Ori wrinkled his nose at the plates and mugs that had been dipped into a dark-brown glaze. He could barely see the words and decorations Ori had spent so much time on.

“Don’t worry.” Wareth picked up each item and carefully loaded it into the kiln. “You’ll see.”

Ori wasn’t so sure. He’d never seen such an ugly shade of brown, but he held his tongue. “Why is the kiln outdoors and not in the studio?”

“In case it starts a fire.”

“What?”

Wareth chuckled. “Don’t worry. Haven’t had a fire here since I was an apprentice. But if there is a fire, it’ll be a lot easier to contain if it’s out here.”

The space around the kiln was clear and the awning quite high. He supposed if there was a fire, it wouldn’t have anything much to spread to. A large pile of logs stood to one side of the kiln, but they were a few feet away. “So tomorrow we light the fire and then what?”

“We make sure the fire gets hot enough, then we keep it hot enough until it’s done. Then we wait for it all to cool. We have to let it cool gradually or the pottery cracks. We’ll be able to have a break whilst we wait for the pottery to cool.”

“And what do you think we’ll get up to during that time?” Ori stepped closer, putting an extra little sway to his hips.

“None of that now!” Wareth warned, but a smile tugged at his lips. “Only after the kiln is finished firing.”

Ori laughed and, with a spring in his step, walked back to the studio to get another board. These days, he seemed to always be smiling.

Recently, he’d spent pretty much all his time with Wareth, except for his daily checks on his brother and aunties. His brother still seemed fine.

“Don’t worry,” Liney had said, giving his brother a playful shove. “You’re always worrying too much. Shouldn’t you be with your human potter?”

“Who told you about that?”

“Who do you think? Our aunties have been telling everyone in the valley,” Liney had laughed. “They’ve been talking about a bonding ceremony.”

“Yes, well…” Ori had cleared his throat. “You haven’t been coughing anymore?”

“I barely coughed once. I’m fine.”

“And you feel good?”

“I’m fine,” Liney had said as he’d left the cave. “Go back to your human.” He’d laughed.

And Ori’s aunties’ questioning was becoming more intense.

“Is he tall or short?” Aunty Suroth had asked.

“He’s tall and very broad.”