Page 33 of A Winter Crush

“He won’t crush you, will he?” Aunty Suroth had pressed her lips together. “He’s careful of you?”

“Are you sure we can’t just come and get a quick look at him, Ori?” Aunty Lela had asked. “We could wait until he is sleeping and just peek through the window.”

Ori had opened his mouth but wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

“Solstice is only a few days away. I’m sure we could wait until then,” Aunty Yelan had said. She’d looked at Ori, tilting her chin. “Then we can see if this potter is good enough for our Ori.”

Ori was grateful to his Aunty Yelan for her willingness to wait until the Solstice, even if she seemed to be ready to judge Wareth. He just hoped his aunties didn’t scare Wareth away when they finally met.

For the next few minutes, Ori went back and forth until he had carried all the Solstice mugs and plates out. Then he just watched Wareth pack the kiln. He loved watching Wareth work, and it seemed it didn’t matter what Wareth was doing. Perhaps he just liked watching Wareth.

“Do you want me to help with anything?”

“Nah. It’s a one-person job. And it takes some time to learn how to stack the kiln properly, so it’s not useful unless you’re planning to stay around.”

The air left Ori’s lungs. It felt like he’d been kicked in the chest.

Why doesn’t Wareth think I’m sticking around? Does he not want me to?

Ori thought that after all this time, Wareth knew how much Ori cared for him. But perhaps Wareth just wanted Ori to leave. Perhaps this was his way of telling Ori that he didn’t want him around anymore.

He’d been happy. They’d been happy. Or so Ori thought.

Was it something I did?

Ori tried to hold his tongue, but the pain boiled up and the words spewed forth from his mouth. “Of course. What’s the point of teaching me something since you’ll want me gone after Solstice?” He didn’t even try and keep the bitterness from his words.

Wareth’s shoulders tensed. He turned towards Ori. “Ori, I didn’t mean it like that… I…just… You’re…” He gesticulated with his hands.

“What? Only good to fuck for a couple of weeks?”

Wareth’s mouth fell open. He shook his head, eyes wide.

But Ori wasn’t done. “You’ve had your fun with the pretty little oread; now time to get rid of him. And the kiln is practically packed, so you don’t even need my assistance in the pottery studio anymore.”

“No!” Wareth stepped towards him. “Nothing like that. I just… I just…figured you’d be getting bored by now.”

Ori threw his hands up. “Why do you keep saying that? Why would I get bored? Have I ever done anything to make you think I would?”

“You’re young! And vibrant!” Wareth said. “Why would you want to stick around with me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Ori yelled, stepping towards Wareth. Why did Wareth always doubt him?

Wareth shook his head, staring at the dirt at his feet. “Someone left me. Years ago.” Wareth rubbed his shoe at the dirt. “We’d been together most of our lives, and then one day, he just left. I wanted to go with him, but he didn’t want me to. He didn’t want me.” He gazed into Ori’s eyes. “If I couldn’t keep him, how could I keep you? You could do so much better than a grumpy potter like me.”

Ori strode to Wareth, grasped his face in his hands, pulled him down, and kissed him, trying to convey to Wareth just how he felt. He broke the kiss but didn’t release Wareth’s face. Wareth’s brown eyes held so much vulnerability.

“I want to stay with you. I want to stay with you because I love working with you. I love watching you work. I love just sitting with you and being in your presence. And although I do love the sex, it’s so much more than that. And I…”And I love you.Itwas on the tip of Ori’s tongue, but it was too soon. They’d only known each other for a couple of weeks.

“And you make me happy. You might think I’m too young, but I’m not. I know what I want. I’ve yearned for someone like you, someone stable, someone who makes me feel safe and protected. And I want to give us a real chance. Will you give us a chance too?”

Wareth let out a breath. “I’m sorry.” His hand clutched at the side of Ori’s neck, his thumb rubbing Ori’s skin. “I want to give us a chance too.”

Ori kissed him again, hope lifting his chest. He just hoped Wareth meant it.

ChapterTwenty-One

Wareth lay back, contented and boneless. Ori grabbed a clean rag from the pile that they now kept by Wareth’s bed. He wiped off himself and Wareth and tossed the rag on the floor. He collapsed, half on top of Wareth.