Page 48 of Holiday Wishes and Tentacle Dreams
Jake squeezed Doren tighter. That his grandmother had unconditionally accepted them was just another confirmation that Doren was a good person. Alien. A good alien.
Doren blinked a few times and then focused on Jake. “Ididbring a present for you. I had it crafted while I was waiting formy parents to make up their mind whether they were journeying here today. It took them forever to decide, even after Ren blackmailed them.”
Reaching into their pocket, Doren brought out a long, thin box wrapped in crinkly gold paper. It was beautiful, although Doren had little experience wrapping presents, if the amount of tape sticking out every which way was any sign.
Jake tore the paper open, revealing a smooth black jewelry box. He shook his head. “You shouldn’t have spent money on me, Doren, I?—”
“Stop being an idiot and open the damn present,” Gram barked out, shutting Jake up. He eyed Doren suspiciously, but cracked open the box.
Inside was a simple silver bracelet. The lights of Gram’s Christmas tree reflected off the jewelry, throwing sparks of light all around the living room and transforming it into a field of stars. For a moment, Jake just stared at it. It took him a few seconds to discover the words engraved upon it.
“By Your Side, as Long as You’ll Have Me.”
There was no hiding Jake’s tears now. They streamed down his face, the salty taste hitting his lips as they fell. “Doren…” he croaked.
“My apologies if, uh, if it’s too soon, if I’ve misread the signs.” Doren wrung their hands in their lap, staring at the floor as they spoke. “It is how I feel, but?—”
“Nonsense, silly thing,” Gram said, giving Jake a minute to recover. “It’s gorgeous. Jakey just needs to breathe for a sec.”
Jake nodded, not saying anything. He wiped away his tears, which were still falling but had slowed a bit. He ran his thumb over the engraved letters on the bracelet, forcing breath in and out of his body.
“It’s beautiful, Doren. Maybe the nicest thing anyone has ever given me.” For a moment, the image of Phil’s face flashed inhis mind. He couldn’t recall the man giving him anything more meaningful than a toaster oven. Which he took with him when he moved out.
Chasing the thought away, Jake stared deep into Doren’s eyes. “But you have to understand what you’re getting into.”
“Jakey—” Jake held up a hand to stop his grandmother. It would upset her, but he had to say the words.
“I’m not getting better. I have good days and bad, good months and bad. Medication can help. All the other stuff—exercise, meditation—all that can help. But it’s not a cure. You’ve seen how I can get. Despondent. Unable to get out of bed. What seems like a quirk right now won’t look so cute in five years, when I’ve lost my job because I couldn’t get myself to the office for two weeks straight.”
Gram was pushing herself out of her chair now, but Doren waved her off. Any traces of uncertainty on their face were gone, and they sat as solid as an ancient monument as they took both of Jake’s hands in their own.
“I am old, Jake. I have seen a lot of the world, and I’ve often been scared.Youhave never scared me. Never once have I felt afraid around you, not for myself, not for anyone else. Not for you. We haven’t known each other all that long but…I’m certain of you. I’m falling in love with you, Jake. Each of us has our secrets. You know mine. I know yours. I don’t find that terrifying; I find it liberating. I plan to be by your side as long as you’ll have me.”
Now it was Jake’s grandmother who was crying, wiping her tears with a tissue she retrieved from her bra. Jake made eye contact with her. He was feeling too much. He didn’t know what to do with it, and he hoped Gram might help him find his way out of the maze of his own emotions.
She wasn’t doing much better, the tears still coming. “Jakey,” she whispered, her compassionate voice broken by age and too much wine, “don’t be a fucking idiot about this.”
The problem was that it was all so new. Jake had never received such complete and honest devotion from a partner. Phil had certainly never been so unabashed. Jake had always been the one who was too much, too depressed, too particular, too hard to deal with.
But Doren didn’t hide behind a facade of sarcasm or forced indifference. Doren wastherewith him, and had been since the day they’d met. They’d never hidden or backed away. They just did what had to be done and were content to wait for him to catch up when he needed the time.
It was enough to make him ignore the whole tentacled alien shapeshifter thing.
Jake replaced the necklace back in its box and rested his hands on his thighs, palms up. Doren understood what he needed, grabbing his hands and squeezing them tight as he tried to find his voice.
“I think…I’m falling for you too, Doren. I may have already fallen. I’m scared. I’m worried that I’ll be too much for you, that all of it…I’m scared to want it as much as I do. But I can’t help myself.”
With that, Doren’s cool hands were on Jake’s face, their lips on his, soft and sweet and pulsing with emotion. Doren didn’t hold the kiss too long, considering Jake’s grandmother was sitting there watching them, but Doren kept their gaze locked to Jake’s.
“You will never be too much for me.” Doren brushed a finger across Jake’s cheek. “All the traits you dislike about yourself are a part of you. I could never despise any part of you. Please never try to cut away any piece of yourself, because I want it all. Every inch of you belongs to me.”
Chapter Sixteen
DOREN
The drive back to Linwood Falls was torture.
Jake’s grandmother had asked them to stay the night, and Doren had been willing, but they took one look at the hunger in Jake’s eyes and knew there wasn’t a chance of that happening.