Page 48 of Horn in My Side

MAL

Though his parents’ unexpected appearance had initially thrown him off balance, Mal had to admit it was not unwelcome. It had been months since he’d last seen them, and while he really should visit more often, there was never enough time between jobs.

Maybe if he’d come home or called more than just every few months, they wouldn’t have just shown up.

While initially elated to see them, having Jasmine there had sent him into a panic.

True, they said they wouldn’t hide their relationship from anyone, but he’d initially thought “anyone” encompassed those who lived within the greater Dewberry Falls area, not his kinfolk.

Seeing his parents and Jasmine in the same space was like watching two different universes collide, and, rattled from the shockwave, his flustered brain was not quick enough to stop his mouth from calling Jasmine his girlfriend.

Perhaps even more surprising, was that Mal didn’t mind it at all.

He honestly thought he’d run in the opposite direction.

But it all felt natural. Even last night, as they had dinner with his parents, as his mother kept saying things like “Mal, your girlfriend is so lovely” or “Jasmine, you sound like a great girlfriend”, he could not deny the warm sensation in his belly that spread all the way up to his hearts.

Jasmine, ever so gracious, didn’t correct his mother.

Was she angry that he had called her that?

Or did she not mind it? Did she think she was his girlfriend?

What would happen in a couple months—weeks, really—once she got her loan and he no longer needed to stay?

But what if I wanted to stay?

The more he thought about it, the more it sounded appealing.

It had been years since he’d had an actual home; his apartment in Burlington didn’t count as it really was more like a storage locker at this point.

Dewberry Falls had not only become comfortable, but somehow the community itself had wrapped around him like tree roots.

He even enjoyed his every-other-Thursday-night training with the Volunteer Fire Department and going out on calls.

And then, as always, his thoughts circled back to Jasmine. Beautiful, sexy, and sweet Jasmine, who was now staring at him from behind the register, one eyebrow raised.

“What?” he asked.

“You’ve been holding that for, like, two minutes.” She nodded at the screwdriver in his hand, the tip pressed against a screw in the corner of the shelf that held litter. “I’m no expert, but I think you need to twist it to work.”

“Er, yeah.” With quick movements, he tightened the loose screw. “There you go. Fixed that wobbly thing. Let me put all these bags back up.”

“I can do that.” Jasmine trotted over to him. “You’re going to be late for lunch with Morlak and Karak.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to join us? They’d be happy to see you again.”

“And so would I, which is why they promised to stop in and say hello when they drop you off,” she said. “But you haven’t been alone with them since they got here. You guys should have some privacy. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.”

He was always worrying about her, but that was a completely different matter. “All right. Want me to bring you back some pancakes?”

“Yes, please. I can have them for dinner.”

Kissing her on the temple, he ruffled her hair. “I’ll see you soon.”

His parents had stayed at Dreametime Motel the night before, so he suggested they meet at Pamola’s Diner. After taking their order, the lamia waitress slid off to put their orders in.

“How was your room?” Mal asked as he took a sip of the coffee.

“Surprisingly great,” his mother replied. “Even Karak thought so and he never gets any sleep when we travel.”

“It’s these damned hotel mattresses,” he grumbled. “Never the right firmness, and of course, we usually have to squash two king beds together to even get close to comfortable.”

“They put us in this room and it’s perfect. Didn’t even hit my head getting into the bathroom,” Morlak said with a laugh. “The chairs were comfortable too.”

Karak looked around them, at the various species occupying each table and booth. “I can see why Vrig settled here. It’s nice being not so different.”

Mal didn’t know why it had never occurred to him until they pointed it out, but it was true. Indeed, that’s why the town had been established, as he learned during the Founding Day Festival.

“So, Mal, have you heard back from the Orc Historical Society?”

A pit hollowed out in his stomach at the mention of the historical center job, but not for the usual reasons. “No, not a word,” he said, playing with the salt and sugar shakers on the table.

Karak frowned. “I’m not going to have to talk you off a ledge again, am I?”

“No, no, I’m . . .” He searched for the right words as he rotated the glass bottles on top of the red Formica table. “I’m good. All good. If it happens, it happens, if it doesn’t, then it’s not meant to be.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Morlak sounded relieved as well. “I know it means a lot to you. But you can’t keep your life on hold for them. If you did get it, Jasmine won’t be happy with you being gone for a long time. A girl like that doesn’t come along very often.”

“Don’t get on his case now, Morlak,” Karak said in a cautious tone. “We don’t even know if they’re serious. They’ve only been seeing each other a few weeks.”

“And what does time have to do with it, hmm? Need I remind you how soon after we met that you said you couldn’t live without me?”

Karak opened his mouth then shut it.

“Well, son, are you?” Morlak looked him in the eye. “Are you serious about her?”

“I . . .” His hearts collided into each other and then stumbled.

He was stupidly in love with Jasmine.

“That expression on your face answers my question.” Morlak smiled smugly. “Have you told her yet?”

“I think he’s just discovering it himself,” Karak added.

“I . . . I don’t know how to say it. Or when.” Panic crept in. “What if she doesn’t feel the same way?”

“Of course she does,” his mother said. “That girl loves you.”

“You’re more confident about it than I am, then.” Did Jasmine love him back? “You’re not just saying that because you’re my mother, are you?”

“No, I’m saying it because I’m a woman.”

“Trust her, Mal,” Karak piped in. “She’s been in love twice in her life now.”

Mal sent his stepfather a grateful smile.

Karak had readily accepted Mal as his own, accepted that he came part and parcel when he married Morlak.

But another reason Mal appreciated him was that he never tried to replace Mal’s father or even erase his existence.

Back home, the mantels and walls were still filled with his father’s photos and mementos, and Hargoth’s portrait sat side by side with their mating ceremony photo.

Morlak’s hand covered his. “You should tell her, when the time is right.”

“When?”

“You’ll know, son,” she said.

Before Mal could say anything else, the waitress came by with their order.

Though their lunch conversation topics turned to more lighthearted matters, like what happened to the neighbor’s cat or the next cruise his parents were planning, Jasmine remained in the back of Mal’s mind.

His hearts fluttered in anticipation, thinking about what to say to her and when.

Part of him wanted to blurt it out the moment he saw her, but another held him back, telling him to be patient and wait for the right time.

As they promised, Morlak and Karak stopped by Fantastic Tails to say goodbye to Jasmine before they drove back to San Francisco.

As they embraced, his mother whispered something in Jasmine’s ear, and the oddest expression appeared on her face.

For a moment, Mal thought Morlak had told her what he’d confessed, but he knew that his mother would never ruin that for him.

“So, that was a nice visit,” Jasmine said. “Everything okay, Mal? You seem quiet all of a sudden.”

I love you, Jasmine.

“I’m fine,” he said quickly. He wanted to say the words out loud, but they were stuck in his throat. He’d never felt like this with anyone, not even his one serious girlfriend that he’d brought home during the Orc New Year.

“Oh. I was wondering if—” She stopped short, her tongue licking at her lips.

“What?”

“Nothing.” She glanced down at her shoes.

“No, really. What is it? Did my mom . . . say something to you? Something bad?”

Her head snapped up. “What, oh no. She would never. She didn’t say anything bad, only that she’d never seen you so happy.” Her brown doe eyes stared up at him, boring into his very soul. “But, Mal, remember how you said I can be honest with you? And that you’ll do the same?”

“Yes.” The air from his lungs remained trapped in his chest.

“Well . . . I need you to . . . We have to . . .” She clucked her tongue. “We need to talk about the g-word.”

“The . . . g-word?” Confusion sent his head spinning. “What are you talking about?”

“The word . That you said. When you introduced me to your parents as your girlfriend.”

“Oh. Yeah, uh . . .” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “That kind of just came out. I didn’t really know what to say. But what do you think about it?”

She chewed at her bottom lip. “I mean, do we need labels for what we are?”

“No, but . . .”

This was it, this was the time to tell her. Do it, Mal.

His brain, however, told him not yet . Like Karak said, they had only known each other for a few months.

Besides, what if Jasmine didn’t feel the same way?

What if she didn’t want to commit to him in the first place?

This temporary setup had been her idea. Maybe she wanted to walk away at the end.

And the Historical Society could call him at any moment.

That job was within his grasp, and if he got it, then he’d have to leave, not just Jasmine, but this life in a small town that had, frankly, grown on him.

“Mal?”

Jasmine’s voice jolted him out of his thoughts. He still owed her an answer.

Be honest , he told himself. That’s what they promised each other.

“We see each other every day,” he began. “We eat nearly every meal together; you’ve slept in my bed more than yours for the last month. We don’t date or sleep with other people. I mean, what would you call that?”

Her face lit up. “I guess I’m your girlfriend. And you’re my . . . boyfriend.” She said it experimentally, like she was trying it on for size.

But did she like how it fit?

“You’re my boyfriend,” she stated again, now in a more resolute voice.

“Good.” He liked the sound of it, the feel of it. While the l-word remained in his mind, for now, he would take things slowly with Jasmine, even though it killed him not to let her know. Yes, he would keep it to himself for now and tell her when the time was right.