Page 19 of The Jorogumo (The Sanctuary #2)

Haruto

We strolled hand in hand for a few minutes, turning onto a less crowded street so we could talk.

Liam was lost in his thoughts, and I squeezed his hand, leaning into him. "Liam? You okay?" He hummed, but didn't speak, so I prompted him. "What did you mean back there?"

Liam sighed, like he'd been hoping I would forget, and I wouldn't have mentioned it, if not for how sad he'd looked when talking about it.

He'd frozen solid when that man started hitting on him, but while he'd looked uncomfortable, he'd also seemed sad, which I couldn't quite make sense of.

"I wasn't actually talking about wild bears, you know." His lips curved upward as he spoke, and I was glad to see him smiling again, even if it was nowhere near as bright as his usual smiles .

"No?"

He shook his head, then glanced over at me. "I love how eclectic your knowledge about human pop culture and slang is. It's fascinating."

I raised a brow at him, easily catching onto his deflection.

Smiling, sheepishly, he sighed. "See, in the gay community, there are a few labels, stereotypes, whatever. People who look like me, they're called bears. And people who look like the guy who was hitting on me are called twinks."

"Why would you need a label specifically for your looks?" I asked, confused, and he smiled.

"It's a human thing, Haruto. People have certain types, you know. Some like bears, others like twinks, and so on."

I could understand that, even if I couldn't relate. For me, interest was always based on personality, though that didn't mean I couldn't appreciate a good-looking person. I only had eyes for one good-looking man now.

"Okay, and you don't like being seen as a bear?"

Liam frowned, then shook his head. "It's not that part I have a problem with. It's the expectations behind the label. People expect bears to be the more dominant of the partners, or the top."

"And you're not," I concluded easily, smiling in sympathy. "You don't like being hit on by twinks because it makes you think about how others see you."

"I...yeah," he said, shooting me a look. "That's pretty much it. Not that I want to be hit on by anyone at all. I love you, and I'm not looking for anyone else. It just reminded me that people will always assume things about our relationship when they see us together."

"Except in the Sanctuary," I reminded him, and finally, finally he smiled .

"That's true. No one at the Sanctuary has ever been intimidated by me. Not even the humans."

"Because they can tell you're a sweetheart," I said with a shrug, and he chuckled, his cheeks turning pink.

"Sorry I cut our visit short," he said after a few minutes of walking in silence, and I waved him off.

"The music was starting to get to me. You think it was loud? Try listening to it with supe hearing." I shuddered in remembrance, and he gave me a sympathetic look. While I could block out most of the noise, it still put a strain on my ears. "I did meet a dragon, though."

Liam blinked, then shook his head. "Wait, did you say dragon ? Like big, scaly, breathes fire?"

"Yep, the bartender, Nolan. Though I'm not certain he's a fire dragon."

Liam's eyes went wide as saucers. "The guy with the lip piercings?" I nodded, and Liam shook his head again. "Wow. A fucking dragon." Then he snorted. " The Lair . Makes perfect sense now."

"I believe it was his way of welcoming supes into the place," I mused, and Liam nodded.

"We should tell the others. I'm sure they'd like to have a supe-friendly club to go to."

"Yes. I will tell the others. Especially the headmaster." Our headmaster was always looking for new supes to 'network' with, so that any supe who needed a safe place could get in touch with him.

Liam hummed, and we turned around on the next street to head toward the Sanctuary.

"Will you stay the night?" I asked, glancing over at him, and he pursed his lips in thought before nodding .

"I think I'm a little drunk," he said, then promptly gave a hiccup.

He'd only had the one whiskey, so it made me smile to see what a lightweight he was. It was cute. Everything about Liam was.

"Well, once we get home, you can sleep it off."

Liam blinked at me owlishly, then smiled widely. "Home. I like that."

My breath caught in my chest. Did he mean that the way I thought he did?

"Yeah? What do you like about it?"

"Everything. I wish it was my home too." He mumbled the last part, as if not intending for me to hear.

Did that mean he'd be open to the idea of moving in with me?

Neither of us said anything as we finally reached the Sanctuary, and I opened the door, letting us in.

Once we were in the brightly lit hallway that led to all the areas, Liam turned to look at me, his eyes scanning me from the top of my head to my shoes.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to change back?" he asked, eyeing my legs pointedly, and I smiled.

"I will, but I need to get out of these shoes and pants first, so I'll do it once we're at my place."

Liam nodded, then started leading the way, stepping through the Forest door.

We both inhaled deeply once we were inside. The night air here was so much...cleaner than outside. No pollution, no dust in the air, just a faint scent of flowers and the slightest bit of chill .

I waved at Zamir, who was sitting cross-legged on the grass with Keoni, both of them looking up at the stars. Keoni's cart sat near a tree behind them, his legs folded under him as he leaned against Zamir.

Since Keoni had hit seventeen—the maturity age for most supes—he'd started trying to read the stars, to figure out if he could predict the future like other centaurs. If his herd hadn't kicked him out, he would've been trained in the art, but I knew he could learn even without the guidance. He was one of the smartest people I knew.

Both of them smiled as we walked past, and Liam glanced over at me.

"I really like Keoni. He's so sweet and cheerful."

"That he is. He's the baby of this place, though not very fond of that title."

Liam smiled, and I imagined the two of us making this trip every evening, curling up together in my hammock every night. Nothing else compared to the comfort and satisfaction that image filled me with.

Liam

I had to rush back to open the store the next morning, and I was glad I'd only had that one drink. The day was turning out to be more hectic than I'd expected, and I would not have done well with a hangover.

Even so, my feet were killing me by lunch time, and I decided to hunker down in the back office and just rest for a bit. I had lunch from the Sanctuary—they really spoiled me—and as I ate that, I thought about last night .

Despite the way our visit ended, I'd had fun at the club, and I wouldn't mind going there again. Maybe we could go as a group with some of the other supes?

After lunch, I called Mrs. Warner and told her I wanted to buy the store, but that she needed to tell me the actual price. I didn't need a discount since I'd decided to take Haruto up on his offer. It wasn't easy to do, but I had to remind myself that things were different for him. He'd been saving for decades, and he didn't care that we'd only been dating for a month. We were mates, and to him, that meant we were forever.

Not that I didn't want the same, but I didn't share his conviction. I'd had too many failed relationships for that, and I still doubted my ability to hold on to him.

Mrs. Warner was ecstatic, of course, and she rattled off a number that honestly made me a little dizzy. I decided I'd tell Haruto when I could see his face, so I'd know if he wanted to change his mind.

Diego came in just before closing time, and I smiled as the familiar tak-tak-tak of his cane preceded him.

"Hey, Diego. How have you been?"

Diego grinned widely as he came in, leaning against the counter like usual. "I'm good, I'm good. What about you? How's Haruto?" he asked with a waggle of his brows, and I blushed, remembering the time Diego had 'caught' us making out. Even though it made me feel a little shitty, I was glad Diego's vision wasn't good enough for him to notice Haruto's more…unusual qualities. He'd told me once that he had practically zero vision in places that weren't brightly lit, and could see the faintest outlines of things when he was somewhere bright.

"We're good. He, uh, he told me he loves me. "

Diego's grin widened even more, his white teeth bright against his dark skin. "Liam! I'm so happy for you! Did you say it back?"

"Of course. He's amazing. How could I not?"

"I need to meet him again, properly this time. Gotta make sure he's on the up and up," he joked, and I chuckled.

"We can get together at the bakery one of these days."

"Sounds good. Just text me the time and place."

"Will do."

We chatted about books after that, and random things that came to mind, and it felt good to talk about normal things with my friend. Ever since meeting Haruto, my life had been full of magic and supernatural beings, and talking to Diego made me feel connected to the human world again.

After he left, I closed the shop, then made my way upstairs to my apartment. Haruto and I didn't have plans to meet today, which was rare for us. We'd seen each other practically every day since we started dating, and while we'd texted, neither of us had brought up our evening plans. Maybe a day apart would be good for us. Distance makes the heart grow fonder and all that jazz.

By the time I climbed under the sheets, I was starting to miss the warmth and solidity of Haruto's body beside mine. I missed his arms around me, and his soft breaths against my ear. Could I seriously not spend even a day away from him? Was this because of our bond or just because of how much I loved him? Were they even two different things?

My phone buzzed, and I practically leaped for it, almost falling off the bed in my haste.

Haruto : Are you asleep?

Me : No .

Haruto : I thought you might need some space, but I really miss you.

Me : Why would I need space?

Haruto : I'm not good at sticking to a human pace. I was worried I was rushing you.

Me : You're not. And I miss you too.

There was silence for a long moment, and then my phone buzzed again.

Haruto : Can I come over?

I had to type and erase three times because I kept getting the simple words wrong in my haste, but I finally managed to send him a text.

Me : Yes please!

Haruto : Be there in ten.

Putting my phone away, I struggled to my feet, then glanced down at myself. I was dressed down in an old Marvel t-shirt with frayed edges and a few holes near the hem, and shorts that ended just below my thighs. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing clothes like these in front of people, but Haruto was...he was different.

Taking a deep breath, I shook myself, then went downstairs to unlock the door. The apartment didn't have an outside exit, so I had to open up the store to let Haruto in.

Like he'd promised, he showed up in less than ten minutes, dressed in another button-down and the same jeans he'd worn to the club.

He stepped inside, and I locked up after him before turning to face him. My cheeks heated up when his eyes roamed over me, and a smile curved his lips.

"You look cute."

"Don't make fun of me," I grumbled, tugging at the hem of my t-shirt .

His brows shot up, and he closed the distance between us, placing a possessive hand on the small of my back and tugging me forward. "I'm not, sweetheart." Then he kissed me, and I would've forgiven him for anything.