Page 3 of The Jorogumo (The Sanctuary #2)

Haruto

It'd been two months since the first time I visited Liam's store, and we'd become good friends since then. I enjoyed talking comics with him, and after the first time we'd spent hours talking—after Silas had conveniently forgotten to pick me up at our pre-decided time—I'd shared many more conversations with Liam, both in person and over text.

Most of our text conversations started with one of us sending a superhero-related meme to the other, and evolved into something completely different by the end of it.

Last night, he'd texted me that he'd finally gotten his hands on one of the three rare comics on my list he'd been on the lookout for, so after breakfast, I decided to head over to his store.

I'd made the trip enough times by now that I could do it on my own, but that wasn't safe in case the wheelchair malfunctioned, or something else went wrong. Not revealing ourselves to the humans was the one rule no supe was allowed to break, and beings like us who couldn't hide behind a human form had to be extra careful.

Luckily, Touya was heading into town and happy to join me to the store. Touya, a human who could see supes because of some latent supe blood in his family line, was mated to Silas, and much less nosy than his half-troll mate.

"I'll be done in two hours or so. Will you be okay to wait until then?"

"Of course. Liam and I are friends," I explained, waving toward the shop, and Touya peered through the glass, his brows shooting up.

"He looks a little scary."

"So does Silas," I reminded him pointedly, and his cheeks went pink.

"You're right. Sorry, I didn't mean to be a judgy ass."

"It's okay. Do you want to come in and say hi?"

"Maybe when I pick you up?" Touya suggested, and I nodded.

After he'd left, I wheeled up the ramp and pressed the button on the recently installed pole, smiling when the doors opened with an automatic whir. Liam hadn't mentioned why he'd decided to install it, and I hadn't asked, but I was glad for it. It made it so much easier to get in and out of the store, and I liked that I didn't need to ask for help.

"Hey, Haruto! You came!"

"I just came for my comic," I joked, making him chuckle.

"Well, it's right here, safe and sound. I found it at a yard sale of all things."

"Really? "

Liam widened his eyes, splaying his hands wide as he spoke. "I know, right? The man who owned the house died, and his family was selling his stuff off. They had no idea how expensive his collection could be if sold at the right place. I felt a little guilty about buying it so cheap, but I figured if the old man wanted his family to get more money, he'd have told them how much they were worth."

The speed of Liam's words told me he still felt a little guilty, so I wheeled closer to his chair and patted his hand, giving him a smile. "That's right. You paid the price they asked for, so it's not your fault."

"I also bought some issues for myself. And some for the used comics section. I'm not planning to make any profit on them, though."

"It wouldn't be wrong even if you did," I assured him, and he gave me a small smile.

"Thanks."

Liam told me about some of the rarer issues he'd found, and how he would've liked to have known that older man when he was alive.

"His collection was amazing. I bet he'd have some great stories to tell about some of the earlier comics."

"Maybe you could host an event of some kind? Where comic readers of all ages can come together and talk?" I suggested, and Liam pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"Maybe. I'd need to find some way to promote it, though. Social media probably wouldn't reach many of the older folks."

"What about newspapers?"

Liam blinked, then brightened. "You're right! My grandfather used to get the paper every day, right up until the day he died."

"I'm sorry to hear that. "

Liam waved me off, making a face. "He and I didn't get along. No room in his life for a pansexual grandson unwilling to marry the girl chosen for him."

Ah, humans and their discrimination. And no, I wasn't happy to hear that he was pansexual. Why would I be?

Changing the topic, Liam and I started swapping ideas about what he could offer at one of these events, and how he could make it profitable not only for the store, but for the community as well.

I suggested as many ideas as I could come up with, and it was during one of those moments when I was speaking that I felt it. It was faint, barely strong enough for me to sense, to taste , but it was there. Desire. Lust.

Surprise had my words drying up, and I stared at Liam, shocked. It wasn't the fact that Liam was feeling desire toward me that had me feeling such shock—though it wasn't expected either—but the fact that his desire didn't make me feel uncomfortable.

Every single time anyone had expressed desire toward me, I'd felt uncomfortable. But not now. Not with Liam.

With Liam, I felt...hungry. I wanted more. I wanted to consume his lust in a way I'd never wanted anyone else's. I still didn't want him in quite the same way as he wanted me, but I wanted him nonetheless.

"Haruto? You okay?"

Liam's desire tasted like the most delicious dessert, and I'd gotten just a lick of it.

There could be only one reason for how good his lust tasted, for how much I wanted more of it. How I hadn't realized it until now was a mystery.

As I watched the confused look on his face, as I thought about all the time we'd spent together, and all the time I'd spent thinking of him when we were apart…it couldn't have been more obvious.

Liam was my mate.

Liam

Something had just happened, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what.

Haruto had been telling me another of his ideas for the event we'd spontaneously come up with, and I'd been thinking about how stunning he looked with his eyes all bright with excitement. My eyes had flickered down to his moving lips, and I'd found myself wondering what they tasted like.

Had Haruto somehow sensed my wandering feelings? Had I been too obvious in my appraisal? Had I made him uncomfortable?

"Haruto?"

He blinked a few times, then shook his head and gave me a smile. "Sorry, I got caught up in my thoughts. Where were we?"

I watched him for a moment, unsure if he was telling the truth. He gave me an easy smile in return, and I relaxed slowly with a nod.

We talked about the event for a bit more, but then his friend arrived, his steps hesitant as he walked into the store.

"Liam, this is my friend, Touya. Touya, this is Liam, the manager of this store and also my friend." I returned Haruto's smile before smiling at Touya, who gave me an awkward little wave.

"Hey, Touya. It's nice to meet you."

"You too," he said with a smile, then turned to Haruto. "Ready to go? "

Haruto's eyes flicked up to me, lingering for a moment with an unnamed emotion I couldn't read, before he glanced away.

"Yep, let's go." Looking up at me, he smiled. "Talk later?"

I nodded, and watched them leave. I couldn't help feeling like something had changed between us. I couldn't tell what, but something had happened. I was sure of it.

I grew even more sure of it when my text to Haruto that evening went unanswered. Had I messed everything up somehow?

I adored my friendship with Haruto, and I didn't want to lose it. While I did find him attractive, his friendship was a lot more important to me. I wanted him in my life, and that was it.

When two days had passed without a reply, I decided to put all my twisting emotions into words.

Me : Hey, Haruto. I don't know what happened, but I can tell something is bothering you. If it's something I did, I'm sorry. I like being your friend, and I don't want to lose your friendship. If there's anything I can do to make things right, please let me know.

Maybe he wouldn't read this text at all. Or maybe he'd already blocked me and he planned to never return to the store.

A customer walked in while I was still staring at my phone, and I put it away, waiting somewhat impatiently as they perused the shelves before grabbing a recent release and walking over to the counter. I billed them quickly and sent them on their way, pulling my phone out as soon as the door closed.

No reply.

The door opened before I could plunge myself into my spiraling thoughts again, and I glanced up, for some reason hoping it was Haruto. Instead, it was another of my regulars, Diego. He'd been coming to the store for just shy of two years, and while he never bought any comics, he was still one of my favorite customers. Seeing him made me feel just a little better, and I smiled as I greeted him, knowing he'd hear it in my voice even if he couldn't see it.

"Hey, Diego! Looking good in that red shirt." He was wearing a very blue, soft-looking shirt, his dark hair framing his face in gentle waves, and his soft hazel eyes sparkling bright as always.

Diego grinned like he always did when I made that joke, and approached the counter, the click-click of his cane a familiar and somewhat comforting sound.

"Hey, Liam. You look as handsome as ever," he shot back with a cheeky smile, making me chuckle. He held his phone out to me, then crossed his arms on the counter and rested his chin on them.

Familiar with our routine, I swiped the phone open and went into his notes app, finding the list of audiobooks he wanted to purchase. While he could navigate most of his phone on his own with the voice assist, he had trouble with the audiobook app he used sometimes, and after purchasing the wrong books a few times too many, he'd approached me when the Maps app had told him about my shop.

I had a feeling he'd have been too scared to approach me if he could see me, but that first meeting had led to this becoming a twice-a-month thing for us.

"Wow, you've been burning through these, huh?"

"Yep. My bank account officially hates me," he said cheerfully, making me chuckle.

I quickly purchased all the audiobooks in his list, double-checking the titles of a few I thought the voice-to-text had gotten wrong.

"Thanks, Liam. You're the best. "

"It's not a problem, Diego. You know I'm happy to help."

Diego smiled, then tilted his head. "Is everything okay?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

"You sound a little...sad."

I blinked, surprised he could tell. I hadn't thought he knew me well enough to be able to tell that, but then again, he had been coming to the store for two years now. Maybe we weren't as close as Haruto and I—which was strange, considering I'd known Diego for much longer—but we were friends.

"Uh...a friend of mine isn't talking to me, and I can't figure out what I did wrong."

"Why do you think it's because of something you did wrong?" he asked with a furrowed brow, and I stared at him, speechless.

I'd just assumed it was because of me, because I'd been thinking of kissing him when it happened. But Haruto had seemed okay afterward, and he hadn't really mentioned anything before he left. Could it be that his silence had nothing to do with me?

"Uh, I don't know."

Diego smiled, and reached out, searching for a moment before he patted my hand. "Don't worry so much, big guy. They could be dealing with some crap of their own. Just wait until you hear back. I'm sure they'll tell you all about it when they're able to."

"I suppose you're right."

"I know I am."

I rolled my eyes at him, and he smacked my hand. "Don't you roll your eyes at me."

"How did you—"

"I have my ways." He winked at me, and I shook my head. I knew he wasn't completely blind—very few people were—but I also knew his sight wasn't good enough for him to catch me. He just had really, really good instincts.

My phone buzzed a few minutes after Diego had left, and I almost dropped it in my rush to unlock it.

Haruto : Hey, Liam. You didn't do anything. I'm just dealing with some...stuff. I'll tell you when I see you next week.

Next week could not come fast enough.