“If I’m ever going to find a job…” Declan looked like he was waiting for Geir to respond, or maybe testing out his reaction, like there was some hidden message in there somewhere. “I mean, do you have any ideas? I’d like to contribute financially.” He looked more nervous now, but Geir didn’t understand why.
What was he supposed to say? He didn’t understand Declan’s hidden messages. He couldn’t tell Declan to never leave his sight. He fought to keep his tentacles in check.
Declan gave him a searching look. “Well, see you later. Have a good day.”
He nodded and strode off into the woods.
He didn’t need to be there. The birds would feed their young without him. The flowers would bud and bloom and die whether he was there or not.
Today, he found himself nearing the edge of the People’s land. He turned before he might get close enough to encounter someone patrolling the borders. The only person he wanted to see was Declan.
So he walked, and then he sat.
A squirrel darted between the trees, gibbering with its mate the way that squirrels always did.
A pair of acorns fell next to his hand, the way acorns always had and always would.
Perhaps one of them would sprout a new tree.
Probably not.
He picked up the acorns and put them in his pocket. Maybe Declan would like them.
The squirrels raced across the ground.
The sun moved across the sky.
Shadows moved across the ground.
Grass grew, so slowly he couldn’t see it.
Geir’s heart slowed.
His thoughts slowed.
It was what he had always done.
Chapter 12
Declan
Declan looked forlornly toward the woods. He wasn’t sure if he’d done something wrong, but Geir had certainly left in a hurry.
Declan was being too needy again. Too pushy.
It was difficult, though. He didn’t know anyone here. He didn’t have his books to escape into.
On the other hand, maybe Geir just had work to do. He still hadn’t explained about his job, but there must be something that he did all day, on some unpredictable schedule.
Probably something awesome like defending the forest. Maybe he had some magical power where he could charm animals and heal trees. Perhaps he could purify the water with his touch.
Declan was still kind of holding out hope for aliens.
Declan chuckled to himself. Being a kraken shifter was already cool beyond anything he could have hoped to discover, and he needed to get his imagination under control.
Geir was probably doing something much more mundane. Building houses or fixing tractors. He looked like he was good with his hands.
Declan sighed, taking in the faded walls and ratty couch. He was really starting to like Geir a lot. It wasn’t just the hot sex and the tentacles. When they were together, it was like he was the center of Geir’s world.
Their minds worked differently, and sometimes it threw Declan for a loop. Geir was abrupt sometimes, but he seemed more confused and quiet than anything else. It was kind of endearing.
Declan just needed to be realistic about what he could offer. Even if reality sucked sometimes.
He might want a man who would dote on him every second and cater to his every need, but that wasn’t real life.
He would have to make his own adventures, just like he had always done. He’d spent the past couple of days drawing when Geir left, but he couldn’t live that way. Especially since Geir didn’t seem to have much money and didn’t need to eat.
Declan would need to make money.
Which reminded him that he really did need to figure out whether Mike had left anything in his account. And maybe look for a job.
Well, that would give him a mission, at least.
He wished he’d asked Geir about using his truck, but it was too late now. He was about ninety percent sure that Geir wouldn’t mind if he borrowed it—Geir hadn’t said a word about anything else that he used in the house for the past few days.
On the other hand, Geir hadn’t exactly asked him to stay. Claiming him during sex was totally different. Maybe he’d be out of a place to stay and back on the road when he got his car back tomorrow, anyway.
That settled it for him. He needed to take his phone and find somewhere with internet.
He was pretty sure that the closest place—the closest anything—was Rohahen’s tribal lands. There was even a store out front, he remembered. And he’d seen people using laptops. Ro had invited him back, or at least it seemed that way. Maybe he could ask for Ro or ask someone else about using the internet out in the parking lot without imposing on anyone.
He wasn’t quite sure of the distance, but Ro’s truck had been going slowly and they’d turned off the highway almost as soon as they’d gotten on it. It couldn’t be more than a few miles.
He put on his sneakers, which had pretty good arch support even if they had sparkly rainbow laces. He decided that he felt pretty comfortable in his short shorts and tight, purple shirt. If Ro’s people were going to have trouble with his clothes, this wasn’t going to work out anyway.
He’d spent too many years hiding himself and he wasn’t going to start again now.
He tossed his pencils and sketch pad into his backpack and set off.
Sunlight sparkled through the trees, and the rush of the wind in the trees sounded like rivers. It was like a special sound that was only for this place, and it calmed him as he walked.
He could see himself being happy here, as long as he could figure out a job, his relationship with Geir, some friends, and not pissing off his friend’s Chief/crush.
Alright, so maybe that was a huge list of things. But walking down the shady path, it didn’t seem so bad.
He turned onto the highway, noting the dingy red mailbox that had led him there in the first place.
In his mind, highways were traffic jams and noise, but this one was just as quiet as the rest of the forest. He thought he saw a rabbit or something scamper away, and he could hear a bird singing overhead.
After a few minutes of walking, he heard the increasing pitch of a car coming up from behind him. He took a few extra steps off the side of the road into the underbrush and kept walking.
A black car slowed and then pulled up beside him and the window rolled down. The driver was a younger woman with blond hair in a short, spiky cut and a masculine-looking shirt. Maybe she was queer?
“Hey, need a lift somewhere?”
Aw, that was sweet. “Nah, I’m just heading up the road.”
“Are you sure? It’s a long way to anywhere. If you’re running away from somewhere, there are people who can help.”
He smiled, thinking that a few days ago he had been running away from somewhere, but hopefully he wasn’t any more. He probably looked like a teenager, though.
“No, just taking a walk.”
“To the Indian Reservation?” she pressed.
He wasn’t sure if that was the right name for his destination, but he agreed anyway. “Yep. Maybe they have some interesting jewelry at the shop.” He wasn’t about to reveal anything else.
“I’ve heard they’re not very welcoming to outsiders.”
He bristled. “They’ve been plenty kind to me.”
“Oh, you know them! I could give you a ride if you like. It’s just up the road.” Her voice sounded a little brittle, and he couldn’t figure out why she was still pushing. If this was Midwestern hospitality, it felt like New Yorker rude.