I Know You

Ch.18 - Hadley

Friday morning I couldn't stop fidgeting with my phone. I followed my routine the same as I would any other day, but in the back of my mind I just had images of being cuddled up with Flint. Nothing sounded better all day. By the time I got home I was eager to text him asking him if he wanted to come right away and stay two nights instead of one.

< Hey Flint, it's me. Instead of coming over tomorrow do you want to come tonight and stay two days? Sorry it's last minute, I'm really eager to see you.>

I paced my workout room. After a few minutes I plugged my phone in and started walking on the treadmill. My phone made its normal text tone and I was tense enough that I jumped, falling so the middle of my back hit the treadmill and my upper back landed on the floor. Not all cats land on their feet. I grabbed my phone, groaning as I looked at my text.

< Sounds good to me. You want to just get pizza one night and Chinese the other then? What sounds better tonight? Are you texting me your address and are we picking the pizza up from a store, having it delivered, or what? Details, man, details! Lol. >

I couldn't help but laugh, then gasp in pain. < I'll text you directions. Do you want to just come on over now and when you get here we'll look at the pizza menu and see what sounds better getting delivery or making our own or something? >

< That sounds good to me. I do want to get a quick shower first. Been working out. Will need to pack extra clothes then I'll be over because hopefully I'll have directions by then. See you soon! >

This is it. He's coming over for not one, but two whole nights! You get him until Sunday evening. This is big. This is really, really big. Now... Can I get up off the floor? I tried stretching and found myself able to move. I laid flat on my back and took several deep breaths while texting Flint my address, telling him if he ended up getting lost to call me.

He sent a text that he was hopping into his shower so I decided to take one myself. By the time his message had come through I was able to get up off the floor without pain shooting along my spine. Yay! I moved around and got a change of clothes before hopping in to take my own shower so I didn't reek by the time he got here.

It took somewhere in the range of forty-five minutes for him to get to my house. He looked so tense through my peep-hole. I found it adorable. I opened the door not long after he knocked, causing him to jump. "Nice to know I'm not the only one who seems nervous about this. Come on in."

"Why are you nervous? I'm the one coming somewhere that no one knows I'm at with someone I haven't known very long."

"And I'm letting someone I haven't known very long into my house where I sleep and eat and do basically everything except work. We're on even ground. Neither one of us should be nervous, but we are. Probably because this is new for both of us. I'm willing to bet that you figured out why I was wanting to have you over in the first place."

"I guess you could say I have a hunch or two."

"Enlighten me."

"You... Do you... Do..." He looked at his feet from where he'd taken a seat on the couch and took a deep breath before he looked up at me. "Do you like me? Like... Like me?"

"How would you feel about that?"

"I'd still be nervous, but I'd be more frightened about myself and coming to terms with my own being because I've never been with a guy in any regards to relationships. I've only been with women."

"And I've only been with men, but that's also because you're bi and I'm gay. You're right. I do believe that I'm developing feelings for you. My sister says the feelings are there and that I'm just coming to terms with them. If at any point in time you don't feel safe or you feel like you want to leave you're more than welcome to. I don't want you to feel like you have to stay the whole weekend just because I asked you to."

"If anything I'd feel safer being threatened here than being threatened where I live. Devil was trying to set up a hunt and he knows he can't technically do that and that we have two or three pack members who wouldn't be there anyway because they already have obligations elsewhere so that's another part of it. I'm nervous that Devil will have followed me here."

"If he did and he tries to do anything to either of us then he's going to get a tiger kicking his ass. I might be gay and I might not fight like you do or like a wolf does in general, but my claws can come in or stay out, meaning I can choose to swipe and draw blood, or just use my paws like big rackets and fling you around like a birdie in a game of badminton. I don't know what he's like, but if I think he's hurting you in a way that you can't defend yourself I'm going to step in. We might not have known each other long, Flint, but I'm protective of you. Remember that."

He nodded. "I know I've got feelings for you, Hadley. There are no doubts in my mind that I've got strong feelings for you."

We stood in silence for a minute before I motioned to brochures on the kitchen table. "Now that that's settled, shall we look at what pizza to do? I've got local pizza shop menus here on the table. The ones that I've got out aren't all of the nearby ones, just the ones with the best food."

He smiled. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. How much pizza will be too much?"

"We have higher metabolism, so eating a lot isn't a bad thing if we're going to run or shift or essentially do anything worth doing. I have to be careful how I shop for groceries. Though it does explain why clerks hate it when I come into their lane."

"How about three pizzas to start with?"

"So we save room for possible dessert? Do you like milkshakes?"

"Love them."