Chapter Eighteen
P erry laughed at something Stacy had said, trying to actually find what was funny in her comment, but couldn’t. She smiled at him, her green eyes sparkling with humor, but Perry didn’t react at all. It wasn’t her fault. Perry had been kind of numb since Menut had left, but he’d gone ahead with his date and then had three more. So far Stacy hadn’t pushed for more than the few kisses they’d shared, but he knew at some point she’d want more.
“Did you enjoy your food?” Perry asked as he paid the check.
“It was lovely.”
Perry stood and waited for Stacy, then followed her out of the restaurant. She stood on the sidewalk waiting for him and when Perry reached her, she held out her hand and took it in his own. She squeezed it then said, “I had a lovely time Perry, but I think we should stay as friends.”
Perry almost sighed in relief. Instead, he nodded. “Yeah, me too. I’m sorry.”
“Me too, but it isn’t there, is it? So there’s no point trying to force it and I like you as a friend. I wouldn’t want to lose that trying for something more.”
“Me either. We can still do things together until you find someone.”
“In this town?” Stacy rolled her eyes. “Chance would be a fine thing. Have you seen some of the men here?”
“No, because I don’t look at men, but I know a few and even though they’re my friends, I agree with you.”
“Aled’s nice.”
“Want me to introduce you?”
“Shouldn’t you be warning me off him?” She grinned and wriggled her eyebrows. “I’ve heard him talk.”
“You know what some men can be like.” Aled could say the most cringe worthy things.
“You should hear us women when we get together. We can be lethal when it comes to cutting men up.”
“I have a sister. I’ve heard her and her friends talk, so I know all about how shitty men can be. She’s getting married soon, so she seems to have found a good one. I did have to warn him, though. She is my sister.”
“Good for you. Family should always come first.” Fastening the buttons on her coat, the light from the streetlight making her light blonde hair glow. “We should still go and watch the movie when it comes out.”
“We should go. I’ve wanted to see this movie since I knew it was coming out.”
“Even though we’re a town that has monsters in it?” Stacy grinned. “I want to see how close to real life this monster movie is. Mummy monsters? Reminds me of those old movies from years ago. You know, the old black and white ones.”
“Some of those are the best. I used to watch them as a kid and get so scared when the monster came on screen.”
“I used to hide behind the cushion. My mom would laugh at me.”
“And now we have real life ones who walk among us.” As Perry spoke, a monster that must have crawled out of some deep, dark lake walked past. Dark eyes looked at them, its green skin glowing. Perry smiled as it walked past, then let his eyes widen when he looked at Stacy, who had her hand over her mouth. “Do you think it heard me?”
Stacy glanced past him, then shook her head. “I don’t think so, and they must be used to us humans staring.”
“You’d think they’d be prepared for that.” Perry’s phoned beeped, and he saw a message from Aled asking how his date was going and did he have condoms. “Want a lift home?”
“Please.”
Perry dropped Stacy at home and made plans to go out together when the movie got released. Waving as she went inside, Perry grabbed his phone and called Aled. “Hey. What are you doing?”
“Why are you asking? Shouldn’t you be with Stacy?”
“We decided to be friends.”
“Why? She’s hot. You don’t break mirrors when you look in them, so why?”
“Fancy a beer?” Perry ignored Aled’s comment and pulled away from Stacy’s. “I’ll come over to your place. Need me to pick some beers up?”
“Nah, I have plenty. We’ll talk when you get here.” Aled hung up and Perry threw his phone onto the passenger seat. It only took him five minutes to reach Aled’s, and as soon as he knocked on the door to Aled’s apartment, the door opened, and a can of beer was thrust into his hand. Perry walked inside, closing the door behind him, and cracked open the beer, taking a large mouthful.
“Tell me how you have a hot woman like Stacy and somehow end up as friends? Plus, you pushed the date back several times. No, don’t. I’ll tell you. In the two months since the one you refuse to talk about flew his monster ass away, you’ve been living a half-life. Yeah, you’ve put on a good show, but we can see it. Dennis and Judd have asked me what’s going on, but I’ve lied to them. You need to sort this out.”
“Hi Perry. Shame about Stacy. Come in and have a beer.”
“Fuck off.” Aled grinned, then put his feet up on the table in front of him, then sobered. “It’s been two months since you last saw him. You say the right things, act the right way, but there is something missing. And it’s him.”
“Aled,” Perry murmured. He hadn’t come to Aled’s to talk about Menut. He’d been doing his best to not think about his Mothman, who wasn’t his anymore.
“You miss him.”
What was the point of lying? He did miss him. Every fucking day was hard to get through because of the ache in his chest from not being with Menut. He thought it would have eased by now, but it hadn’t. “Yeah, I do. I thought I’d get through it, you know? I managed last time, but now it… I miss him. I hardly know him, but I miss him.” Perry rubbed his chest, the ever-present ache making itself known. Again. He’d almost become used to it, but when he thought about Menut or talked about him, he felt it. A bone deep ache that made him gasp. The nights were worse. The dreams. Him and Menut together. Their bodies touching, kissing, becoming one. He would wake up with an orgasm ripping through him, panting, his body damp with sweat. “I’m human and he’s a Mothman. Do you know how that sounds? I mean, just thinking it makes you think you must be insane, but...” Perry trailed off with a shrug.
“Have you thought that maybe your place is with him?” Aled asked quietly. “That the bet and date and everything that followed happened for a reason?”
“Yeah,” Perry murmured. “I don’t know what to do. He can’t live here, and my life is here. If I go there, I’ll be in danger all the time. They have a safe zone for a reason. Everyone I know is here. Everything I know is here.”
“But he is there, and this place isn’t for him. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind visiting with you when you came back to see friends and family. You could come back every Friday for our beer and bet night.” Aled grinned. “Bring him along. I can think of plenty of things he can do if he loses.”
Perry dropped his head into his hands. Having suffered through many of Aled’s bets, he wasn’t sure if he’d subject Menut to that. “Give me an example.”
“He can fly, so I’d make him dress up—”
“Stop right there.” Perry didn’t need to hear any more. He could see it all now. Menut dressed up as a witch or something like that, and flying where he shouldn’t.
“Come on! It’ll be fun, and I think he could come up with a few things for us to do if we lose.”
“Like run naked on his world.” Aled paled, which made Perry laugh. “It isn’t that bad. I had sex in a field.”
“With him, who would have kept you safe considering he bit you and did the whole ‘mine’ shit with you.” Aled sipped his beer, then asked, “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” Perry sighed. He was just going through the motions. Going to work, eating food he barely tasted. The only time he felt truly happy was with his family, but that didn’t last. As soon as he was alone again, the emptiness of his life crept up again, making him catch his breath, rub his chest.
“Talk things out with Johnny. See if you can do some work remotely. My dad won’t want to lose you, but…” Aled ran a hand through his hair. “I told him what happened.”
“You did what?” Perry shot up, glaring down at Aled.
“He’s still not talking to me.” Aled winced. “He wasn’t impressed that I made you take that bet, but he knows something about this kind of bond, so he said if you go to him, he’ll figure something out for you. Said you were too good to lose.”
Perry walked over to the window and stood, his back rigid. He hadn’t wanted people to know. Hadn’t even told his family about Menut. “You shouldn’t have said anything.”
“He’s noticed, okay? Asked me if I knew what was going on with you. His company is small but profitable and he knows all his staff, including you. He’s known you since we were kids. He asked me first before he spoke to you. He wasn’t sure if you had ‘women problems.’”
Snorting, Perry shook his head, saying, “Your dad needs to move with the times. We don’t say shit like that.”
“He’s still two centuries behind, but he knows business and computers.” Aled leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. “Go and be with him, Perry. He’s where you’re meant to be.”
“My life is here.” Perry rubbed his chest again, hope beginning to bloom inside. Could he have Menut and his family? Friends?
“Nothing stopping you from coming back every week to visit. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. You can make it work.”
“I’ll have to see my parents. Talk to them about this.”
“No time like the present. Speak to them. They’ll be shocked but fine because they…” Aled grimaced. “They love you.”
Grinning, Perry blew him a kiss. “You said the love word.”
“Oh, fuck off.” Aled chuckled, sipped his beer. “You need to come back for Adria’s wedding, anyway. How do you think he’ll look in a suit?”
“He won’t. No way in hell would I subject him to that. Everyone will be staring at him and not Adria. I don’t even know if he knows what a wedding is. No, he does, but he doesn’t think much of it. And Adria is getting married in a church. I can see how it will go now. In enters Menut with the wings and people freak the fuck out, thinking Satan has arrived or something.”
Aled burst out laughing, almost dropping his beer. Perry glared at him, then a small smile curved his lips. Aled put his beer down, then grinned. “I need to go in first so I can set my camera up to catch all the action. We can have yearly events where I play it back and watch as everyone freaks out.”
“Yeah, I’m sure Adria would love that.”
“Come on! I can see it now. In walks tall, dark and wingy,” Perry snorted at that, but Aled carried on. “Eyes glowing red, black suit with a red tie to match the eyes, then he stops and looks around the church and the shit hits the fan.”
“That sounds like the perfect wedding. Not.”
“Now you’re thinking about this from a brother’s perspective. You need to think like me and see the fun in it.” Aled grinned and wriggled his eyebrows. “We’d be telling the story to our grandkids.” Aled picked up his beer, took a sip, then asked, “Can you get pregnant?”
Aled asked just as Perry sipped his own beer, causing him to choke. Coughing, he glared at Aled with eyes that watered and croaked, “What?”
“Some of those monsters can get men pregnant.” Aled looked him up and down. “Hmm. Guess not, or you would be.”
“Maybe I wasn’t on my period,” Perry muttered, his eyes narrowing at Aled.
“Tut tut, Perry. Didn’t you pay attention to biology? A woman having her period means she isn’t pregnant.”
“Why would I bother now? Menut is a man. I’ve seen his dick.” Perry slowly closed his eyes when Aled clapped. He’d just handed Aled ammunition. He knew it.
“I can legit call you a cock sucker now!”
“Aled…” Perry warned.
“Tell me he’s good and I’ll never mention it again.”
Shaking his head, Perry sighed. “Fine. Once only. I have never come as hard as I do with Menut. Every single time.”
“Damn. I want someone like that. Think you can introduce me to any?”
“I only know one. It wasn’t like I spent time there being introduced to his family.”
“Just his dick on a regular basis.” Aled smirked as Perry rolled his eyes.
“How are we friends?”
All playfulness disappeared, and Aled stared intently at him. “Because I give a shit about you.” Aled sighed. “Finish your beer. Tell your family, then go and be with your monster.”
“And after that?”
“We’ll see you both Friday and you buy the beers.” Aled reached out, squeezed his hand. “You can do this, Perry.”
Nodding, Perry swallowed, breathed. “Yeah. Yeah, I can.”