Chapter 9 #2
I stop walking and turn Maverick so he can look at me.
“I’m not your ex. He wasn’t meant for you the way I am.
You will never be a handful. Even on what you think is your worst day, I’ll always think you’re just enough.
He couldn’t handle you and all that may come with you, but I am. I’ll prove it to you.”
His eyes are misty as he meets my gaze, a shaky smile on his face. “How do you know the perfect things to say?”
“I don’t know about perfect. I speak from my heart, Maverick. You will always be safe with me to be as much or as little as you want.”
He folds his lips in and blinks rapidly. “You sure we just met last night? You’re becoming too perfect, too fast.”
My fingers caress his cheeks, and I watch his eyes flutter. “It’s my magic. Don’t think about it too much, just let it be what it is.”
Nodding, he steps closer to me and hugs me around the waist. “Thank you.” He pulls back, happiness dancing across his face. “Let’s get some coffee, then we can walk around. Or do you want to take our bags home?”
“We can do coffee and see how we feel.”
The coffee shop is only about a block away. I marvel at it when we step inside. It’s not how the coffee shops used to look before my curse. The ones I remember used to have a restaurant attached, booths set up, and waitresses walking around in high heels.
Here, bookshelves line the walls, filled to the brim with books large and small. There are several armchairs around the room with round tables next to them. Plants are dotted all around the room, giving the shop an earthy smell that mingles beautifully with the books and coffee.
Maverick inhales deeply, holding the air in his lungs and exhaling softly. “It always smells so good in here.” He looks at me through his lashes, a coy smile on his face. “Second best to you.”
I hum and drag him to me, kissing him hard. “Keep this up and we won’t have time to walk downtown.”
He cackles and slaps my chest. I let him go so we can step up to the counter.
Peering up at the menu, I try to figure out what I want, but the screen moves, as if someone changed the channel. A new menu pops up in its place. “Wait,” I say, looking down at Maverick in a panic. “I didn’t get a chance to read it.”
Patting my hand, he pulls me out of line so other people can place their orders. “It’s okay. It’ll come back around. They usually stay for a few seconds, then come back.”
“Why do they change?” I ask, not missing the despair in my tone. “Why don’t they just leave them so people can see what they want?”
“I don’t know, baby.”
Glancing back at the menu, I try to read the new screen, but it changes again, this one showing tea instead of coffee flavors. Everything looks so complicated, like it’s all made-up shit, but they must be popular if they’re on the menu, right?
Just when I want to ask about one of the teas, the menu changes again, showing food this time.
My head spins with all the options, with all the changes, with all the differences. I watch as the people in the shop peck away on their cell phones, as they type on their portable computers, as their headphones without wires are plugged into their ears.
So much time, so much has changed, and my mind is still stuck in the seventies. How did I fuck up so badly that I put myself in a position to let life pass me by?
I did this. This is my fault. Being so behind on shit that should be second nature to a man my age is…it’s overwhelming.
“Maverick,” I say, my voice small and scared to my own ears. “I wanna go home.”
He looks at me, not with pity, but with understanding. “Of course. We can try again another day.”
“I don’t deserve you,” I say as he leads me out of the shop.
“Of course you do. I’ll help you through this. I promise.”
Maverick juggles my bags in one hand so he can hold tight to my other.
He whispers soft, soothing words to me the whole walk, but I’m still in my head.
Everything is so different. Even something as simple as vehicles have changed. Gone are the large boxy cars that are built tough, most of the cars now curved and sleek. Even the larger models are elegant angles and neat lines.
The buildings have also changed, taller and more airy, not filling the spaces with needless colors or furniture.
Everything is past me and I’m trying to play catch up.
I can’t stop the melancholy feelings from descending on me, regret from my past actions almost eating me alive. It’s even more apparent how much I fucked up now, when a simple trip to get coffee makes me break out in a cold sweat.
When we’re home, Maverick leads me to the couch and sits down beside me. “What can I do to help?”
I sigh, running my hands through my hair. Only one thing will ground me, and it should be the last thing I want to do. But right now, I don’t know what else will calm me down enough to think clearly.
“I need to shift. Can you sit on me when I do?”
He smiles and nods. “Of course. Anything you need. For how long?”
“Until I get out of my head. Now that the curse is removed, I can shift at will, each body part individually if I want. I’ll shift my arm and tap you when I’m ready to shift back. Okay?”
Maverick kisses me, slow and sweet, and I almost get out of my head from the feel of his lips. “Okay. Let’s get your clothes off and you can shift in your old spot.”
This time, while I undress, Maverick doesn’t look at me with lustful eyes, and I’m thankful. I need to think about how to get through all this, how to live a normal life in this new future.
Once I’m naked, I walk over to where Maverick placed me when he moved in and I shift.
My arms elongate and curve into a horizontal position as my back stiffens.
My legs fold in an awkward angle, tilted up toward my chest until they’re prone.
The handle used to pull up my foot rest appears as an extension of my body.
I internally sigh. Blissful nothingness. When I’m a recliner, I don’t have to think, I don’t have to do. I can just be.
After a minute or so, Maverick pulls a book from the shelf and comes over to me. “Can I read while you think?” He breathes a laugh. “Not like you can answer. Sorry I didn’t ask before. I’m going to assume it’s okay and if it isn’t, let me know, please?”
I wish I could tell him that he can do anything as long as I bring him comfort. If he wants to read while I’m in this form, I welcome it. His warm weight on me will help keep me grounded so I can calm my overwhelming thoughts.
Maverick sits, and if I had a mouth, I’d sigh, long and low.
This, my life is complete like this. Soon, I’ll shift back to my human form and work through my shit and the world that’s changed around me.
For right now, I’ll allow my mate to draw his comfort from me while I try to calm myself enough to think about our future clearly.
Perfect.