Sixteen
Diego
Like Shade had expected, he became the center of attention... for a whole five minutes before everyone returned their focus on the newlyweds, and to dancing their asses off, leaving us to our devices.
"Oh, that wasn't so bad," Shade murmured, sounding surprised and delighted.
I chuckled. "I told you. They might show up at your place tomorrow with a ton of questions, but they know who this party is for, and it's not you."
Shade went quiet, and I wondered if I'd said something wrong. "Shade? You okay?"
"Hmm? Oh yes. I just... I wanted to ask you something."
Extremely aware of the fact that he wouldn't be able to stay in this form for long before it started hurting him, I tugged him toward the dance floor. "Can you ask while we dance? "
"Sure."
Shade stuck close as we found a spot near the edge, and I linked my arms behind his neck as he wrapped his around my waist, holding me close. I'd turned my back to the lights so Shade would have the most protection, and we swayed in place as our friends moved around us.
"So? What did you want to ask?"
Shade was quiet for a moment, and I wondered if he hadn't heard me over the music. It wasn't too loud, since most of the people here were supes and had sensitive ears. Just when I opened my mouth to ask again, he started speaking.
"Earlier, you called it my place. I was wondering if you'd be interested in calling it ours?"
I stopped short, bringing Shade to a halt as well. I opened my mouth, then closed it, then opened it again.
"We should talk about this somewhere... private," I said, not wanting everyone to hear what I had to say.
"Oh, okay," Shade said, and he did a shit job hiding his disappointment. Did he think I was going to let him down gently?
"We're in Darkness," he murmured as the music suddenly cut off, and was then replaced by the familiar sound of the crickets and the river in the distance.
A familiar meow preceded the furball that started rubbing herself against my legs, and I quickly leaned down to give her a few pets before wrapping my arms around Shade again.
I didn't want to let go of Shade, even though it was safe to do that here. The headmaster had already fixed the glitch, though Shade had told me more and more had been popping up all over the place.
"Moving in together," I murmured, raising my face so Shade could see it. "It's a big step. "
"It is. But we spend most of our time together anyway, don't we? I can get you to work through my shadows, so you wouldn't even have to walk to the bus stop."
That did sound nice. So did sharing a bed with Shade.
"We haven't even said the three words to each other yet, though."
Shade was silent for a moment, then asked, "What three words?"
I huffed. Was he being deliberately obtuse? Or were his feelings for me still so far away from mine that the words hadn't even occurred to him yet?
"You know, the three words people say to each other when they reach a certain point in their relationship."
"What? I love you?" Shade asked, completely nonchalant, and I nodded mutely. "Well, obviously, I do."
"What?"
"I do love you, Diego. I probably have since you kissed me. I thought you knew that."
I stayed frozen for a moment, my lips parted and my brain glitching like the Sanctuary. Then, I shook my head and smacked his chest, knowing my feeble human hands would never hurt him.
"How would I know without you telling me? Bobo!"
"Oh, I forgot you speak Spanish. You don't really do that much now, do you?" Shade asked, as if that was the only part he'd caught.
I practically growled. "That's the part you focus on?"
"Well, I like it when you speak Spanish," he said plaintively, and I shook my head.
"I usually only say it when I want to swear, since I can't slip and swear in front of the kids in English. Since you like it, here's some Spanish for you, then: Te amo más, tonto adorable! "
"That means I love you, right?" he confirmed, and I nodded. Of all the ways I'd thought I'd say those words, doing it while feeling infuriated and mildly annoyed wasn't one of them.
Shade pulled me in a tight hug, kissed the top of my head, then stepped back. "So now that we've said 'the three words,' will you move in with me?"
I snorted, then sighed. "Yes, fine. I will move in with you."
"Say it in Spanish," he urged, and I suppressed a grin. I had a feeling this was going to be a recurring request now.
"Me voy a mudar contigo," I repeated, and he leaned forward and kissed me. Oh. He really liked it when I spoke Spanish, I realized as he pulled me closer, and I smiled into the kiss.
I'd learned most of my Spanish by talking to my mom, but over time—and especially since her death—I'd stopped using it except for swearing. I didn't think I was even fluent anymore since I'd had no one to speak it with. Hmm... maybe I could get Shade to learn it since he liked it so much.
Shade pulled back, and I sucked in a breath, cupping his face and holding him close.
"When should we move your stuff?" he asked eagerly, and I chuckled.
"How about this weekend? I don't have a lot of stuff, so it shouldn't take more than a few trips." While I had another month on my lease, I didn't care. I wanted to move as much as he wanted me to.
"Great. We can just move things through my shadow. Zamir will help you pack."
"He...will?" I asked hesitantly. I didn't know him that well, but I knew he'd taken care of Pixie last night so Shade and I could have some alone time together. I also knew he was a shtriga and had to consume people's life force to survive .
"Yeah. He's a helpful person," Shade said cheerfully, and I shrugged.
"Okay. I'd like to get to know him better, so this will be good." He gave me a full-body squeeze, tendrils of his shadows caressing my arms.
"You'll still stay here, right? I can bring over a few changes of clothes for you for the rest of the week."
I had a feeling Shade wouldn't be dissuaded from making me stay, and if I was being honest, I didn't want to leave either.
"I'll stay."
Shade
After a few minutes of making out, we returned to the Dining Room, and the break we'd taken allowed me to stay in my form a while longer.
Diego and I danced, ate more cake, chatted with the others, and had a great time. I loved seeing Diego so happy, and so involved. He'd made friends with everyone quickly, and no one treated him differently for being a human.
While it sucked that Touya had taken most of the backlash for being allowed into the Sanctuary as a human, I was glad he'd paved the way for Liam and Diego, because I didn't think they would've been able to handle the animosity.
The party ran well into the night, but Diego and I returned to my place before midnight since he had work tomorrow. We curled up in bed, with Pixie claiming a spot on Diego's pillow, which forced him to slide lower and use my arm as a pillow instead.
I held him close as we fell asleep, full of cake, happiness, and the knowledge that Diego loved me.
The next morning, my alarm clock—which I'd set for Diego—woke us up, and I brought over some clothes for him to get dressed in, along with his shoulder-bag full of work-stuff.
We had breakfast with the others since Diego's commute time was now mere seconds, and as we were leaving the Dining Room, Jacinta walked up to Diego and thrust a paper bag and a large Tupperware box in his hands before retreating without a word.
"Uh, what just happened?" he asked, then stuck his nose into the bag. "Damn, this smells delicious."
"I believe Jacinta made lunch for you. The Tupperware seems to be full of cake. For your students, I guess?" I told him, and he gave me a wide grin, then turned to face the kitchen doorway.
"Thanks, Jacinta!" he called out, getting a grumbled non-reply in return.
Then: "It's got a bit of magic in it, so it won't trigger any pesky human allergies."
I blinked, surprised by Jacinta's consideration. Then again, they were pretty proud of their food, so of course they'd make sure everyone could eat it.
We returned to my place so he could give Pixie some parting pets and grab his bag, and then I took him to work, slipping him out of the shadows in a darkened corner of the parking lot.
I slipped into his shadow as he made his way toward the school, content to hang out and watch him with his kids. He'd told me that I didn't have to stay, but when I'd asked him if he minded, he'd said no. He liked having me there, liked knowing I was always watching out for him.
"Look at you! You're positively glowing!" Jess, Diego's coworker, said as she hurried to join him, and he turned his face toward her, a smile on his face.
"I'm not!"
"Yes, you are. It must've been some wedding!"
Diego paused, then chuckled. "Yeah, it was. How were the kids yesterday?"
"Absolutely unbearable," she said with a smile. "'Where's Mr. Sánchez, Miss?' 'When will he be back, Miss?' 'Is he okay?' 'Is he sick?'" she mimicked the kids' voices, making Diego laugh.
"I guess they'll be happy to see I'm alive," he said with a snort, and Jess laughed.
"Oh, they will. Their theories about why you weren't there kept getting wilder and wilder, until I had to give in and tell them you were attending a friend's wedding."
Diego shook his head, a fond smile on his face, and my chest went all warm and fuzzy. I loved how much he loved his students. It was clear they loved him too, because the moment he stepped into his class, his students started shouting, their words spilling over as they tried to be the loudest one.
"Hey, now. I can't hear you when you talk all at once like that, remember?" he said, and they shut up instantly .
Diego smiled, then hung his bag on the chair, leaned his cane in its usual spot, then walked over to perch his butt against the desk, crossing his arms as he faced his class.
"Okay, you get three questions, and then we start roll call. Two minutes to decide what you want to ask. Talk amongst yourselves, but no shouting, and no fighting. Use rock, paper, scissors if you can't pick. Go."
Hurried whispers filled the class, and Jess—who'd been watching from the door in utter fascination—shook her head with a soft smile, and muttered something that sounded like, "Damned Pied Piper," before walking off to her class.
"We're ready!" one of the kids shouted, and Diego smiled.
"All right, first question?"
"Which side were you on, groom or bride?"
"Actually, they were both grooms, and they're both my friends, so I suppose, both?"
That seemed to stump them for a moment, but not too long.
"Was there cake?"
Diego grinned. "Yes, and, I brought some for you, which you'll get at lunch time if you're good."
The kids cheered at that. Then a little girl with pigtails and big blue eyes asked, "Did you dance with someone?"
Diego's smile softened, and butterflies filled my belly when I realized that look was for me, because of me.
"I did. It was fun," he said, then clapped his hands. "All right, time's up. Let's start roll call now, hmm? We have a lot of work to do today."
"Yes, Mr. Sánchez!" everyone shouted, and I settled back to watch him teach, feeling so damned proud of my beautiful mate.