Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Cryptids United in Delightful Dating and Love Encouragement (CUDDLE) Forum
SuperShySasquatch: I’m back with an exciting update!
IPutTheBrahInChupacabra: Huzzah! We’ve been waiting, not so patiently, to hear how things went. Spill the beans, friend.
YetiOrNotHereICome: I’m squeeing with excitement over here. Please tell me he said yes!
SuperShySasquatch: Nothing went the way I planned, but it turned out even better than I could have hoped. HE was the one to ask ME out! I totally didn’t see that coming. I’m still floating over here and having to pinch myself every few minutes to make sure I’m not dreaming.
YetiOrNotHereICome: OMG! You two are just the CUTEST. What a plot twist though. Him asking you out is so romantic. Did your heart flutter?
SuperShySasquatch: I nearly swooned. It was the most romantic thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life.
So much better than the stories I read. I’m in awe of him.
He was so amazing, putting himself out there like that, especially after all the pain he’s experienced in bad relationships before.
I’m telling you, in my eyes, he’s better than any romance hero ever written.
LoungeSingerLizardMan: The sugar overload is giving me a toothache, but I don’t care. That’s freaking beautiful, man. Hearing your story is giving an old, jaded guy like me hope. Congratulations, my friend.
IPutTheBrahInChupacabra: Talk about awesome news. And him asking you out before you could ask him? That’ll be a golden memory for the rest of your life.
NessieNeedsLoveToo: You’re really keeping the dream alive for all of us, @SuperShySasquatch! Good on you, mate. Here’s to hoping we all have such good fortune in our own time.
MerMagicMan: I’ll drink to that, Nessie! Goddess knows I could use some luck in the love department. But you’ve totally inspired me, SSS. You’re the rock star of this forum right now.
IPutTheBrahInChupacabra: We totally need to find a way to meet up IRL some day and drink a toast to you.
SuperShySasquatch: Thanks, friends. Your encouragement has meant the world to me.
We both want to take this new relationship nice and slow, but I’m already dreaming of a future together.
In the meantime, I’ll be putting my positive energy out into the cosmos in the hopes that you all find romantic connections soon too!
Hal
“I’d love to take you on a date tonight,” Skylar says over coffee and breakfast the next morning.
He’s so natural and suave about it that I have to fight back a dreamy sigh of happiness. How is he so effortlessly cool? If we were in high school, I’d be writing his name all over my notebook, surrounded by hearts.
My chest swells with a euphoric lightness that almost makes me giddy.
Don’t you dare start giggling!
I clear my throat and try to act my age. “That sounds wonderful. What would you like to do?”
Skylar sips his coffee and hums in contemplation. “I’ve heard good things about Akram’s Oasis, but I haven’t been down there yet.”
“It’s a wonderful place to spend an evening. The ambience is lovely in there. Sometimes they have live music, and there’s a karaoke night once a week.”
Skylar grimaces. “I’ll pass on the karaoke. I don’t know what’s worse, hearing people enthusiastically sing very badly or forcing my own bad singing on everyone else.”
Although I’d happily listen to Skylar sing to me anytime. He’s the maestro of my heart with everything he does.
I laugh. “No problem. We could head over there after the Community Gathering at Town Hall tonight.”
Skylar’s eyes go wide. “I kinda spaced on that after”—his cheeks turn pink—“everything that happened last night.”
I look at him shyly. “It was a memorable night. One I’ll never forget.”
Skylar’s lips twitch. “Hopefully because of more than just those stoned gnomes.”
“You made me block all that out with your romantic gestures,” I tease. “Talk about impressive.”
He flushes a darker shade of red and clears his throat. “How do you think the meeting will go?”
That brings me down a notch, and I worry my bottom lip between my teeth.
“That’s hard to predict. Everyone here depends on the town’s magic to keep us safe.
Learning that it’s going a bit haywire is understandably going to concern some folks.
We just need to make sure we quell potential panic.
We’ve got to stick together through this. ”
Skylar nods his head slowly. “You’re right. No matter what happens, I’ll back you up at the meeting.”
I’m trying to play it cool, but I’m pretty sure I have hearts in my eyes when I grin at him. “We’ll support each other. Because that’s what boyfriends do.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re fucking adorable?” Skylar says, a lopsided grin on his face.
My cheeks are so warm I want to fan myself. Instead, I stare dreamily at him like a besotted fool.
“So… uh… what are you up to today?” Skylar finally asks, breaking the awkward silence.
“I’ve got some fall maintenance to do on the house to get ready for winter. It’ll be here before we know it.”
“Can I help? I’m waiting on a last delivery at the salon and don’t need to be in there until tomorrow.”
I beam at him. “I’d love that.”
We spend the morning taking care of my list of tasks.
I already had someone come in to service my furnace for the season last week, so we focus on small chores indoors.
Checking on the seals for all the windows and doors, swapping out summer linens for warmer, winter-ready items, making sure all the outdoor water faucets are turned off, and raking leaves in the yard.
It’s not exciting work by any stretch of the imagination, but we work together in a companionable harmony that has me dreaming of more times like this spent together.
After lunch, we decide to tackle clearing the gutters, which is a rather large undertaking.
I usually hire someone to do it because there aren’t many ladders designed to handle the size and weight of someone like me, but Skylar generously offers to climb the ladder I dig out of the shed.
I’m tall enough to help clear the gutter on the lowest roof, but the rest requires Skylar to climb up and fish out debris while I wait below to bag it all after he chucks it down for me.
Thankfully, we’ve had some rain recently, so most of what’s in the gutters has turned into tossable clumps, but it’s time-consuming and tedious. After about two hours, we’ve finally managed to clear all the gutters.
“Man, my arms are on fire,” Skylar says with a groan as he starts to reverse back down the ladder while I hold it steady.
He seems a bit shaky, and I grip the ladder tighter.
“Be caref—”
Skylar’s foot misses the next step, and my heart stutters in my chest when I see him lose his grip and start falling.
I let go of the ladder and instinctively position myself to catch him.
When he lands in my arms, I heave a shaky sigh of relief and hold him close, burying my face in his chest.
“I think you took ten years off my life,” I whisper. “That was so scary.”
He lets out a tremulous laugh. “Fuck, I might have taken a few off mine, too. Almost had my life flash before my eyes.”
“Next time the gutters need cleaned, I’m going back to hiring professionals,” I declare.
“Agreed. Let’s not tempt fate a second time.”
Shaking, I clutch him close to me, my mind racing with what could have happened. We just found one another. I can’t lose him before we’ve barely even begun.
Skylar pulls off one of his work gloves and reaches his bare hand up to stroke my cheek. “Everything’s okay, Hal. I’m fine. You saved the day.”
“Thank the Light,” I whisper.
When I finally set him on his feet, I check him over just to make sure he’s truly okay, and he obliges me with a small chuckle. Once I’m confident all is well, we clean up and put away the ladder before heading back inside.
Skylar’s cheeks are pink from the chilly fall day, so I hurry to make some hot cider to warm him up. Then we sit together in the breakfast nook and enjoy our beverages while we each regain a sense of calm.
After a few sips, I notice Skylar studying me, a puzzled expression on his face.
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
“Can I be honest?”
My heart stutters in my chest and I hold my breath, unsure of what he wants to say. “Please.”
He takes a few seconds to collect his thoughts.
“I’ve been here for a little over a month, and me and Astraea have been your only guests that whole time.
I know Ryder had just moved on before I arrived, but you haven’t mentioned anyone else either.
Is this a slow season or something? I would think the B&B would bring in a lot more business this time of year. ”
I hunch my shoulders a little at that. “Honestly, it’s been a slow year.
Several, really. I thought more folks would want to come for the Harvest Festival and need somewhere to stay, but I haven’t even received any inquiries in months.
In fact, the whole town is a little sparse on tourists.
Some folks are put off by the idea of a magical barrier that could keep them out. ”
Skylar frowns. “Where have you been advertising the festival and the B&B?”
I blink at him. “Advertising?”
He gapes. “Please tell me you at least have a website and social media accounts.”
“N-no,” I stammer.
His eyes go huge. “How are you expecting people to find you?”
“Word of mouth? With the magic, advertising can be tricky. Selling people on a Sanctuary Haven isn’t as easy as you might think. Stigma still exists, particularly among humans, I’m afraid.”
He facepalms. “But still, no advertising. Hal, what were you and the committee thinking?”
I fiddle with my mug. “I do have business cards and some brochures for the B&B, but they’re probably almost ten years old now.”
He frowns. “What about the festival planning committee? What kind of outreach have you all been doing?”
I open my mouth and pause because I’ve got nothing.