"Okay," I agreed, and Diego smiled, then patted the bed until he found the clothes he'd dropped there when his cat started making dying sounds. I ducked into the shadows when he flicked the switch and opened the bathroom door, spilling light out into the bedroom.
"Sorry!" he called out, then quickly closed the door. There was still some light seeping out from under the door, so I moved to the other side of the bed before stepping out of the shadows again.
Diego's bed separated the two sides of his room. On the other side was the bathroom door and the window, along with a desk with what looked like a typewriter on it. There was also a stack of thick paper beside it, but there was a shaft of light on it from the space between the blinds, so I didn't go closer to examine it.
Instead, I focused on this side of the room, which had a comfortable-looking beanbag chair covered in a soft blanket, and a bookshelf.
I stepped closer to the bookshelf, eyeing the thick books filling it from top to bottom. I took a book out, paging through it and running my fingers over the raised dots. Even though I lived in complete darkness, it was the norm for me, and my eyes were therefore able to see in it, while I struggled to see if it was too bright. Well, I struggled toliveif it was too bright, so seeing wasn't really a priority at that point.
But Diego couldn't see, and yet he'd still built a life for himself. He had a job he clearly loved, he had hobbies, he had a pet who clearly loved him. He wasn't lacking for anything, just like he'd tried to tell me yesterday.
Putting the book back on the shelf, I turned to the bed and eyed the cat, whose gaze roamed over me right back, as if she was trying to decide if I was friend or foe. My eyes slid to the nightstand, and I noticed the small box of treats. Picking it up, I poured a few onto my palm, then picked one up and held it out to her. She eyed me warily, so I placed the treat on the nightstand, and she jumped right on it, quickly eating it up.
I held out the second treat, this time determined to get her to eat from my hand. Befriending her was an important part of winning Diego's heart, and I wasn't going to fail.
Six
Diego
When I came outof the shower—feeling refreshed and much more comfortable—I found Shade softly murmuring to Pixie. I couldn't hear quite what he was saying, but I caught my name a few times.
"What are you two talking about?" I asked as I closed the bathroom door and switched the light off. Shade must've hidden from the light, because it took him a moment to answer.
"I was just telling Pixie my plans to woo you," Shade said, sounding completely serious, and I snorted as I turned to face him.
"You don't need to woo me."
"Oh, but I do. I want you to be happy with me."
I smiled, then walked over to his voice. He took my hand as I got close to him, then tugged me close. Feeling the bed against my leg, I took a seat, holding on to his hand.
"You have no idea how happy I already am, having you back in my life. I spent the whole day thinking about you."
"Me too," Shade whispered, his shadows tickling up my arm from the hand I was still holding. "I just—we were different before. Our relationship was different. We were friends. But now..."
"Now we're soulmates," I said when he didn't, and he squeezed my hand.
"Yeah. We just met again for the first time two days ago, and I was worried that a romantic... entanglement would be too much."
I bit back a smile at his use of the phrase 'romantic entanglement,' and shifted closer to him. "Too much for you, or me?"
"For you. Not that I knew what you meant to me before, or had those kinds of feelings for you," he hurried to add, as if he was afraid I'd think he'd been grooming me or something. As if he would ever do that.
"We might not have seen each other for years, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten what kind of person you are. I would never think you capable of something like that."
Shade exhaled loudly, like he was relieved by my words, and I leaned forward, pressing a kiss against his jaw. I'd been aiming for his cheek, but oh well. A kiss was a kiss.
"As for it being too much for me…" I paused to climb onto his lap like I had yesterday, and just like yesterday, he grabbed onto my hips, holding me close. "You don't have to worry about that. All these years, I never found someone I felt like I could be with, and every time I mentally rejected someone, you know what I thought?"
Shade made a rough sound of denial as I pressed a kiss against the side of his neck, and I hummed against his skin before leaning back to reply, because I wanted him to see thesincerity on my face. "I thought, 'if he was a little more like Shade, I might be able to love him.' Ever since I was old enough to date, I've been searching for someone like you. Someone who is kind, who protects me without treating me like a child, who looks after me without acting like he's a saint for doing it, who wouldn't just be a lover, but a friend too. But there's no one else like you, Shade. Which is probably why the universe brought you back to me."
I felt a little vulnerable admitting all of that, but the effect it had on Shade was worth it.
His hands squeezed my hips, then slid to my ass, pulling me closer as his lips brushed against mine.
I parted my lips for him with a groan, and his tongue slid into my mouth, startling me for a moment with its unique Shade-ness. His tongue wasn't thick and flat like a human's, but felt wispy, like there were a hundred little tendrils that made up the whole thing, all moving in sync as they tangled with my tongue. It wasn't quite solid, just like the rest of him, but it felt fucking amazing.
Shade pulled back, and I could feel his gaze on me, searching my face. "Is this okay?"
