“We should put everything in the middle of the towels and knot it so it’s a bag,” Darcy suggested.
“Good idea!”It probably would have been smart to bring a bag with them as they’d come specifically to look for his stuff, but it hadn’t occurred to either of them.“I’m really glad I got this stuff back.Especially the towel and my flips.”
“I should have known the towel would be rainbow.”Darcy piled everything, including his discarded sandals, into the center of the towel and tied the opposite corners together so it made a fairly good bag.
“It’s not just rainbow—it’s big enough for two people to lie on together.”
“Well maybe we’ll have to try it out and sun a little,” Darcy suggested.“And this time if you shift without realizing it, I’ll be there to keep the assholes at bay.”
“Yeah.”He bumped their shoulders together.“I’d like that.My basking time was cut short last time.”
“But if it hadn’t been, we might not have met, and that would suck.”
“I love that you’re an ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ kind of guy.”
Darcy shrugged.“I don’t know if I really am—not always, I don’t think.But I can see the good result that came out of you nearly losing your tail.”
Charma arranged the makeshift towel bag on his shoulder, and they headed back down the beach, Darcy slipping his hand into Charma’s.It seemed like a dream, walking hand in hand along the beach with his boyfriend.No, with the guy he lived with.The guy he shared a bed with.Charma was feeling pretty damned lucky at the moment.His mom had always claimed their kind lived a charmed life, and today he certainly believed it.
Darcy lay on his back next to Charma, listening to the waves hitting the shore and looking up at the sky.They’d been lying together for a couple of hours, fingers twined together as they basked in the sun.The breeze off the ocean kept things from getting too hot and Darcy couldn’t remember a time he felt more relaxed and at ease.
His little bit of beach wasn’t private, of course, but with the rocky outcroppings all around it, most people avoided it.So while a few people had wandered by, they pretty much had the little sandy bit to themselves.
“You haven’t shifted yet,” Darcy noted.And they’d been basking pretty hard.
Charma squeezed his fingers.“You’re keeping me in my human body, despite the epic basking weather.”
“Do you have to shift?”Darcy asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Can you stay as a human forever or do you need to spend a certain amount of time as a chameleon?It’s not rude of me to ask, is it?”He hoped it wasn’t.He didn’t want to be rude; he was just curious.
“If you were a stranger or just an acquaintance, it would be rude, but you’re neither of those and any questions are fair game.Hell, we’re getting to know each other better, right?I’m assuming I can ask you anything I want, too.”
“Totally.”
“Perfect.And to answer your question—yes, I can stay as a human forever if I want.There isn’t any sort of need to shift.But I like getting my chameleon on now and then, and it’s eager to come out and play.Which as you know is why you found me on the beach in risk of losing my tail.The conditions were just right and boom!Chameleon.It’s safest to shift at the compound.”
“Well, you can be your chameleon anytime you want at home.It’s a safe space.”
Charm kissed his shoulder.“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.It’s your home too now, after all.”
“Yeah, I like how that sounds—my old place didn’t feel like home so much as just a place to stay, you know?”
“Yeah, it took a while for my place to feel like home.It’s the longest I’ve ever stayed anywhere, though, and that makes all the difference.Of course, having you move in is going to make it seem even more like home.”
Charma squeezed his hand again.“You’re sweet.”
He snorted.He wasn’t sure about that.Still, he knew Charma had meant it as a compliment, so he took it as one.“Thanks.”
“Did you want to shift now and bask?”Darcy asked.“If you did it while no one is near, nobody would know.”
Charma shook his head.“I can’t hold your hand if I’m a chameleon.”
That made Darcy warm all through, and he rested his head against Charma’s shoulder.
