I looked down at my naked body. “Everything about me is so weird now.”
We walked further along the road in silence, but Roscoe pulled his arm back and started fidgeting with his chest mane.
“There’s something else bothering you, isn’t there?”
“Eh. Just thinkin’ about the day I met you. I was about to do something that I was gonna regret.”
His tone became somber, and I turned toward him, studying his face. He looked at me for only a second before staring straight ahead.
“That day, I spent my last thousand dollars on Fentanyl, Xanax, Adderall, and weed, and I was gonna take that bus outta town, find a nice tree to sit under, and get higher than ever. Nothin’ killed me yet, so I was ready fer anything. My pockets were full, and I was about to end two years of sobriety.
“Never believed in fate, but the moment I saw you, I felt somethin’ weird. I knew you was gonna be a half-turn soon, ’cause you had that smell. So, I sold that synthetic shit back to the dealer at a discount and kept the weed. That was the baggie I gave you that night. I didn’t have a job, but I started doing odd things fer people to make money so I could stay with you.” He turned and locked eyes with me for much longer this time. “I keep thinkin’ I’m gonna screw something up again, like I did with Darryl—like it’s all temporary.”
It was like someone knocked all the air out of me. This was the Roscoe that would often come out when I least expected it, and it was why he had me so hooked.
“You’re not going to screw it up, and even if you did, I’d help you through it.” We continued along the narrow road until we were just outside of town next to one of the corn fields that had just been harvested. I took his giant hands in mine. “You’re one of the most talented and interesting guys I’ve ever met. You can cook me a three Michelin star meal and serenade me as I eat it. How did someone like you end up on the streets?”
“It started out with me tryin’ to get back those missing years. I thought there had to be some drug that would help me remember, but all that happened was I became a junkie. That story I told about me havin’ sex with all them guys and blackmailin’ them fer money to move to the city was a tall tale too. The truth is, I don’t remember how I got to the city. It’s like decades of my life just disappeared fer some reason.”
“You should talk to me more about this stuff, you know?” I pointed to the kuu earrings dangling from my lobes. “When I thought I couldn’t leave, you could have slipped right back into the drugs, using me and treating me like shit, but instead, you treat me like a best friend—when you’re not peeing on me.”
We both broke into hushed laughter.
“Can I tell you somethin’ without you gettin’ upset?”
I arched my brow. “That depends…”
“Seein’ you with Darryl this morning made me real angry, and I’ve been thinkin’ about stuff.” Roscoe rubbed his head. “I hate thinkin’ about stuff.”
“Angry? Seriously? Dude, you were talking about how hot it would be to see those ferals run a train on me.”
“I actually thought it would have been, but when they tried, I got real protective. It was weird. That’s never happened before.” He shook his head. “Cody, I’m not used to feelin’ like this. Don’t know what to make of it.” He smiled softly and pulled me close. “Nearly killed Darryl with thatremedybut seein’ him get a bit of payback after fuckin’ you was worth him tearin’ up my ass after breakfast.”
“We didn’t even go all the way.”
“Wait, you didn’t?” Roscoe’s eyes went wide. “It’s Darryl. No one goes just halfway with Darryl.”
“Have we met? He and I had a little fun jerking each other off, and maybe a little oral here and there when we got high off that shit. That’s the extent of it. He’s a good friend, but he’s not you.”
His eyes watered again.
“Why you gotta say shit like that?”
“Because for some stupid reason, I really like you.” A pile of fallen cornstalks caught my eye. “Wanna fuck on that?”
“Hell yeah. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a good ear or two.”
“That’s gross, Roscoe.”
“What? Wasn’t gonna do sex stuff or nothin’. I was gonna eat ‘em.”
Roscoe was mid-thrust when he froze and looked up at the moon.
“Why did you stop?” I asked, catching my breath. He didn’t respond, seeming almost entranced. “Roscoe?”
“Oooo… Someone just turned,” he said, sliding the rest of the way out of me before rolling onto his back. “It’s gotta be Adam.”
“Thank God!” I shouted, climbing on top of the spent werewolf. “Hopefully he’ll be less of a bitch now. You’re done already?”
