"Can I help you?" I asked.
"I'm just looking," he said.
"You're in my light."
He stepped to the side, still keeping close but now standing out of it. I wanted to say something to him about it, but what was I supposed to say? Stop trying to spend time with me and being considerate? That sounded wild, even to me.
So instead, I kept flipping.
"What are you looking for?" he asked after a few minutes.
I shrugged. "There's a couple of specifics, but just anything that catches my eye. Cameo seems to have a good eye for them."
"How so?" Marcus asked.
"He just always manages to bring me something I like." Sometimes he brought me titles in the series I didn't have, but most of the time it was something abstract I'd never heard of and drew me in.
He hummed in understanding, but didn't say anything else. Then I felt a flicker of unease coming from the bond. What was that about? Was he… jealous? No. That would be crazy; I must be misinterpreting.
"Here it is," I said as I pulled out the one I had wanted last time.
"Tourist Trap?" Marcus read out loud, plucking it from my fingers.
I nodded. "It's a thriller about people on vacation getting taken by monsters. This one is the Loch Ness monster. I left it behind last time I was here, and have been thinking about it ever since."
"Interesting," he said. "Mind if I read it when you're done?"
"Sure," I said. He started walking towards the comics, and I followed along with him towards the VHS tapes. Apparently, I was being just as clingy. "I didn't know you were interested in comics."
He shrugged. "I'm not that interested. But they're important to you, so I should give them a try."
My entire face got hot. Why was he just… saying these things like they were no big deal?
Marcus stopped at the wall and started looking it over.
"You don't have to do this, you know."
"Do what?" he asked, keeping his eyes there.
"Be all… sweet. Just because we're mated, doesn't mean you need to act like this."
"I'm not acting like this because we're mated." He pulled one of the tapes off the wall before carefully placing it back.
"Then why are you acting like this?" My tone took on a sharp edge.
"Because I want to," he said simply.
I stood there silently, feeling myself start to spiral. Why did he want to? Why all of a sudden, if not for the bond? Did he feel some sense of responsibility? Was he looking for a kind way to tell me he wanted to break it off? My stomach was suddenly in knots, and I felt lightheaded.
Marcus wrapped his arm around my shoulders, the sudden weight feeling comforting, even though it shouldn't have.
"I found what I needed. Should we get going?"
I nodded, leaning into his warm touch. He bought the comic and the tape before we started back to the car. I probably should have made some effort to pay, but I didn't have the brain space.
It wasn't long until we were back in the car. When a few moments passed and Marcus didn't make any effort to start driving, I looked at him. Which is when I noticed he was staring at me.
"What?" I asked.
