“You like to read.” Garridan leafed through some of the pages.
“Yeah. I’ve always been a reader. I prefer reading to watching television, actually.”
“That’s why you gave me the book?”
“Yeah. I thought it was a good way to get to know each other.”
Garridan turned to him. “I didn’t give you a gift.”
“It’s fine.”
“No. It’s not. I don’t know what you like.”
“Reading, as you know now. I also like to swim, especially when I shift.” Sage stopped talking because he wasn’t sure if Garridan was listening. He was pulling another book from the shelf, flipping it to the back.
“Keep going, baby. I like learning about you.”
“Oh…um…okay.” Sage went into the bedroom, leaving the door open. He pulled on his dresser drawer, still able to see Garridan and vice-versa. “So, I’m an only child. My father has passed away, but my mother is still alive. I’m actually a little worried about her because I haven’t heard from her in a few months, although that’s pretty typical. Anyway, my point is that I think I learned to love reading because I was alone a lot as a kid. I think I started reading to escape.”
“Escape from what?”
“I guess my life. My parents. They fought sometimes. In high school, I had been this awkward, nerdy gay kid, I guess. I got good grades and have always wanted to go to college, but I’ve never hadthe money. I started working at the restaurant a few years ago and like it well enough, I guess. I haven’t been there since the kidnapping, though.”
“Why haven’t you been working?”
Sage shrugged and didn’t answer.
“Sage. Answer the question.”
“Fine. I’m scared, okay.”
“Of someone in town hurting you?”
“No, of freaking the fuck out in front of everyone. I don’t want a lot of people around me.”
“You like me around you.”
“Yeah, and you’re the only person on the face of this planet. You make me feel like I’m normal again.” It gave Sage hope that maybe he could start getting back to some sort of normal life again. Although, Sage had a feeling that his normal had fallen off a cliff and shattered into a million pieces.
Garridan walked into the room and sat on the bed. He had three books in his hands, which he placed onto the pile of clothes beside him.
“I’d like to start working again. I just know I’ll be a nervous wreck and it won’t go well. I’ll have panic attacks and I’ll probably cry over every little thing.”
“Does talking about it help?”
“Yeah, a little. It’s just slow going and honestly, I think I’ve made more progress by bonding with you than anything the medication and the doctors are doing for me.” Sage sighed and threw some pants with the stuff he wanted to take. “Whatever. I guess it is what it is. I’ll probably always be a mess now. We’ll have to live in a van down by the public access.” Sage turned to smirk at Garridan, trying to make the discussion a littlebit lighter.
“I can work too, Sage. I’m not helpless. I used to own a business before the vampires held me. And I have quite a bit in savings.”
“Really? What kind of business?”
“I was a carpenter. I had a little store in my town, but I did a lot of custom work. I’d like to get back to that,” Garridan said.
“The storefront or the custom work?”
“Both.”
“Well, Andrea, my boss at the restaurant, owns the building she’s in. There’s a storefront just next to the restaurant.” Sage held up his hands and made an ‘L’ shape. On the little bar, he ran a finger over it and said, “Grocery store.” At the angle he said, “Restaurant. Next to that is the empty store, then the ice cream parlor, and then Mark Fressen has an accounting business thing. Mark is a Wolf shifter. He and Kristin had a brief thing, but they aren’t mates or anything. He’s a nice person. You’d have good neighbors if you took the space. Plus, I’m sure Andrea would let us have it for practically nothing, considering it’s been empty for so long. I can probably ask her to take the rent out of my check. At least, I could if I started working again.”
