Chapter 19
Brexl
After Taylor left the room, I sat there and blankly stared at the wall. She wanted to change herself for me. What a strange concept. How did she not know how perfect she was? Her personality, her likes, her dislikes, everything about her was already perfect.
I would fix this. I would present Taylor with a grand gift of Valentine so she will know exactly how perfect she is.
I ran along the normal hunting trails and memorized each spot where there were patches of the yellow flowers that Taylor liked. I would fill our cave with them in the morning and she would walk into our cave to the sight of me holding out some blooms for her. I might not have the right words to tell her how special she is to me, but maybe she’ll understand through my actions.
As I continued to run along the trail, I spotted Axon looking about as miserable as a male could look, which wasn’t like him at all. He, Orsu, and Lumod were cheerful people who always seemed to be in a good mood.
“Hello,” I approached Axon, who was sitting on a fallen log.
“Hey,” he gave me a half-hearted wave.
I wasn’t one to directly ask if something was troubling someone. So instead of speaking, I sat down next to my friend and waited.
I did not have to wait long, it seemed.
“Ashely won’t speak to me,” he admitted shortly after I sat down.
“What happened?”
I had heard rumors about what occurred when they were planting bulbs for the spring, but perhaps Axon retelling the story would shed some new light on the events that took place.
“She fell when we were planting bulbs. Her soft body pressed against mine so rapidly and so unexpectedly that I wasn’t prepared for it. It was too much and I panicked and shifted.” He buried his head in his hands.
“I should have tried to catch her, or at least check to see if she was alright, but no, I shifted, which caused everyone else to panic and stare at us. Then her cheeks turned red, and she clenched her jaw in the way that she does when she’s frustrated. She was embarrassed, and it was my fault.”
I patted his shoulder, hoping the gesture would bring some comfort.
“Every time she touches me, my body goes crazy. It’s like a sensory overload, which doesn’t make any sense, because I like the way she feels!”
Axon grunted his displeasure. His sensory issues were well known among the dekes. He often left the group to lie in the dark cave on the soft moss floor until his head stopped hurting.
“Perhaps a gift of Valentine will help,” I suggested.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m hoping too. I’m just trying to figure out what to get her.”
“What are you getting your mate?”
My mate. My Taylor. Those words sounded so good to my ears. If only she wanted to be with me.
“I plan to fill our cave with her favorite flower.” I pulled a yellow flower out of my satchel to show Axon.
“That’s a good idea,” he nodded approvingly.
“If you want more, I saw a bunch north of the stream near the kala.”
“Thank you, friend.” I bowed in appreciation. “I hope you find what you are looking for.”
I confirmed what Axon had said about the flowers and offered up a prayer to the goddess that he would finally get some luck with Ashley.
Lunch went by both too slowly and too fast. Every touch of Taylor’s hand on my knee or brush of her shoulder against mine as we ate reminded me that we had agreed to cuddle later.
She slept on my chest last night, which I greatly appreciated as her presence kept my nightmares away, but would our cuddling go beyond that? Would there be touching involved? How much touching? I would explore every inch of her if she permitted me to do so.
“Alright, I’ll see you at dinner,” Taylor waved goodbye to Fatima and Beatrice, as we walked hand-in-hand to our cave.
