She wasn’t asking for all the sordid details. Enid tended to concern herself more with matters of the heart.
“And it was… good.” Good didn’t begin to cover it. Exceptional, extraordinary, transformative even, as if the fates had finally aligned to deliver me this one very special boy. Our chemistry was undeniable, but it was his openness and vulnerability that compelled me to want more than just a casual fling. He awakened the protector and nurturer within me.
“He say how long he’d be in town?” Enid asked.
“I get the sense he hasn’t decided. Seems like he may be running from something or someone.”
“Goddess, Hiero, you sure know how to pick 'em. He’s probably some fae fugitive of the law, about to bring a heap of trouble to our quiet little town.”
Our town was small, but it definitely wasn’t quiet. And even if that were true, it wouldn’t be the first time we’d had to deal with some law enforcement type from one of the many realms trying to extradite a fugitive. We rarely made it easy for them, and sometimes we made it downright impossible.
“Maybe that’s what it was,” I said, still pondering the particulars of our conversation. “But this morning, it seemed like he was in pain.”
“Physical pain?” she said and made a lewd gesture.
“Emotional pain,” I corrected.
“Getting over a broken heart?”
“Maybe,” I said.
“Listen, Hiero, he’s an attractive bloke, but you can’t force a relationship with someone who doesn’t want one. That fancy footloose fae is probably just looking for someone to get his rocks off with, so don’t go getting invested until you know what he’s all about.”
Too late,I thought ruefully.
“He’s special,” I said.
“Maybe so, but you’ve got too good a heart for some playboy to go messing with it. I don’t care how easy he is on the eyes.”
Skylar certainly made it easy. “He said he’d stop by the bar tonight.”
He’d called me his Daddy.
Enid nodded, still with a motherly look of concern on her face. “Well, let’s see if he shows, and then maybe you can get him sorted.”
It was good advice, and I looked forward to doing just that. Sorting him out and making him mine. For the rest of the night, my gaze passed over the entrance to the bar again and again, waiting for the handsome fae to make good on his promise, but the hours slowly slipped by and Skylar never showed.
Days passed and I’d not seen hair nor hide of Skylar Larkspur. I was tempted to ask around town to find out if anyone else had seen him around, maybe even check in on The Owner at The Magic Shop down the street, but that felt too much like showing my belly.
My irritation slowly morphed into concern. And then I thought about the sad look in his eyes when we’d parted ways and started to worry that whatever trouble he’d been trying to escape may have caught up with him. After three long days of pining, I finally swallowed my pride and asked my cousin Frito where he was staying.
“The Purple Pegasus,” Frito said as if he’d been expecting me to ask. “Room 205.”
I nodded and left him to supervise the bar while I walked a few blocks over to the motel. I scanned the pool and courtyard surrounding it but didn’t see him there.
Perhaps he was out picking flowers.
Rustling up my courage, I climbed the stairs to room 205 and gave the door a hearty knock. It took another moment for a muffled voice to respond, “I’ll bring you your coin later.”
Did he saycoin? Did Skylar owe someone money, some bad actor intent on exacting retribution? Was that why he’d been pick-pocketing at my bar? I knocked again. A few minutes later, the door swung open, and there stood a heartbreaking version of my sweet, soulful boy. His hair was rumpled as if he’d been lying down and it was now sticking up every which way, and he still wore the clothes I’d lent him days ago. It appeared as if he’d not showered since the morning he’d stayed over. Not only that, he’d also been crying. A lot.
“It’s you,” he said, sounding hopeful. Then his face fell as if tears were imminent.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?” I laid a hand on his shoulder. He nodded, then shook his head, the dam broke, and he started to bawl. “Skylar, can I come in?”
He stepped aside so that I might enter. The place looked almost as wrecked as him with dirty clothes strewn about and old fruit pits and food wrappers scattered everywhere. Severalempty bottles of Mind Eraser littered his dresser, and there was an overall mood of loneliness and despair.
“Baby,” I said, tugging him gently into my arms. “When’s the last time you left your room?”
