He scrambles up, cupping snow in his hands and throwing it in my face.
“Oh no you don’t!”
Before I can retaliate he’s up and running. I chase him, gathering snow into a tight ball before tossing it and hitting him in the shoulders. He stops and turns, grabbing at snow, readying to strike again. I run at him and tackle him into the powder and we topple over.
“Okay, okay,” he puffs. “You win.”
Gasping for breath, we lie on our backs in the snow.
“You’re so annoying,” he says.
“Aw, you’re okay too,” I say, knowing that I’ve made a friend for life.
“I’m sorry for being a mopey sad sack. I just get like that sometimes.”
“Hey”—I roll onto my side—“if you ever want to talk, I mean it, you text me, or call whenever you want.”
He rolls over as well and grins.
“Thanks. And I’ll want all the juicy goss when Jasper finally figures out what he’s missing. And I mean details, I want aaaaaall the details.”
I shove his shoulder gently.
When eventually we head back inside, I give Mason another hug. I’m so happy to have found a friend like him—and so excited for him to discover what I’m learning, that we’re not as alone as we think. People like us, gay people, queer people, we’re everywhere, even if we’re quiet or sad or completely wrapped up in our own drama; we’re here and we need to be there for each other.
The day passes slowly. I spend some time with Katie while her boyfriends are having designated bro time, then I do some drawing and call home. When it’s finally time to get ready for the trek out to Wolf Point, the sun is setting, and the sky has turned this intense shade of pink. Ripples of peach and violet cloud roll in, and gradually the pink turns to maroon, then purple. By the time I’m dressed in my hiking gear, it’s dark outside; the clouds have covered the sky, and behind them the moon must be rising. If the weather stays like this, we might not even catch a glimpse of the blood moon. But I don’t care. This trip has been well worth the journey.
As I finish lacing my boots, there’s a knock at the door.
“One second,” I call, finishing a double bow then running over to see who it is.
I open the door, and no one is there. I glance side to side; there’s no one down the hall either. I wonder if I imagined hearing the knock, and then I notice a package at my feet.
It’s a small box, wrapped in silver paper, with a red velvet bow tied neatly on top. A gift?
Taking the present back inside, I sit on the bed and stare at it. Who would have left this here? Could it be…? No, that’s too wild.
Christmas was yesterday, so there’s no reason not to open it right away. I tug off the bow and tear into the paper. As I open the parcel, a faint hint of cherry blossom escapes. Inside is a what looks like a jewelry box and a note.
Sorry it’s late.
It can’t be…
The box snaps open easily to reveal a silver signet ring; pressed into the face is the seal of the alpha. There’s only one person this could have come from.
Cold metal slips easily over my finger as I slide the ring on, and I examine it for a moment, watching it glint in the light. I leave the ring on and slip my mittens over top.
As I head downstairs to join the hiking party I’m distinctly aware of the ring’s presence on my finger. But what does it mean?
Why has he given me this now?
Maybe he felt bad for not having anything to give me in return for his present and regifted a piece of his own jewelry. But Jasper doesn’t wear rings. So he must have bought it specially. And why the alpha’s seal unless… Unless it’s supposed to suggest…
Once again, Jasper the king of mixed messages has sent my head swimming.
When I arrive outside to join the hiking group, Jasper is the first person I see—somehow the crowd parts so that I can take him in. He’s standing casually in the middle of the group, hair swept to the side, in a sleek black puffer jacket, one hand in his pocket. Peeking out from the top of his zipper is a flash of red fabric. The scarf I gave him. He’s wearing it.
He meets my eye and I know…the chase is still on.
