My shoulders slump as my dragon lifts his head and narrows his eyes at Arran. “But I want to.”
Raising his brows, Arran asks, “Does she want to marry you?”
I sag onto a large rock as I give that some thought. “I think so. Maybe. She says she loves me. And she wants us to be together. Though maybe it would be simpler if she actually lived in Starry Hill.”
Arran looks around as if he’s searching for someone else to jump in and take over the conversation. I understand that he might not have a lot of experience—or any for all I know—when it comes to love and marriage, but maybe he can give me advice based on his observations of others across the four hundred years he’s been alive?
Clearing his throat, Arran perches on a rock opposite me and says slowly, “That’s a step in the right direction at least. Maybe take things slow. Humans can be… unpredictable.”
“Not my Nori.” Scales wrap around my limbs as my dragon curls back his upper lip, ready to defend Nori from such slander.
Arran holds up both hands. “I don’t mean any offense. What do I know, after all? I’ve not courted someone in centuries. Times may have changed since I was young.”
Slowly, my scales recede but my dragon keeps a watchful eye. “I’ll keep that in mind. Maybe I should talk to Bodin or Tilly to get their opinions.”
“They’ll certainly be more knowledgeable than me regarding matters of the heart,” Arran agrees.
Needing to get back to neutral ground, I ask, “Where are you going?”
Arran runs a hand over his cropped hair. “Meeting with Calla at her place. There’s word of a werewolf who might need help and somewhere safe to rest for a while. We’re low on space at the minute, but we’ll make a plan.”
“You always do,” I say, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. “How can I help?”
“I’ll let you know once we have a timeline on when to expect him.”
“Arran?” I say after a moment’s hesitation.
“Hmm?”
I take a bracing breath, then say something I should’ve said a long time ago. “Thank you. For back then. For finding me and giving me a safe space too.”
Arran’s slight smile is full of understanding. “You’re welcome, Beck. That was always my intention with Starry Hill. To make it a refuge for creatures who need it most.”
“I… uhm…” Staring at my feet, I admit something that few but Arran will understand, wanting to share the huge step with my friend. “I started using my real name again, with Nori.”
His nod is full of approval. “I am glad to hear that.”
“I hope to one day be ready for the whole town to call me Shinsu too. Not yet, but hopefully soon. First, I need to explain to Nori why I stopped using it when I moved here.”
“Take your time,” Arran encourages. “She seems like a good one and she’ll understand. The town will understand too.”
We say goodbye and continue on our separate paths. I grab lunch from The Flowering Teapot, and the softest blue-and-orange crochet blanket from Peregrine, before popping by The Dancing Daisy to show Lucille.
When I get home, I put the final touches on the reading corner and place the bouquet of flowers Annamae grew for Nori in a vase. Then, I lower myself into her cozy new chair and wait.
Things have been really busy at work for Nori this week. Regardless of working late most nights, she still makes time to talk to me for at least an hour before bed, plus she takes time to reply to love notes during the day too. I try not to overwhelm her, but for the messages to be encouraging and help her get through the day.
I know how much she’s looking forward to this weekend and escaping from the city and that stupid fucking job that makes her so unhappy. I’m going to do everything in power to make her happy and forget about all her stress while she recoups here, with me and all her friends.
My first plan after I pick Nori up and feed her a delicious dinner, is to take her to The Singing Seahorse for karaoke. I’m so excited for that because we’ll finally be able to perform the song we made up a dance for as kids, the same song I’ve been performing every Friday night for as long as I’ve been attending karaoke.
The sun inches closer to the horizon and I stare down at my phone just as it starts to ring. My whole body lights up as Eleanor’s name appears on the screen, my dragon loping up and down my chest with equal excitement.
“Nori,” I answer, a broad smile beaming from me as I say her name.
A beleaguered breath puffs across the line. “Hi, Shinsu.”
Feeling like this is a repeat of an event not so long ago, I shoot up out of the chair. “Where are you? At the harbor already? Are you okay?”
