Page 82 of Bride of Choice

“I just meant, I like it, is all,” she said into the silence that followed.

“Coughing up testicle hairballs after going downtown?” I quipped sarcastically, my smile nothing short of evil as I dared a peek at her to find her gaping at me incredulously.

“That you’re aware, observant of others! That the rock in your chest could grow three sizes with a single comment, after you’ve crawled out from the one you chill beneath, when you were talking about Mina’s lack of me-time so nicely! I’ve never heard you blurt something about anyone outside of our circle before like that before unless you were about to rant! Not fuzz licking hair balls, you- you-”

“Insufferable, fabulously fashioned wretch?” I finished with a winning smile.

“Pain in the ass,” she spluttered out, yet laughed at the whole thing.

Eh. I knew how to have a good time.

With a jaunty pep in my step and my map in hand, I waved my free hand over my shoulder as I bid her good night, “Don’t ever have to tell me how to have a good time… or you, apparently,” my eyebrows waggled, “for that matter!”

“You’re horrible,” she called after me. Her laughter rang out as I put one foot in front of the other, the soft crunch of freshly fallen snow under my feet. My boots sinking in clean up to my ankles told me I better get the lead out or I’d be up to my knees in this ish pretty soon here.

Mina honestly probably didn’t see the fuss with a gaggle of gal pals. She had her own built-in besties, beastie besties, if my guess was right, right there at her beck and call.

I’d fantasized about finding a best guy friend and falling madly in love, living happily, deeply, forever over the top with the TMI because that’s just how we do it, ever after. My mega crush on Kooky could be attributed to that, and just how quickly I’d fallen in with Gopher. I’d really thought Gogo boots was that missing puzzle piece. Bookended with Rek, I thought we’d be that power trio that lived dysfunctionally functionally forever after, amen. Gopher would keep Rek in check, Rek would keep himself in check because he’d hate to feel one-upped by my sweet bean pole, and I’d have kept them both on their toes. It could’ve been a win-win all around.

I’m obviously delusional.

Now that I thought of it, spying Noyel still deep in rumbly speaks with a small group of males near the storage shed they’d built last cooler season, I turned back to ask Rosa with a squint in her direction, “Hey, what happened to Big, Tall, and Silent? He on an extended fishing expedition or what?”

“His first huge hunt,” Rosa admitted proudly. “Khri and Celuk personally invited Tokre. I heard the thing they’re looking for is enormous!”

“Hunt big beast,” Zhuii supplied.

“Bluey didn’t get an invite?” I wondered aloud before I could think better of it.

“Zhuii stay him’s Lindy-mine. Keep mines safe. Tokre safe, too. Khri learn hand speaks,” he came up behind Rosa, rumbling softly, wrapping his arms around her to hug her to him possessively.

Khri had learned Tokre’s beast version of sign language too? I’d been working with Kooky on it of late. I spoke of Rosa and her guys so much, he’d asked how we communicate with Noyel’s silent group brother and it had all snowballed from there. The next thing I knew, we were trying to teach each other the hand signs we’d both learned so far, trying to outshine each other in friendly competition and practice.

“Y’all are so cute it makes me sick!” I told them, instead of blurting out that I knew anyone on the hunting trip too. Kooky has said many times that Celuk is a good hunter. He’d praised Khri as well when prompted.

Feeling a little defensive for Kooky and all of his hunting endeavors, I’d bet he was just as good as those guys, maybe even better. Kooky wasn’t a braggart though. Why didn’t he get a mention like the others? Hell, I’d bet Tokre would come back talking all about him and his mad skills. He’d probably blow Khri and Celuk outta the water.

Smiling to myself at the idea, I’d just made it out of the first fat patch of tall snow under Rosa’s tree when I heard it.

“Jo! Jo, wait!”

Whipping around, I thought I might be delusional for all of two seconds as Gopher came rushing up to me.

“Where the hell did you come from?!” I squawked.

“Talk Noyel. Waits for Jo,” he called out, easily catching up to me to match my stride.

“I don’t need an escort,” I pointed out. Lifting the map in my hand, I waved it at him. “Looks like I’ll be staying in town for a little bit.”

“Bia’s,” he rumbled out softly, like the idea pleased him.

“His place is that nice, huh?” I joked.

Gopher shook his head, which had me frowning and pausing in my slush slogging march to stare at him. “I’m not going to freeze my ass off in a mud hut, am I?” I fretted.

“No. No. Bia’ hut nice. Nice hut.”

“Well, what then?” I spluttered.

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