Page 11 of Once Upon a Dance Club Wish

Eventually, Nelson fell asleep, his soft snores unlike anything I’d heard before. At the pond, I was used to the sounds of crickets, frogs, and other animal shifters throughout the night, but not the quiet noises that came from outer-worlders.

I reached to shake him awake, but Oscar put his hand on my shoulder. “Leave him be.”

“He can stay there,” Walter whispered. “He seemed so exhausted and is still probably overwhelmed. Oscar can get him a blanket.”

Before the couple retired for the night, they made sure Nelson would be warm. I laid on the porch beside him in my turtle form, ready to shift back if need be.

When morning came, we thanked Walter and Oscar for their hospitality, and I received a list from Walter. “This is what you need Ahmed to bring from the outer-world to help with Nelson’s adjustment here. I know it’s a change for you, too, but you have no idea how different our world is from this.”

I nodded, wanting to do anything to make Nelson’s transition easier. Spending time with the couple and their children made me realize exactly how much I wanted a family of my own.

As we made our way into the village, an unease crept over me. I worried whether the others would accept Nelson being mymate. They didn’t really have a choice, but would they make him want to leave instead?

Nelson took my hand in his, a gesture that comforted me more every time he did it. “Where do you think our hut will be?”

I shrugged, unsure and dreading which one we’d be assigned to. “The new huts are all centered together in the main part of the village. But there are older, abandoned homes, originally built for the previous outer-worlders who came here, that are spread out around the forest.”

“I want one of those.” Nelson squeezed my hand, giving another spark of contentment. “Is there one near your pond?”

I paused for a moment, sure I had seen one somewhere close. “I think so. It’s not on any of the routes I normally take, but I’m positive there is. Maybe on the other side from where I met you.”

“Then let’s claim that one.” Still holding me, he leaned into my side and kissed my cheek. “I had a dream about us, and our future family. Now, I can’t wait to get started.”

I wished I shared his confidence, knew what he saw in that dream. I did want the same thing but worried about all the obstacles we still had to conquer to make it possible.

***

Throughout the day, Ahmed popped back and forth between worlds, bringing armfuls of items from the outer-world to help my future mate adjust. And Nelson tittered about in the hut we’d found, arranging and rearranging it all. His doubts and worries had all vanished as he whistled while fluffing what he called a pillow that later ended up on his bed.

“It’s not what I’m used to.” Nelson lay on the bed with his arms and legs spread. “But it’s way fluffier than the last few beds I’ve slept on. Almost feels like a nest.”

Something deep inside of me rumbled to life at the mention of nesting. I yearned to join Nelson on that bed, remove his clothes, and give him a reason to nest. The urge was so strong. But too many others still lingered around our new home for me to get cozy with him.

As the sun set on Nelson’s third day in the Enchanted Forest, I found him once again on the bed, sleeping while curled up among blankets and pillows, and with only a pair of briefs on. He had adjusted so well, much better than me.

Inside the hut, without Nelson to distract me, my chest tightened, and the walls seemed to close in on me. I was used to living and sleeping outdoors and didn’t know if I could acclimate to a new way of living. Would I eventually get used to it? Or would I have to leave Nelson the way Colton had left Walter?

I sighed, trying not to fret too much. The outdoors still existed. I wasn’t trapped inside. To prove it to myself, I stepped outside and took a deep breath. Yep, still there. But it wasn’t enough. The pond called to me. Before I knew it, I sat on my favorite log and stared at my former home. I didn’t need to go in the water. Simply being there helped loosen the tightness in my chest.

“You okay?”

Startled, I turned around to find Nelson behind me. He’d put his shirt back on, but nothing else, and his hair lay completely flat on one side while sticking out in multiple directions on the other side.

“Yeah.” I shuffled over on the log to give him room to sit if he wanted. “I couldn’t settle. I’m sorry.”

He sat beside me and rested his head on my shoulder. “You don’t have to be sorry. I get it. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to sleep, either. But I guess exhaustion caught up with me. Until I heard you leave.”

“Sorry.”

He kissed my cheek. “I don’t mind if you come down here. But expect me to come with you sometimes. I want to know all parts of you, not only when you look like me.”

I rested a hand on Nelson’s thigh, his closeness somehow able to calm me better than anything else. “Tell me about your world. Tell me what it’s like to be mated there.”

Closing his eyes for a moment, he took a deep breath. “Well, being mates with another guy is illegal in many parts of my world. Though not where I’m from. And as I mentioned before, it’s not possible for anyone born as a male to become pregnant. The only way for them to have kids is to go through a huge legal rigmarole to adopt a child. Though most gay couples I knew never wanted kids.”

“Oh.” I ran my palm up and down his thigh, enjoying the softness of his skin while not fully understanding his words.

“When I was in what I thought was a long-term relationship, we dated for a bit then we moved in together. Or he asked me to move in with him.”

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