Page 31 of The Jorogumo

As much as I enjoyed spending time with Haruto, I loved my job. I couldn't imagine a time when I wouldn't want to be here six days a week, but what I would love most were more days like today. I'd loved having Haruto in the store while I worked, even though I'd had to focus on the customers more than once. He hadn't seemed to care, though, and he'd even chipped in with his own suggestions once in a while.

That night, I dreamed I was in the shop with Haruto, except he wasn't in his wheelchair, and no one seemed to care. People walked past him or talked to him without ever being freaked out or puzzled by his legs, and then some of the Sanctuary residents showed up at the shop, also not getting any looks from the human customers.

It was a world where supes and humans lived side by side, and while I knew it wasn't possible in real life, it was a nice dream nonetheless.

I woke up with a smile on my face, and when I saw the good morning text waiting from Haruto, my smile reached manic proportions, and I was glad I was alone in my apartment.

Fuck, I was in so, so deep.

Twelve

Haruto

It'd been two weekssince I almost revealed myself to another human—we didn't tell anyone at the Sanctuary about that particular incident—and Liam and I had spent every other day with each other.

More than once, I wanted to ask him to stay the night, but I wasn't sure if that was something he'd be comfortable with, so I didn't say anything. We'd made out every time we got together, and—with his permission—I'd even snacked on his arousal a few times.

It'd been a long time since I'd consumed someone's desire, but I knew it'd never felt like this. Before, it'd always left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth, and an icky feeling. But with Liam, I just wanted more. His desire was the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted.

It was Liam's day off today, and I'd decided to do something special for him. He was coming over to the Sanctuary to spend the day with me, and since he was so curious about it, I'd planned something I was hoping he'd enjoy.

He'd texted me a minute ago to say he was on his way, so I was waiting for him just outside the door.

Because of the headmaster's magic, people's eyes slid past the building without lingering, and no one gave me a second look as I sat there waiting for Liam.

The walk from his shop to this building wasn't long, and I grinned when I spotted him, his returning smile just as wide. He sped up as he drew close, then rushed up the few steps until he stood right in front of me.

"Hey." Liam's brown eyes sparkled in the sun, and I gazed up at him, utterly mesmerized.

"Hey, Liam. Come on in."

I led us back inside, closing the door behind us and getting out of my wheelchair. Liam took my hand in his the moment I was done, and I smiled, squeezing his hand as I led him deeper into the Sanctuary.

He made a questioning sound when I walked past the Forest door, but didn't say anything, not until I stopped in front of the Ocean area.

"What's going on?"

"We are going on a date," I explained as I pushed the door open. "To the beach."

Liam's eyes widened as a warm, salty breeze blew through the open door, and he stepped inside, his head panning from side to side as I followed after him.

Like the Forest, Ocean started off with a plain, though instead of grass it was littered with small rocks and pebbles, before spreading out in a sandy beach that ended with a sprawling,bright blue ocean. Of course, the water body wasn't actually as big as a real ocean, but it had everything—except most sea animals—a real ocean did. The water was salty, there were sea plants at the bottom, and the waves brushed against the sand, with the tides following the moon's movement like they would in the human world.

The headmaster could create living organisms up to small insects, but anything bigger than that had to be brought in from the human world, so only a few sea animals called this ocean their home.

The beach was lined with palm fronds, offering patches of shade for people to sit in.

While some of the Ocean residents lived underwater, others had cabins dotting the long beach.

"This place is amazing!" Liam exclaimed, turning to me. "I mean the Sanctuary as a whole. There's an ocean right beside a forest, and everything is so real. I can't believe all of this was created by one man."

"Headmaster Morrigan is a very skilled sorcerer," I agreed with a nod, taking his hand and leading him to the spot I'd picked for our beach-side picnic date.

Liam's face brightened when he spotted the open umbrella with a spread blanket and a basket underneath it. "Are we having a picnic?"

"Yes. Is that okay?"

"I love it."

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