Page 6 of The Jorogumo

"I packed too much. And I can always get a snack from the bakery across the street if I get hungry later."

Haruto looked like he wanted to argue, but then he sighed and relented, making me grin.

As I pulled out the paper bag with my lunch, I snuck a glance at Haruto as he scanned the room, his eyes lingering on the action figures I'd placed around the room. Those were from my own collection, and I liked being surrounded by them when I did the boring work that came with running a store.

Haruto was...he was beautiful. There was no better word to describe him. He had dark, soulful eyes, and his short brown hair looked soft and very very touchable. His off-white shirt clung to his shoulders, the sleeves ending just above his biceps, showing off his slim muscles and smooth, pale, slightly tan skin that reflected his Japanese heritage.

He was an attractive man, but it was his personality that made me want to get to know him better. He was sweet, kind, and his love of comic books rivaled mine. As I'd discovered today, I could spend hours talking to him, and I'd never connected to someone so quickly before.

Three

Haruto

It'd been two monthssince the first time I visited Liam's store, and we'd become good friends since then. I enjoyed talking comics with him, and after the first time we'd spent hours talking—after Silas had conveniently forgotten to pick me up at our pre-decided time—I'd shared many more conversations with Liam, both in person and over text.

Most of our text conversations started with one of us sending a superhero-related meme to the other, and evolved into something completely different by the end of it.

Last night, he'd texted me that he'd finally gotten his hands on one of the three rare comics on my list he'd been on the lookout for, so after breakfast, I decided to head over to his store.

I'd made the trip enough times by now that I could do it on my own, but that wasn't safe in case the wheelchair malfunctioned,or something else went wrong. Not revealing ourselves to the humans was the one rule no supe was allowed to break, and beings like us who couldn't hide behind a human form had to be extra careful.

Luckily, Touya was heading into town and happy to join me to the store. Touya, a human who could see supes because of some latent supe blood in his family line, was mated to Silas, and much less nosy than his half-troll mate.

"I'll be done in two hours or so. Will you be okay to wait until then?"

"Of course. Liam and I are friends," I explained, waving toward the shop, and Touya peered through the glass, his brows shooting up.

"He looks a little scary."

"So does Silas," I reminded him pointedly, and his cheeks went pink.

"You're right. Sorry, I didn't mean to be a judgy ass."

"It's okay. Do you want to come in and say hi?"

"Maybe when I pick you up?" Touya suggested, and I nodded.

After he'd left, I wheeled up the ramp and pressed the button on the recently installed pole, smiling when the doors opened with an automatic whir. Liam hadn't mentioned why he'd decided to install it, and I hadn't asked, but I was glad for it. It made it so much easier to get in and out of the store, and I liked that I didn't need to ask for help.

"Hey, Haruto! You came!"

"I just came for my comic," I joked, making him chuckle.

"Well, it's right here, safe and sound. I found it at a yard sale of all things."

"Really?"

Liam widened his eyes, splaying his hands wide as he spoke. "I know, right? The man who owned the house died, and his family was selling his stuff off. They had no idea how expensive his collection could be if sold at the right place. I felt a little guilty about buying it so cheap, but I figured if the old man wanted his family to get more money, he'd have told them how much they were worth."

The speed of Liam's words told me he still felt a little guilty, so I wheeled closer to his chair and patted his hand, giving him a smile. "That's right. You paid the price they asked for, so it's not your fault."

"I also bought some issues for myself. And some for the used comics section. I'm not planning to make any profit on them, though."

"It wouldn't be wrong even if you did," I assured him, and he gave me a small smile.

"Thanks."

Liam told me about some of the rarer issues he'd found, and how he would've liked to have known that older man when he was alive.

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