Page 18 of Claimed By The Orc

MAHK

Ipaced the parking lot of Tanner’s work, the bouquet of flowers in my hand. The woman at the flower shop had said that roses were popular for wooing a romantic interest, but when I’d looked at them, they didn't seem right. The roses were beautiful, but they were too uniform and monotone for my Tanner. He was all explosive color and wild edges. Nothing about him or his life was neat and monotone, and I wanted my first gift to him to demonstrate this.

So twenty minutes later, the nice woman at the shop had helped me design my own bouquet, and then I was on my way. Now that I was here, I was having doubts. The research I’d done said flowers were a good gift in the beginning stages of wooing, but what if I’d gotten it wrong? Tanner had never mentioned liking flowers and had none around his home. Maybe he disliked them. Or maybe he was allergic. That was another thing I’d learned during my research: humans could have sensitivities to certain things and it could make them sick. The more I learned about my mate’s species, the more terrified I was. How were they so prone to vulnerability?

Anyway, maybe this was a bad idea. Tanner hadn’t seen me yet, he was busy talking to the other cashier who was taking over,so I could easily hide these before he saw them. I did not want to make him upset by presenting him a gift he couldn’t even enjoy.

I was looking for a place to place them when the bells on the door chimed.

“Mahk?” I turned, trying to hide the bouquet behind my back, but it was too late. Tanner found them.

He met me where I stood in the cracked lot and smiled crookedly. “Whatchu got there, little stalker?”

I felt like maybe little stalker was an insult, but I was anything but insulted. It made my heart skip a beat when he called me that with that teasing but sweet lilt to his tone.

Tanner raised an eyebrow and waited. Knowing he wouldn’t give up until I showed him, I pulled the flowers from behind my back and handed them to him.

“The internet said flowers were a good way to woo a romantic interest,” I explained. “The woman at the flower shop suggested roses, but they didn’t feel right.”

Tanner looked a little awestruck, and my nerves were starting to get the better of me. Before I could rip them out of his hands and run away, my mate leaned down and lightly brushed his lips against mine. It was nothing like the kiss from that first night Tanner had found out about me, but it was the first time he’d kiss me at all in the five days that had passed. My lips tingled with the sensation, and I found myself leaning forward, silently begging for more.

“Thank you, sweetheart. You’re right. Roses aren’t really my thing. But these, I love. It’s like a rainbow.”

I knew my mate would love them! I brimmed with pride from knowing I’d pleased Tanner and at how well I already knew my mate.

“Let’s run by the house so I can put these in water, and then we’ll head over to the school.”

I nodded and then started to hum happily to myself when his free hand entwined with mine.

From what I’d read in my research, this wasn’t a traditional date, but when Tanner had asked me to come to his brother’s baseball game with him, that had seemed more significant than any dinner and movie that the Google had said was standard. I wouldn’t be hiding in the shadows. I would be sitting directly next to Tanner and his sisters while they watched their brother play in something called the playoffs. For Tanner, whose family was more important to him than anything, I couldn’t help but feel a thrill at being invited.

He didn’t live far from the convenience store, so soon we were standing in the overgrown lawn of his home. I wondered about that. The rest of the houses in the neighborhood had neatly trimmed grass with pretty, colorful flowers. I wanted to ask Tanner why his was not like that but didn’t know how.

I hesitated on the gravel pathway that led up to the faded porch. Did he want me to come inside?

He seemed to understand my hesitation and tugged only my hand. “Come on in. You don’t have to wait here like a creeper.”

I didn’t know what a creeper was but was too excited to care. It was my first time being invited inside Tanner’s home, and while I’d seen most of it through the windows, it felt different entering

The front door led directly to a living area. It was clean but worn. An old carpet with clear tread marks from overwear and slightly faded stains covered the space. The sofa was large and looked more comfortable than Mrs. Cunningham’s, but the fabric was as faded as the carpet, and the dents from people sitting on it were obvious. Next to the sofa was a chair in the same fabric. It was soft and comfortable looking, and the bottom opened with a lever to allow the person sitting to rest their feetup. I liked that chair a lot. I wanted to ask Tanner what it was called, but his mother was currently sleeping in it, so it felt rude.

Tanner smiled uncomfortably and led me past her. In the hallway, I couldn’t help but notice the walls lined with photographs of the family. They were a timeline of Tanner and his siblings’ lives, starting from when he’d just been an infant cradled in his much younger mother’s arms, a man with a build so similar to Tanner’s, it must have been his father’s sitting next to her, smiling down happily at the small child. Eventually, the man stopped being in the pictures, and his mother began looking weaker and more frail. More children continued to pop up, but despite the hardships that had clearly marred their lives, they were always smiling, always so filled with love.

I allowed Tanner to lead me into the kitchen, which was in a similar state as the living area. It was clean, but the appliances and countertops were old and not of great quality. I didn’t have to be of the human realm to notice that. The floor was chipped, and in a few places, mats covered missing tiles. None of that mattered, though, because the focus would always be on the dining table and the brightly colored chairs that made the place feel very homey.

Tanner was rummaging through the cabinets, muttering quietly to himself. Eventually, he pulled out a tall glass mug that we would drink pints of ale out of back home.

“We don’t have a vase,” he told me sheepishly. “But I think this should work.”

“It’s perfect.” He seemed self-conscious for some reason, and I never wanted him to feel like that. Like the bouquet of flowers, the mug fit Tanner much more than a vase ever would. He quickly filled it with water and placed it on the counter near the window behind the sink.

“They look great,” he said, closing the space between us and wrapping his arms around my waist. “Thank you. Seriously. No one has ever done that for me before.”

The statement both pleased me and saddened me. I hated that Tanner had never had anyone who cherished him the way he deserved. On the other hand, it satisfied some part of me I hadn’t realized existed to know that I would be the one to give that to my mate. The only one.

The way Tanner was looking at me now, I’d do anything to keep that expression on his face. I could practically feel his contentment. I’d done that. I’d made him happy by such a simple gesture.

His phone vibrated then, pulling both of us out of our moment. He still didn’t move for a long while, his gaze meaningful and heavy. Finally, he dragged those brown eyes away and dug it out.

---