Page 49 of Dryad, Try Again
“I mean, obviously.” She waves her hand around and looks up. “This monster hurt you once. Why should you try to be with him?”
My throat goes dry. “But…but…he was a kid. It was an accident!”
“But what if he hurts you again?”
“I’d take that risk!”
“Is some monster truly worth it?”
“He’s not just some monster, Aunt Hannah! He’s an amazing man! He’s supportive, caring, and gorgeous. When Kovi’s with me, my life doesn’t feel hollow anymore. He’s more than worth it, because with him, I know I can do anything!”
Aunt Hannah puts her hand over mine. With a coy grin, she says, “Tanner, honey, there’s your answer.”
My breathing slows down. “Huh?”
“You just told me he’s worth it. Despite all the pain he’s inflicted on you, you still care for this boy.”
My heart beats faster when I hear the truth.I want to reach out to him so badly. “But after what I did, how can—”
“Tanner, everyone has baggage.” She pats my hand. “Now it’s up to you to share yours. The worst thing that can happen is he walks away and gives you your closure. But if everything you’re saying is true, I’d bet the opposite will happen.”
A seedling of hope is planted in my soul. “What’s that?”
“He’ll accept you, and you two can become something new, something more. Something that works.” She takes a long sip of tea. “The world changed two decades ago. But finding someone who wants to build a life with you is a timeless pursuit.”
I smile at the thought of growing older with Kovi. Baby steps, though. “So what do you think I should do?”
“You’re the college student, sweetie. You have friends, right?” She grins and holds up her mug again. “Ask them for help. And go fight for your monster.” She winks and I laugh so hard mylungs hurt. I love my Aunt Hannah so damn much. But she’s right—I need to do something to get back to Kovi.
The day before Halloween,I’m trying to focus on work at Mummy Mocha. The campus is thrumming with excitement for the big formal. More monsters than usual walk in and out of the café with books in their arms and tentacles. Ten weeks ago, if I saw this, I’d probably faint at the sheer amount of bat wings, claws, and furry tails of our patrons.
Now I don’t care about any of that. I only want to see branches, leaves, and vines.I never thought I’d actively want to interact with a tree monster.
But no, Kovi isn’t here. With a lull in patrons, I take a mocha over to my table of friends. Since it feels like my love life has been advertised in the Creelin Courier, I’ve informed my human crew about my predicament. I sit down at the small table in front of Shonda, Rachel, and Owen, and they’re all sipping drinks.
“So he still hasn’t talked to you?” Shonda gently asks.
I sigh. “No.”
“I’m tempted to drag him over here by his branches,” Rachel mutters.
“We shouldn’t harass him,” Owen remarks.
“Thank you, Owen.” I turn to the girls. “Please don’t bother him on my behalf.”
“We just don’t like seeing you like this,” Rachel says.
“Especially before the dance,” Shonda adds.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with going solo,” Owen mutters around his cup.
“I don’t care about any of that, I just…” I scratch my eyebrow and gaze at the other patrons. “I just want to plead my case. I don’t want to lose him.”
“Of course, not.” Shonda taps my hand. “Why don’t you go to his place and hash things out? You have trauma, so what? We all do.”
“That’s too forthright for me. I don’t want to pester him by banging on his door.” I huff and stir my cup around.
“Anyway, that’s his home turf,” Owen remarks. “It’s not like you can lure him here, since this place is closed during the dance tomorrow.” He sips his coffee. “But this is damn good brew.”
