Page 26 of Shade
"Hmm... what?"
"It was fine," he said in a tone that very much said he was lying.
"Shade," I pressed, and he sighed.
"Okay, so maybe I, uh, I jumped to a different shadow. On the ground. Just in case you fell." He added the last part in a rush, and I grinned.
"Did you get scared?"
Shade scoffed. "No way."
My grin widened. "When did you leave?"
Shade mumbled something, making my brow raise. "Repeat that, please?"
He sighed like it was such a trouble, then said, "When it reached the top the first time."
I grinned, but then shook my head. "We don't have to go again if you don't want to. There are a lot of other rides we still have to try."
"No, no. I'll stay this time, now that I know for sure you won't fall."
"Whatever you want, my sweet shadow. Now, how about we find something a little less dizzying," I said, and Shade hummed in agreement.
We ended up staying until well into the evening, filling ourselves on all kinds of extremely unhealthy snacks as we tried ride after ride.
It was past seven when we decided to call it a day, and my legs were killing me, but I had a wide grin on my face because it'd been the best day of my life. Okay, second best. The best would be the day I found Shade again.
"Would you like to come back to the Sanctuary? Stay the night?" Shade asked as we walked out of the park in search of a good shadow to travel through. Before I could answer, he added, "I'll bring Pixie over as well, of course. And anything she needs to feel comfortable at my place."
I smiled. He was so damned thoughtful. I loved him.
I stopped short, surprised by my thoughts. It wasn't like I'd never thought that before. I'd loved him as a kid, but that had been a different kind of love. This love, though...
"Everything okay?" Shade asked, making me realize I'd stopped walking altogether.
"Sorry," I said as I started again, and then added, "And yeah, let's go to your place."
"Great! Did you—" My Bluetooth beeped, telling me it was almost out of battery. I was surprised it'd lasted so long in the first place.
"Uh, can you repeat that? My Bluetooth is almost out of battery."
"Oh, here's a shadow. I'll say it once we're home. Come on, to your right."
I let his shadows tug me closer, and then they enveloped me like before, along with Shade's arms. A moment later, the shadows dissipated, but Shade's arms stayed around me.
"We're home," he murmured into my ear, and I smiled, removing the buds from my ear. Taking their case out of my pocket, I put them in to charge before I forgot as Shade took a step back. "Take a seat. I'll go get Pixie."
"Okay," I murmured, then found my way to the couch and settled down, closing my eyes and leaning my head against the backrest. While Shade's home was completely dark, it wasn't quiet. There was the sound of crickets, and blades of grass moving in a gentle breeze. The leaves shook every once in a while, and the whole thing made me feel immeasurably calm after the noisy day I'd had.
While I would've been comfortable at home, I lived in an apartment building, and things were never just calm like this. Something was always happening, if not in the building, then out on the streets.
"Meow."
I grinned at the sound, turning my head toward it. "You're back!"
Something warm and fluffy jumped into my lap, and I pulled Pixie close, kissing the top of her head. "Hey, Pix. I missed you."
She meowed again, then butted her head against my hand until I gave her some scratches. The couch dipped beside me, and I turned my body to face Shade, giving him a smile.
