Page 42 of Shade
Shade
After a few minutes of making out, we returned to the Dining Room, and the break we'd taken allowed me to stay in my form a while longer.
Diego and I danced, ate more cake, chatted with the others, and had a great time. I loved seeing Diego so happy, and so involved. He'd made friends with everyone quickly, and no one treated him differently for being a human.
While it sucked that Touya had taken most of the backlash for being allowed into the Sanctuary as a human, I was glad he'd paved the way for Liam and Diego, because I didn't think they would've been able to handle the animosity.
The party ran well into the night, but Diego and I returned to my place before midnight since he had work tomorrow. We curled up in bed, with Pixie claiming a spot on Diego's pillow, which forced him to slide lower and use my arm as a pillow instead.
I held him close as we fell asleep, full of cake, happiness, and the knowledge that Diego loved me.
The next morning, my alarm clock—which I'd set for Diego—woke us up, and I brought over some clothes for him to get dressed in, along with his shoulder-bag full of work-stuff.
We had breakfast with the others since Diego's commute time was now mere seconds, and as we were leaving the Dining Room, Jacinta walked up to Diego and thrust a paper bag and a large Tupperware box in his hands before retreating without a word.
"Uh, what just happened?" he asked, then stuck his nose into the bag. "Damn, this smells delicious."
"I believe Jacinta made lunch for you. The Tupperware seems to be full of cake. For your students, I guess?" I told him, and he gave me a wide grin, then turned to face the kitchen doorway.
"Thanks, Jacinta!" he called out, getting a grumbled non-reply in return.
Then: "It's got a bit of magic in it, so it won't trigger any pesky human allergies."
I blinked, surprised by Jacinta's consideration. Then again, they were pretty proud of their food, so of course they'd make sure everyone could eat it.
We returned to my place so he could give Pixie some parting pets and grab his bag, and then I took him to work, slippinghim out of the shadows in a darkened corner of the parking lot.
I slipped into his shadow as he made his way toward the school, content to hang out and watch him with his kids. He'd told me that I didn'thaveto stay, but when I'd asked him if he minded, he'd said no. He liked having me there, liked knowing I was always watching out for him.
"Look at you! You're positively glowing!" Jess, Diego's coworker, said as she hurried to join him, and he turned his face toward her, a smile on his face.
"I'm not!"
"Yes, you are. It must've been some wedding!"
Diego paused, then chuckled. "Yeah, it was. How were the kids yesterday?"
"Absolutely unbearable," she said with a smile. "'Where's Mr. Sánchez, Miss?' 'When will he be back, Miss?' 'Is he okay?' 'Is he sick?'" she mimicked the kids' voices, making Diego laugh.
"I guess they'll be happy to see I'm alive," he said with a snort, and Jess laughed.
"Oh, they will. Their theories about why you weren't there kept getting wilder and wilder, until I had to give in and tell them you were attending a friend's wedding."
Diego shook his head, a fond smile on his face, and my chest went all warm and fuzzy. I loved how much he loved his students. It was clear they loved him too, because the moment he stepped into his class, his students started shouting, their words spilling over as they tried to be the loudest one.
"Hey, now. I can't hear you when you talk all at once like that, remember?" he said, and they shut up instantly.
Diego smiled, then hung his bag on the chair, leaned his cane in its usual spot, then walked over to perch his butt against the desk, crossing his arms as he faced his class.
"Okay, you get three questions, and then we start roll call. Two minutes to decide what you want to ask. Talk amongst yourselves, but no shouting, and no fighting. Use rock, paper, scissors if you can't pick. Go."
Hurried whispers filled the class, and Jess—who'd been watching from the door in utter fascination—shook her head with a soft smile, and muttered something that sounded like, "Damned Pied Piper," before walking off to her class.
"We're ready!" one of the kids shouted, and Diego smiled.
"All right, first question?"
"Which side were you on, groom or bride?"
