to sit. “So I’ve got some time, if you don’t mind more questions.”
“No,” he said. “I’d like to be honest with you.” He hadn’t had a chance to be honest with a woman in years, and last time Karen hadn’t been so kind or accepting.
“So you eat, just, normal human food?”
“Yes,” he said. “I can eat when I’m a cat, but I don’t, normally. It’s a different feeling, being the cat. You want...well, basically what cats eat, but you’re still human, so it’s not really that appealing.”
“Yeah, that sounds—” She frowned. “That sounds kind of gross.”
“It’s a lot better to eat as a human,” he conceded. He sat next to her and held out his arm. “Can I—”
She shifted her weight and snuggled in close to him.
Perfect.
“What else would you like to know?”
“I...there’s so much,” she said. “Does it hurt, when you change?”
“No,” he said. “It feels...it feels just as natural as stretching. Like you’re shifting your body, but in a good way, in a normal way. The first time, I didn’t even realize that was what I was doing.”
“Were—were you alone?”
“Ah, no,” he said. “But...but my mother was there. She helped me through it.”
“But your dad didn’t—”
He didn’t want to talk about this now. But...he’d already opened the door, hadn’t he? And if he was going to be honest with her, he might as well start. There were...a lot of secrets. “He found out a little later,” he said. “It’s not easy to hide when you’re getting used to shifting.” He pulled her closer. “Try not stretching, especially when you’re twelve years old.”
“That...sounds impossible.”
“He found out and he flipped out,” he said. “Accused Mom of all kinds of things, until she told him the truth, that she could shift too.” Abby was warm. That was nice. It was easier to talk about this than he’d thought it was going to be.
Being near her made it easier.
“And he—he was angry?”
“He was beyond angry,” Paul said. “I heard the shouting through the walls. My little brother—he was younger. He slept through most of it, though I remember he woke up and I told him he was having a nightmare.” He shook his head. “And I just remember not caring about Mom or Dad or any of it, just that he believed me. Just that he’d go back to sleep and not know about all of this happening.”
“Did he?”
“Yeah,” he said. “And then, a couple days after that, Mom told me we had to go, and we left.”
“Just you and your mom?”
He nodded. He’d tried to ask Mom why they’d left Aaron behind but she’d never really given him an answer. “She didn’t think Aaron could shift, but—” He shook his head. “It never felt right to me, leaving him behind.”
“She probably had a good reason.”
“We didn’t have much,” he said. “We moved to the country and she waited tables for a while, worked her way up to manager at a Friendly’s. I went to college on scholarship.”
“You said your mom was your first investor,” she said. “Did she—”
“I was getting my MBA when plane crashed...the insurance settlement was my first investment. I don’t like to tell the story like that. She...she would’ve given me her last dime to get me started, if she could have. So—”
“No,” she said. “I understand. That’s...that’s kind of nice. It sounds like what she would have wanted.”
“I hope so,” he said. “I think she would’ve wanted me to find Aaron too, and I still haven’t figured out how to do that. What if he—” What if he rejects me too?
She turned around in his arms and held him tight. “He’d love you,” she said. “I know it.”
“I—I hope you’re right,” he said. “It’s been years and sometimes I just want to call him. Hear his voice.”
“Is he—how old is he?”
“Three years younger than I am,” he said. “Twenty-one.” He buried his face in her curls, still wet from the shower.
“No,” he said. “I’d like to be honest with you.” He hadn’t had a chance to be honest with a woman in years, and last time Karen hadn’t been so kind or accepting.
“So you eat, just, normal human food?”
“Yes,” he said. “I can eat when I’m a cat, but I don’t, normally. It’s a different feeling, being the cat. You want...well, basically what cats eat, but you’re still human, so it’s not really that appealing.”
“Yeah, that sounds—” She frowned. “That sounds kind of gross.”
“It’s a lot better to eat as a human,” he conceded. He sat next to her and held out his arm. “Can I—”
She shifted her weight and snuggled in close to him.
Perfect.
“What else would you like to know?”
“I...there’s so much,” she said. “Does it hurt, when you change?”
“No,” he said. “It feels...it feels just as natural as stretching. Like you’re shifting your body, but in a good way, in a normal way. The first time, I didn’t even realize that was what I was doing.”
“Were—were you alone?”
“Ah, no,” he said. “But...but my mother was there. She helped me through it.”
“But your dad didn’t—”
He didn’t want to talk about this now. But...he’d already opened the door, hadn’t he? And if he was going to be honest with her, he might as well start. There were...a lot of secrets. “He found out a little later,” he said. “It’s not easy to hide when you’re getting used to shifting.” He pulled her closer. “Try not stretching, especially when you’re twelve years old.”
“That...sounds impossible.”
“He found out and he flipped out,” he said. “Accused Mom of all kinds of things, until she told him the truth, that she could shift too.” Abby was warm. That was nice. It was easier to talk about this than he’d thought it was going to be.
Being near her made it easier.
“And he—he was angry?”
“He was beyond angry,” Paul said. “I heard the shouting through the walls. My little brother—he was younger. He slept through most of it, though I remember he woke up and I told him he was having a nightmare.” He shook his head. “And I just remember not caring about Mom or Dad or any of it, just that he believed me. Just that he’d go back to sleep and not know about all of this happening.”
“Did he?”
“Yeah,” he said. “And then, a couple days after that, Mom told me we had to go, and we left.”
“Just you and your mom?”
He nodded. He’d tried to ask Mom why they’d left Aaron behind but she’d never really given him an answer. “She didn’t think Aaron could shift, but—” He shook his head. “It never felt right to me, leaving him behind.”
“She probably had a good reason.”
“We didn’t have much,” he said. “We moved to the country and she waited tables for a while, worked her way up to manager at a Friendly’s. I went to college on scholarship.”
“You said your mom was your first investor,” she said. “Did she—”
“I was getting my MBA when plane crashed...the insurance settlement was my first investment. I don’t like to tell the story like that. She...she would’ve given me her last dime to get me started, if she could have. So—”
“No,” she said. “I understand. That’s...that’s kind of nice. It sounds like what she would have wanted.”
“I hope so,” he said. “I think she would’ve wanted me to find Aaron too, and I still haven’t figured out how to do that. What if he—” What if he rejects me too?
She turned around in his arms and held him tight. “He’d love you,” she said. “I know it.”
“I—I hope you’re right,” he said. “It’s been years and sometimes I just want to call him. Hear his voice.”
“Is he—how old is he?”
“Three years younger than I am,” he said. “Twenty-one.” He buried his face in her curls, still wet from the shower.
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