me a couple of secrets, secrets he’s been keeping for a long time, and now a lot of things make far more sense than they once did. I understand what’s been troubling him, but there’s nothing simple or straightforward about what he’s been going through.” He shifted their arms so he could hold her hand. “In some ways I’m relieved, but in others I’m pretty shaken up.”
“Something you didn’t expect?”
He took a deep breath and let it out immediately with a huff. “You could say that.” They turned toward the lake. “I mean, one of the things … I should have guessed before. The other one, I’d never have guessed in a million years.”
“Do you mind if I confess something?”
He searched her face. “What could you have to confess?”
“The thing you believe you should have guessed, I did guess. And the other thing, well, I guessed because I’ve met people with the same … issue before.” She made him stop walking. “We talked yesterday. When he came up out of the water, I sensed what he was. He confirmed it later. He snuck into the house when you went out to look for him so we could talk.”
“You sensed what he was?”
“A werewolf. My father was one. I’m not—not really. It’s there inside me, somewhere, but I can’t shift.”
“So you already knew?” The quiet reply revealed nothing about what he was feeling.
She nodded. “I’m sorry.”
He looked away, but after a moment he looked back. “What do you have to be sorry for? He hid it for nearly two decades. I can hardly get angry at you for hiding it for half a day.”
“I’m glad you feel that way.”
He approached the shoreline and sat on a log, patting the spot beside him. “It’s one of the few feelings I’m certain of right now.”
She sat and pulled her knees close to her body. “I’m not surprised. I already knew werewolves existed, but I was still a little freaked after I realized he was one.”
He scoffed. “So what else is out there? Vampires? Faeries? Hobbits?”
She held back a laugh, knowing this was probably too surreal for him right now. “Not that I know of. I’ve only encountered werewolves.”
“Maybe we should check with Garren, Mike, and Tom. You never know, do you?”
She wondered if he was hiding behind the sarcastic humor. She didn’t yet know him well enough to really judge, but he rarely joked in this way, so she could hardly come to any other conclusion. “Indeed, you don’t.”
He turned toward her. “So, does it affect you in any way?”
“My eyes will glow at times, just sort of shimmer and look unreal. Every now and then my hearing will spike, but other than that nothing.”
“His eyes changed. He showed me. It went a good way toward convincing me, but I asked him to change.”
“And he did?”
He nodded. “Yeah. It was scary, but … beautiful.”
“Beautiful?”
He nodded again.
“And the other thing…”
He took her hand again. “You said you guessed. Did you really?”
“Yes. If I’m honest, I have to say I doubt you two could live without each other. He’s pretty obvious in some ways. I think you’re just so used to his shifting moods and his teasing and his constant presence in your life. As we talked yesterday, it became more apparent with everything he said.”
“He said you’d be a good listener, and now I see what he meant.” He caressed her curls as the wind moved through them. “I want to be with you, Alicia. I’m not going to abandon this just because Vince has finally mustered the courage to explore the depths of our friendship.”
She considered his words. “Are you saying you don’t think you return his feelings or that you simply never considered the possibility before?”
“We still being honest?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I love him so much it’s hard to tell. I can’t imagine not seeing him every day. When I have a problem, I want to talk to him. When something wonderful happens, I want to tell him.” He stood and
“Something you didn’t expect?”
He took a deep breath and let it out immediately with a huff. “You could say that.” They turned toward the lake. “I mean, one of the things … I should have guessed before. The other one, I’d never have guessed in a million years.”
“Do you mind if I confess something?”
He searched her face. “What could you have to confess?”
“The thing you believe you should have guessed, I did guess. And the other thing, well, I guessed because I’ve met people with the same … issue before.” She made him stop walking. “We talked yesterday. When he came up out of the water, I sensed what he was. He confirmed it later. He snuck into the house when you went out to look for him so we could talk.”
“You sensed what he was?”
“A werewolf. My father was one. I’m not—not really. It’s there inside me, somewhere, but I can’t shift.”
“So you already knew?” The quiet reply revealed nothing about what he was feeling.
She nodded. “I’m sorry.”
He looked away, but after a moment he looked back. “What do you have to be sorry for? He hid it for nearly two decades. I can hardly get angry at you for hiding it for half a day.”
“I’m glad you feel that way.”
He approached the shoreline and sat on a log, patting the spot beside him. “It’s one of the few feelings I’m certain of right now.”
She sat and pulled her knees close to her body. “I’m not surprised. I already knew werewolves existed, but I was still a little freaked after I realized he was one.”
He scoffed. “So what else is out there? Vampires? Faeries? Hobbits?”
She held back a laugh, knowing this was probably too surreal for him right now. “Not that I know of. I’ve only encountered werewolves.”
“Maybe we should check with Garren, Mike, and Tom. You never know, do you?”
She wondered if he was hiding behind the sarcastic humor. She didn’t yet know him well enough to really judge, but he rarely joked in this way, so she could hardly come to any other conclusion. “Indeed, you don’t.”
He turned toward her. “So, does it affect you in any way?”
“My eyes will glow at times, just sort of shimmer and look unreal. Every now and then my hearing will spike, but other than that nothing.”
“His eyes changed. He showed me. It went a good way toward convincing me, but I asked him to change.”
“And he did?”
He nodded. “Yeah. It was scary, but … beautiful.”
“Beautiful?”
He nodded again.
“And the other thing…”
He took her hand again. “You said you guessed. Did you really?”
“Yes. If I’m honest, I have to say I doubt you two could live without each other. He’s pretty obvious in some ways. I think you’re just so used to his shifting moods and his teasing and his constant presence in your life. As we talked yesterday, it became more apparent with everything he said.”
“He said you’d be a good listener, and now I see what he meant.” He caressed her curls as the wind moved through them. “I want to be with you, Alicia. I’m not going to abandon this just because Vince has finally mustered the courage to explore the depths of our friendship.”
She considered his words. “Are you saying you don’t think you return his feelings or that you simply never considered the possibility before?”
“We still being honest?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I love him so much it’s hard to tell. I can’t imagine not seeing him every day. When I have a problem, I want to talk to him. When something wonderful happens, I want to tell him.” He stood and
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