Page 64 of Same One
Tabian’s smile faded and he lowered his attention to opening the chocolate packaging. “Did he teach you a lot?”
“He smoked a bunch of dope and refused to put up the tent my mom had sent with us. We were near a dock, and he made me sleep on this little boat. I got motion sickness.” He held his marshmallows over the fire. “This is the first time I’ve ever had smores. I’ve seen them on tv though. I always wanted to try them. My dad fed me a package of saltine crackers, and I drank out of the pond. I had a stomachache for a week after the trip.”
“Geez,” Tru uttered, regretting that she’d even asked the question. “I’m sorry.”
No wonder he was having fun here.
Bayen shrugged. “Doesn’t make me sad anymore. He made me tough.” He blew the flame off his burning marshmallows. “Good for him.”
Tabian ghosted her with a glance and offered her a half-smile. “Self-taught man,” Tabian said lightly. “Nice.”
Bayen snorted. “The first time I tried to build my own tent, I did it before my Change. I had waited too long and I didn’t feel good. You know that achy feeling you get in the pit of your stomach if you’re on edge and holding the wolf back too long?” he asked Tabian.
“Yep. Sucks.”
“Totally sucks. In my head, I thought I needed my tent to be built so my wolf would come back to my little make-shift den and not dump me somewhere in the woods. It took me two hours to build the stupid thing.”
Tabian laughed. “We’ve all been there.”
“Yeah, and then I accidentally Changed while I was all pissed off at the tent, and the wolf ate it.”
“Ate it?” Tru asked.
“Seriously. My dinner was a big patch of tent fabric. And the asshole wolf didn’t bring me back to the den. I Changed back three miles away and had to hike back. Naked.”
Tabian threw his head back and laughed. “That sucks.”
“I was like checking the sun for directions and guessing. I thought I was going to be lost in the woods forever.”
“What did you change after that?” Tabian asked.
“I stopped making my tent beforehand. I just Changed whenever I got there and checked surroundings, and then sometimes the wolf would bring me back to my supplies, and sometimes not. I learned the art of the naked hike.”
Tabian’s shoulders were shaking and he wiped his eye with the back of his hand as he held his marshmallows over the fire. “Your wolf does that on purpose you know.”
“I’m aware. He’s a jerk.” But Bay was smiling as he talked about him.
“He’s big,” Tru said softly.
“Yeah?” Bay asked.
She nodded. “I wouldn’t know unless I saw him right up next to a grown werewolf, but last night was eye opening.”
“My dad’s wolf is big. My mom’s is petite.”
“Where’s your mom?” Tabian asked, sliding his mushy marshmallows between two chocolate layered Graham Crackers.
“She’s around. I don’t know. She messages sometimes.”
Tabian frowned. “Want to try that again?”
Bay pursed his lips. “Not really. I have to piss.”
He propped his marshmallow rod against his chair and stood, then made his way toward the woods.
Tabian watched him leave and then leaned over and pulled Tru’s chair closer to his. He leaned in and kissed her and then handed her a s’more. “This one is yours.”
“For me?” she said softly, surprised at his thoughtfulness.
