Page 81 of First Kiss with a Mothman

I nod against his chest. “Thank you, Arie. I could never love you enough.” I reach up and kiss him as he holds me in place. My lips tell him promises of forever, but it’s far too soon to be talking about marriage. Still, with the way he makes my life better, I don’t want to feel this way about any other boy. Arie Baker is my happily ever after; I’m sure of it.

An hour later, the graduation barbecue is underway. The regular raucous noises of an Alpha Claw Omega rager fill the early summer air. Monsters and humans of all grades chat and laugh around the white tables in the backyard. I bask in the smell of smoked meats and booze while I focus on the people around me. Caleb and his sexy human cuddle up on the far side of the yard, chatting with Clay and Owen. Clay’s bat familiar and Reginald both share a tray of pet food in the corner. Arie chats with Kovi and Tanner, and I drape my arm around his shoulder.

The scene of jovial college students disappears in my mind when I get the text I’ve been waiting for. My pulse picks up, and I squeeze Arie’s shoulder. He glances at me, then politely asks Kovi and Tanner to excuse us. Next, I guide Arie through the back door into the house. I shoot Caleb a panicked look, and he confidently gives me a thumbs-up. My friends and Arie have my back.

In the house, Arie squeezes my hand as we saunter to the front door. No one is around, and it’s so quiet. With one last gulp, I let go of Arie to open the door.

Standing there is a boy I simultaneously recognize and don’t know at all. His copper skin reminds me of mine from when I was a child, and his long brown hair is tied back behind him.

“Morty?”

“Wally?” I ask in a raspy voice. He nods, and my heart hammers in my chest. I turn to Arie in the distance, who gives me a smile. Then, I turn back to my brother, standing on the front porch of our frat house.

“Can I…say something?”

“Sure,” he says with a shrug. He wears a delicately neutral expression, and I don’t think I’ve breathed in the past twenty seconds.

“Wally, I am…so sorry. For leaving and not talking to you for years. It…wasn’t okay. I’m the worst brother. And I understand if you hate me forever.”

He shifts his weight between his feet. “I don’t hate you.”

“Really?”

He shrugs. “No. You apologized like ninety times on the phone. I already forgave you.”

I sigh, and my shoulders sag in relief. “That means…so much.”

“I thought you were about to tell me I couldn’t stay over.” He lifts up his luggage. “And that I took the bus all the way here for nothing.”

“No! I’d…I’d love to have you stay!”

“Thanks, Morty. And yeah, I forgave you. I’m just happy to have a brother!”

“Really?”

“Of course!” He laughs, and I don’t even realize it when I’m going in for a hug. Wally hugs me back, and years of guilt begin to float away.

“It’s so good to see you again, Morty.” He pulls back and holds my shoulders. “You’re so tall. Not that little mothboy anymore.”

We laugh, and I roll my eyes. “I could say the same thing about you. Are you, like, not a monster anymore?” I take his luggage and allow him into the house.

“No, I am.” In a blur, his eyes turn insectoid, his hair phases into his skin, and two massive antennae sprout out.

“Wow, nice control,” I say.

“Yup. Woah.” He turns to Arie, who shifts up his glasses. “Who is this?”

“I’m Arie.”

“The boyfriend,” I say. If my brother doesn’t accept my sexuality, it will break my heart. But Arie is my other half, and that’s not negotiable.

Wally looks Arie up and down. After five long seconds, my brother turns to me. “Bro, wherever you found a hot dude like this, can you hook me up?”

The three of us burst out in hysterics, and I pull Arie closer to me. “I like this guy already,” Arie says through the laughter.

“I’m serious. Your baby brother is single and ready to mingle.” Wally rubs his hands together and grins. “Where are the gays at?”

Arie guffaws and points to the kitchen. “Out the back. There’s a barbecue.”