Catching Up

After Hikaru and Sebastian let themselves out, I quickly rushed to lock the door wondering to myself if that would do any amount of good against this particular threat. I made my way back to the living room and flopped on the couch.

Juno was looking up at me with a huge grin, barely able to hold her head up. “So what happened with Kevin? I saw him dancing with Tina, Tina with the blue hair not Tina from the bookstore, which is like, yikes. Then I couldn’t find you anywhere.” She wiggled her body into a comfortable position.

“Kevin was gross. And disrespectful. So I tried to leave, but got mixed up and ended up in the backyard instead.” I also positioned myself into a more comfortable position, sprawling out on the couch. “And while I was out there collecting myself, Hikaru just walked up to me.” I couldn’t help but smile, remembering the encounter. “It was magical.”

Juno lets out a weak squeal, obviously exhausted and still very intoxicated. “And then he swept you off your feet?”

“They, not he,” I corrected to which she muttered a quick sorry. “And it wasn’t like that. It’s hard to describe. I was shocked that someone so alluring would even talk to me. And then… they did. And I really liked it.” My smile widened without my permission.

“Awwwww, Gabs, your first crush! I knew that dress was going to work well for you, didn’t I say?”

“They said they liked the way my hair smelled. And they could tell it had honey in it,” I offered quickly. I wanted to give her as many details as I could without giving anything away.

“Oh yeah, the stuff I got you for your birthday.” Her expression twisted into a sour expression. “Wait, they sniffed you? Good thing they’re pretty, because that is super creepy. I guess the heart wants what the heart wants.”

My body filled with warm laughter. Talking to Juno was always a huge comfort to me. “Enough of that, what about you? How did you meet up with mister fancy suit?”

“Oh yeah!” She moved like she was trying to sit up, but then relaxed back into the loveseat. “So Kyle bailed, I guess, I couldn’t find him anywhere. You were already long gone, and the party was winding down, yeah? So I’m all bummed out about to stumble home alone like a loser.” She flashed me a look. “No offense.”

I laughed and shook my head. “None taken.”

She continued, “And then I see him leaning up against this really sleek looking Benz, so of course I’m like ‘Hey I like your car’ and he goes, oh my god and I’m not even kidding, he goes ‘If you think the car is nice, you should see my hotel room’ like what?!” She started laughing while describing the encounter.

I tried to stay quiet while she was telling me what happened, reminding myself that telling her who he really was would be a lethal risk. He must have left soon after the ritual and staked out the party for her to leave. And she thought Hikaru was creepy.

Juno continued. “So I’m like ‘oh yeah, prove it’ then we went back to his hotel to play around. I mean, I was already planning on getting laid so as far as stand ins go, I think he did pretty well for himself. We had a few more drinks.” She tried to push herself up as though just remembering something. “Oh my gosh, Gabs, his body was incredible, especially for an older guy. He was an absolute animal, nothing like the usual frat brats I’ve been wasting my time on.”

“Sounds like an animal, from the corny pick up and the fact that he would take advantage of you while you’re drunk.” Despite my best efforts, I was finding it hard to keep from being defensive of my friend. I could not believe he would do something like this to someone who wasn’t involved in the slightest.

Juno waved an arm in the air lazily. “No, it wasn’t even like that. I wanted something that he had. After that, he escorted me home like a gentleman.” She grinned over in my direction. “So did you and Hikaru… you know?”

“Eat too much cheese and fall asleep on the couch? Yes.” I tugged on the sleeves of my hoodie nervously. “We cuddled a little. I can’t explain what it was that drew us to each other. It just felt right.”

Juno threw her arms up again, and exclaimed “Love at first sight! The fates have pushed you into their arms and now you are destined for each other!” She sounded like she was reading the synopsis of one of the annoying shows she watches. She pointed a finger at me. “You have to be careful with that stuff, those stories don’t always have a happy ending.”

I pushed myself up from the couch in a hurry. “I’m going to go get you some water. Do you want some toast?”

She flopped her head over and shot me a serious look. “So, if Hikaru isn’t a he, do they have a-,” She waggled her index finger at me drunkenly. When I didn’t catch on, she added, “You know, down there.”

I felt heat rise through my entire body in a bright flush. “I... I don’t… How should I know?!” With that, I turned to flee into the kitchen to prepare her some toast.

When I emerged with toast and water, I saw that she had passed out on the loveseat. With a heavy sigh, I placed the dishes on the coffee table in front of her for when she woke up. I did my best to position her in a comfortable spot and covered her with a blanket.

I made my way into the bathroom to get ready for a shift at the cafe and saw Hikaru’s tattered, bloody clothes in a neat pile on the floor. I tenderly picked them up, taking in the texture of each of the fabrics while avoiding any contact with fluids. My instinct was to throw them away, but that felt disrespectful without speaking to them first. I placed them in a small trash bag and tucked it away under the sink to be dealt with later.

Once in the shower, I reached for my loofa and thought about Hikaru using it to scrub their toned body. When the shower filled with steam and the scent of apple cider, I thought back to how warmly they held me. It felt like they knew exactly when to touch me and when to back off. I’ve never had someone read me so accurately. Maybe it had something to do with the wolf, whatever that meant.

As scared and inexperienced as I was, I wanted Hikaru to touch me. I wanted to know if their lips were as soft as they looked. I wanted them to hold me again and tell me everything will be okay. Even if it wasn’t true, coming from them I could almost believe it.