The Sensible One (boyxboy) ✓

Chapter Sixty Seven

Waking up to the room filled with fresh sunlight, newly blossomed, and the weight and warmth of Lowell in my bed, the marks and aches that were quickly becoming pleasant reminders of the night before,  should have been the start to a brilliant new day, but unfortunately the preceding day's events haunted the following day.

I got up and immediately searched for my phone, taking it with me to the bathroom, I texted Jeffrey but got no response and felt the buzz of apprehension follow me into the shower.

I hoped he was okay. Maybe I shouldn't have told Bazile, maybe he could outrun a bus, who knew.

Once I'd washed and dried my hair I stepped back into my room to see Lowell sitting with his laptop on his lap.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, a slight smile on my face. He looked so good there, in my bed, the soft sunlight brushing over him, his dark features intently scrolling through something on the device.

He didn't look up but flexed the muscles in his shoulders as he stretched for a moment. "Can you shift again for me?"

The smile drifted from my face and I began to scowl at him.

He looked at me, frowned, and then glanced at the floor. "Oh, you have a garden, you can shift outside."

"I would never do that." I glared at him. "I have low hedges, my neighbours would see me."

"Then go shift in the bathtub or something." He rolled his eyes.

"Shift in the-" I could barely keep the incredulity out of my voice.

"Max!"

"Lowell!" I bickered back, then made a face. "I don't even know how..."

"You don't?"

"And I don't have time for this, I have to get to work..."

"On Saturday?" He blinked.

I blinked and checked my wrist for my watch, which I'd left on the bedside table, and which did not tell me the day of the week. "Right..." I mumbled to myself. No work today.

He frowned, then looked back down. "I don't think you were a fox... you looked more like a wolf..."

I sighed slightly as I walked over, picking up my pyjama bottoms and putting them on before continuing to dry my hair as I sat down.

"Where did you say your parents came from?"

"From England."

"Originally."

I pursed my lips as I tried to think about it. "Well her grandparents were both born somewhere in the United States, up north, but they moved to England when they were both young, I believe."

He hummed, looked at me, looked at the screen, then looked back at me.

"What are you doing?"

"Could it be a coyote?"

I looked at the screen, the image of a coyote glared back at me.

I swallowed and looked away. "What, do you expect me to recognise myself in the image?"

He shrugged, kissed my cheek and closed the laptop. "Stop acting all tense, it's not even that big of a deal."

I didn't feel consoled.

He eyed me as I scowled at my pyjama shirt, I ought to be getting dressed regardless but I had one painful ache and pinch in my lower back that I decided needed nursing in bed.