Coyotes and Wolves, Milo Manheim Original Story

Loved by the White Wolf

POV: Milo

When we got home, we were both a little quiet. She was tired from the last few days of performing and I didn't know what I was supposed to do now. Did we just go back to normal after everything? Or, maybe we should talk more? All I know is that I wasn't about to make any type of move on her. She needed to be the one to tell me what was okay and what wasn't at this point. I really hated that I couldn't just show her how sorry I was, but I needed to be respectful and take whatever lumps I had coming.

"So...Red?" I asked vaguely, but was curious about her atypical color choice.

"What?" She yawned, in confusion, before realization hit. "Oh! My outfit. I decided to take it back."

"Take it back?" I parroted, looking for clarification.

"Take back my color, my flowers, my life, I guess." She explained. "I can't let him win anymore. I just think it's time."

"Why now?" I asked, reluctantly.

"Well, after this morning. It just seemed...I don't know, impowering I guess." Said Estella, carefully.

"So, you equate what happened this morning with... him?" I murmured, sadly.

"I don't know if I'd put it that way. It's more to do with me. And how I need to start taking back my own control." Estella expressed, sincerely.

I nodded, but I didn't quite understand. I really didn't like being lumped in with him, or anyone who's used coercive control with her. But, I can't pretend that I'm not guilty of something close to that.

My stomach felt weird again. I really hate this. This guilt. This disgust that I had with myself. I hated that she saw me like that, and maybe still sees me that way. I couldn't handle it if she was scared of me. But what could I even do about it now?

"I'm...just gonna get changed." I uttered in a calm tone, walking upstairs.

Estella followed me up, and took a detour to her room while I walked down the hall to my own.

I need something comfortable. I needed some kind of comfort. And maybe some food.

I wasn't doing great.

I chose a pair of red flannel pajama pants and a soft red long sleeve t-shirt. I put on my goofy slippers that she'd gotten me a while ago. They looked like white wolf heads, but were plushy, and my feet slid into the mouths. They were ridiculous, but weirdly comfortable. I didn't care how weird I looked, I wasn't even sort of trying to get sexy tonight. And probably not for a while.

I stopped by her room when I was finished, and she was wearing greyish-blue pajamas, a matching set with short sleeves and long pants with white stars all over them. She'd taken her hair down, and luckily she'd already cleaned off all of the glitter before she changed after the show.

How did she even look cute in pj's?

"Hey...I was gonna order some food. You hungry? I was thinking, Chinese?" I suggested.

"Oh...I had Chinese for lunch today." She replied, looking a little guilty.

"Oh..." I expressed, softly. "When you were with Eric and Delilah?" I added, reluctantly.

"Yeah." She nodded.

You mean when you were hiding from me?

"Okay. Do you want something else? We can get whatever you want." I counter offered.

"I'm really not that hungry." She shrugged. "I picked at a lot of the snacks at the party."

"Oh, okay. Then I'll just like, make a sandwich or something then." I voiced, working to sound somewhat normal and not debilitatingly sad.