Shapeshift Romance

Shapeshift Romance: Ch. 21: I Don't Know

We are having spaghetti again.

It's isn't that spaghetti is our only option for food. I just can't bring myself to think about what else we could have in the fridge. My head hurts enough as it is.

I grab the pasta and the big pot to start dinner. I hear the front door open and close, but I don't pay much attention to it. The sound of the footsteps and the heavy sigh gives the person's identity away quickly.

"Hey, Nate." I call out to him as he kicks off his shoes.

"Hi, Alice." His tone makes me turn to look at him.

"What's wrong," I say it more as a statement rather than a question.

"Noth-" He stops when I give him a stern look. Nathan sighs.

"Just a long, long day. That's all." He rubs a hand over his face.

I smile comfortingly at him before turning back to the pot of boiling water. "Dinner'll be ready in fifteen, so you have time for a quick shower, if you want to."

"Thanks, Allie." Nathan walks behind me, trails his fingers gently across the back of my neck, and heads to the bathroom upstairs.

I hum softly as I continue with our repeat dinner. As the pasta cooks and the sauce heats up, my mind wanders to last week.

When Nathan almost lost me.

When Toby lost his life.

When I was going to lose my human skin.

I am still confused why I didn't shift like Cal guaranteed I was going to. He said it would work, but I hadn't...

I get shaken out of my thoughts when I hear the sauce threatening to burn. The water upstairs turns off. Placing two plates on the table, I grab two forks and the pot of spaghetti. Nathan smiles at me when he walks into the room and takes a seat.

"It looks great, Alice." I blush slightly.

"Yeah, it's as good as last night's," I say back as I dish up his plate.

"I don't mind. Just the thought of you cooking it makes me happy." He grabs my hand and, smiling, kisses it.

"Is that all I am? Your personal chef?" I tease him as I take a bite of my food.

He laughs. "You're pretty cute, too. That's a plus." I punch him lightly.

When we're almost done with dinner, there's sudden, sharp taps at the door. We both turn our heads in the direction of the knocking. I lay my fork on the table and stand up to answer the door. Nathan is close behind.

"Hello, Alice." A familiar, white smile greets me warmly.

"Officer McKinney, what are you doing here? Especially at this time, shouldn't you be home?" I ask concerned.

Officer Hank McKinney is a close friend to my dad (since they both work with the law though in different ways), and, when I was smaller, Hank would let me sit in his big chair at his big desk in his big office.

I wonder why he would be here though.

"Are your parents home, dear?" Hank completely ignores my questions and adds in his own.

"No, they'll back in two days though. Nathan and I are house-sitting for them," I answer politely.

"And your brothers?"

"At my Aunt and Uncle's house."

"So, David won't be home 'til Friday?" I nod in response.

"May I ask why you need to speak with my father, Officer?" Police officers give off this aura of authority that maker me feel like I have to be extra polite to them. Even Hank.