Fly

Chapter 13

~Fiona~

The bagel shop was small, standing on a corner surrounded by huge buildings, and topped with a massive billboard that almost looked bigger than the structure it stood on. An El train track turned the corner there, running directly over the tiny parking lot, the supports coming down in random places like concrete treetrunks.

The billboard did give me enough cover to drop down onto the roof and Change, though it required coming it at a blind angle from an alley behind the store. Luckily, there was a ladder down the back, and I was able to clamber down and walk out and around the front normally. 

Entering the restaurant, I was hit immediately by the scent of fresh bread, making my mouth water. I glanced around for Dane, but I didn't see him yet. After ordering a bagel and drink, I settled myself at a little corner booth to wait.

It wasn't long before the door jingled open and a tall figure in a slightly-worn gray hoodie and paint-splattered sweats wandered in, exchanging a friendly greeting with the attendant who had taken my order. Apparently he was well known around here. 

I saw him scanning the room while he chatted, and his eyes stopped when they found mine. He smiled, said something to the employee that I didn't catch, and walked in my direction. I raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to order something?" I noticed his shoes still squished a little as he walked. I wrinkled my nose at him as he slid into the seat across from me. "You smell like lakewater." 

"Yeah... uh... you won't believe what just happened to me." 

"You took a bath in lake Michigan?" I held up a finger before he could reply. "Wait, don't answer that until you've ordered food. And I mean lots of it. As much as you can eat. I told you I'd buy you dinner, and you bet your seaweed-infested hair that I'm going to do exactly that!"

He blinked a few times, then grinned, making the area under my ribcage heat up again, like my human body was trying to create fire. He shook his head, but did as I ordered. A few moments later, he was back, drink in hand and a more intense look on his face. He glanced around quickly, then leaned in, lowering his voice so that nobody in the diner could hear it. 

"I need to tell someone what just happened, or I'm going to go crazy. And I know you probably won't believe me but I swear to you on my life, this really happened."

I tilted my head to the side, frowning slightly. I can't give away that I know anything - ANYTHING - about this dragon. I don't know enough about him to trust him with this yet. 

"Look," he continued, running a hand through his long hair in mild frustration, "I'm not really sure how to say this, so I'll just say it; I got saved from the police by a dragon." 

From there, he proceeded to tell me everything as it had happened from the time we separated to when he arrived back on the shore. I sat back, trying to keep my face in what I hoped was a skeptical expression, my arms crossed under my chest. My heart raced when he described my dragon form, hoping that he wouldn't find any similarities between it and my human one. At least, that was why I told myself it was racing. It definitely wasn't because he spent so long describing my shimmering scales, graceful wings, or 'beautiful' eyes. I told myself he was describing me like anyone would describe a fairytale creature they had encountered.

I almost managed to convince myself.

When he was through, he sat back, swallowing hard and unconsciously mimicking my posture. I quirked the side of my mouth up, raising an eyebrow. "And here I thought you were one of the few people living on the street who didn't do drugs." 

His mouth dropped open. "What?! I don't-!" 

I interrupted him by laughing at his expression, nearly falling over on the bench as giggles bubbled up out of me. "You... your face...!"