Page 56 of Finding His Fox

“Yeah, you can help me take these and put them in the shed over there,” Cal said, gesturing towards several bags on the ground.

As Cal and I tidied up, a thought crossed my mind. Should I ask him about kids and whether he wanted them in the future?

Yeah, no. That’s one way to freak him out, Nate.

Because that could imply I was asking about the future. Our future together.

I didn’t want to scare Cal away. I wondered how I could broach the topic indirectly instead.

“So, I hope I didn’t traumatize anyone. I’m not exactly great with kids, in case you hadn’t noticed,” I said jokingly.

Cal looked at me and blinked. “What are you talking about? I saw you with Mitchell and the rest of the group earlier. You were great,” he said.

“Oh,” I said softly.

I could feel a flush of warmth rise up to my face. I couldn’t help but cross my arms over my chest.

“What’s wrong?” Cal asked.

He reached out and rubbed a thumb on my cheek. The spot immediately felt cool. Was I crying?

“It’s just… I guess I never really imagined I could do that. Being good with kids, taking care of them,” I said slowly. “In the future, of course.”

Cal dropped the bags he was carrying and took my hand in his, drawing me closer to him.

It was as if he could sense the storm of emotions swirling inside me.

Resting his forehead against mine, Cal whispered, ”Listen, whatever worries or doubts you may have, they don’t matter. All I want is to be with you.”

He lifted my face with a gentle touch under my chin. With a subtle pressure, he pressed his lips against mine.

It was a promise that everything would be alright, as long as I was with him. As our lips parted, he brushed his thumb across my cheek, his touch comforting.

His words were like a balm, soothing any worries or doubts I had. Everything was suddenly so clear.

I realized that I should stop denying it, that I shouldn’t be afraid of admitting it to myself.

I loved Cal.

The moment was interrupted by Cliff’s voice, bringing us back to the present.

“Hey guys, sorry but, could you do that later? I need to head back early and make dinner,” Cliff said.

Reluctantly, Cal and I separated, but I could still feel the warmth of Cal’s mouth on my lips.

“Why don’t you go ahead? We’ll finish this up,” Cal said to Cliff.

Once Cliff had left, Cal turned back to me, his eyes darkening.

“Shall we head back to my place after?” he asked.

“Definitely.”

* * *

I woke up drenched in a cold sweat. It was that nightmare again. The same one I’d been having ever since Cal told me about the wendigo.

In the dream, I was running through the woods. The wendigo was chasing after me.