Page 136 of The Price of Ice

HE WASN’T JUST MISSINGthe class but also the meeting that week since he wanted to attend a house viewing. There was barely any time before Levy would be back and even if it was unrealistic to imagine they could move in right away, he wanted to do his best to have everything ready. And besides, the house had been listed for weeks already.

It was all the way on the other side of town, which made it feel like he was somewhere altogether new.

The road was lined with low walls of the yellow stone typical of the area, with what appeared to be quite an old forest on one side and the river on the other. And then he turned the last curve and he saw it, recognising it instantly in a way that felt like it went beyond the photos he’d seen. It was late in the afternoon and the sun was starting to think about going to bed, tinging the sky with pinks and purples. The air was crisp outside once he got out of the car, a feeling Kallen associated with stepping onto the ice, and the sound of the water rushing over the rocks to his right made him turn to watch it flow.

He'd known it was picturesque, but he hadn’t realised that the part of the river they were on was far away enough from the city centre to feel wild like this. The house itself was a two-story built on the same weathered stone and made a concession to the location with a small wooden porch that sank into the river itself, probably something intended to use with a boat or for fishing. Kallen could imagine feeling the water running over his feet as he sat on it under the spring sun, head tilted up to worship.

The realtor was an older beta man, soft and welcoming like it was his own home he was showing. “The owners have moved into a care home,” he told Kallen as he led him down to the kitchen, big window looking out into the water. “So there are still a few things to put in storage, but only if you don’t want them.”

“Like the furniture?”

“Yes, it is a little dated, but then again... Some people appreciate the classics.”

Kallen was already nodding. The wooden table and countertops were rustic but well-cared for. And it belonged there, so why replace something that worked well already? Not to mention that furniture had to be expensive, and he still didn’t have a job.

It wasn’t until they made it to the bedroom, and he opened the wardrobe already imagining which side would be his that he realised that he’d already decided.

Fuck, what was he doing? Levy wasn’t even here, not to mention that he wasn’t sure they could afford it. The cottage was small, a double bedroom and bathroom upstairs, the kitchen and a small living room downstairs. But it was still a house and not a flat.

It was remote enough that they’d need to keep both their cars, which was the one thing Kallen knew the price of with any certainty.

“It’s beautiful,” he told the state agent, doing his best not to gush. It was more than beautiful, it waswarm. “I’ll need to talk to my boyfriend first.” The word felt strange in his mouth, but saying it made him smile a little involuntarily. Why was he even keeping it quiet? “But I like it. Could you walk me through the financial side? How much are the expenses and such?”

HE’D TAKEN HIS NOTESon the money details straight to his mother. “So... I did it. I went to see some places, and I like this one.”

Her smile was twinged with something he thought was sadness, but as she nodded it dissipated, like the sun coming out amongst the clouds. “Well done, let’s have a look then.”

Naturally the first thing she’d noticed was that it wasn’t on the low end for one-bedrooms. “I don’t want to discourage you, honey, but, well, not everyone gets a salary as high as you are used to.”

“I know,” Kallen said, and then raised his eyes to meet hers. “I... Levy came to visit last week, and we— Well, we want to live together. Again.”

This time there was no reluctance amidst her joy. She grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Iknew it. You looked so happy the day after.”

Kallen shifted a little, even though he was grinning, too. What was the sense in being embarrassed that he’d found someone who made him happy? “Yeah. I... Yeah, he’s... he looks out for me, and he makes me laugh.”

“Can’t ask for much more from a partner, can we?”

He lifted his eyes to hers again, seeing his smile echoed on her mouth—a little braver and more open, like she was confident all this was really happening when he still feared it was too good to be true. “No.”

When he’d got around to coming clean to his dad that night at dinner, the response hadn’t been that enthusiastic. His father hadn’t met Levy, for one, but it likely had something to do with Kallen’s own anger at his lack of support in the past when it came to alphas.

“You know you can stay as long as you want, right?”

“Yeah, dad. I know. But I want to do this. We basically lived together for months, you know? It’s not like I don’t know what I’m getting into.”

“I want to—” His father cut himself off and a quick glance across the table confirmed his mother had something to do with it, but other than looking at her husband, Kallen couldn’t tell what she was doing. Was that part of their bond? Some sort of unspoken communication? Or just years spent together learningeach other’s strengths and weaknesses and how to shore them up as needed? “I would like to meet this Levy,” his father said something stiffly.

“Okay,” Kallen told him easily. “He wants to meet you both properly.”

He’d said it unthinkingly, since it was true, but it was immediately obvious he’d struck gold when his father’s eyebrows shot up and then settled, mouth softening as well.

THAT NIGHT WHEN HEgot to talk to Levy, he barely managed a greeting and to ask how he was, listening to the answer while biting his own lip.

It was nothing new, Levy had spent the day packing up his car with the things he wasn’t using every day. He’d already arranged to leave the keys on the table and was eating through his last groceries. “I’m starting to get excited,” he admitted.

And Kallen found himself smiling, his rushing thoughts slowing down. “Me too.”

“So what’s going on with you? Did the class go well?”

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