Page 39 of Dryad, Try Again
“Yes, you do. That’s all you wear during TV night,” Blake remarks. Kovi glares at him, and I snicker.
“The important thing is you feel comfortable,” I say.
“I look like a forest fire,” he mumbles. He frowns and pulls at his white shirt. “I’m gonna go put on something decent.”
“I think you look more than decent, Kovi,” I reply with a smile.
“Now you’re trying to butter me up.” Kovi scratches his arm and begins to walk to his room.
I snicker. “No, it’s true! I’d be saying that even if you weren’t my boyfriend.”
He freezes mid-step and I gulp.Did I seriously just let that slip?I turn to the dudes on the couch, who eye me in shock. None of us are breathing, and all I can hear is the ambient noise of commercials on TV. When I look at Kovi again, his face is in utter disbelief. “Wha…what?”
I ought to pull the fire alarm because my face is burning. “Uh…uh…” My throat is dry and I want to curl up in Seth’s mummy tomb and hide from the world.
“Did you say…b-boyfriend?” Kovi asks.
I toy with my thumbs. “Well…yeah…we’re dating, so…” I shake my head and raise my hands in surrender. “But we never talked about, like labels or exclusivity. And I’m really new at dating…totally inexperienced, and I enjoy hanging out with you, and…and…” I stutter and stare at the ceiling. “Why am I still talking?”
“Tanner.” Kovi puts his hands on my shoulders and gives me a calm smile. His brown eyes pool with warmth. Like always, this boy makes me feel like I’m right where I belong. “I’m so down with us being boyfriends.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” He shrugs then bites his lip as he looks down. “It’s pretty new, so we’ll have to keep going on dates and get to know one another. That’s the deal.”
My heart feels like it won the lottery. “I’ll take that deal, Kovi.” I put my hands on his hips and pull him in. “Boyfriends it is.” I move forward and kiss him gently. He’s sweet and gentle on my mouth, just like all the other times. Right here, in his suite,while he wears very little clothing, I declare my intentions to be with Kovi Sampath.
“Aw,” his suitemates coo. We turn to see them staring at us. Where I expected jeers or laughter, instead, I see faces of adoration. I’m glad his bros are happy for us, too.
Kovi snickers and says, “So, I’ll get dressed, then…TV night?”
“Sure,” I reply.
“Definitely,” Seth says from the couch. He grins with mischief in his eyes. “But first, can we? Just one time?”
Kovi rolls his eyes. “Go ahead.”
Seth turns to Blake, and they nod. Then they howl, “Boyfriends!Ooooh!” They shift in and out of their monster forms while cackling and pointing at us. I don’t even mind, cracking up at their antics.
Ten minutes later, Kovi comes back fully dressed in jeans and a fresh tank top. The lagoon monster Blake, remarks, “You never wear clothes for TV night.” I laugh, and Kovi elbows him slightly. With Seth on the loveseat and Blake way on the far right of the couch, Kovi settles next to me, putting his arms on the back of the couch.
Five minutes into the game show, his hand reaches my shoulder. We each take turns shouting the letters we think the contestants on the screen should guess. After a beat, his arm ends up around me, and I cuddle into Kovi. I once again notice how well I fit with him, both physically and with his crew. His friends don’t say a word, and we continue to laugh and play along with the game shows, goofing off, and generally having a good time.
I’m at a good school, I have a job, new monster friends, and a caring boyfriend. This is everything Aunt Hannah said she wanted for me, and all I’ve yearned for as well. In this moment, I’m thankful for it all, and I never want to let it go.
17
KOVI
I tapmy pencil on my notebook as I read the text about biomes throughout Northern Europe and Russia. It would be so dope to visit those snowcapped mountains and commune with their winter trees. I’d love to travel there, or even to faraway places in North America. The dryad in me wants to romp around and visit flora all over the world. But if I stay at Creelin after I graduate, then…
“Penny for your thoughts?” I look up to spot the man who’s occupied most of my free time. Tanner is holding up a paper bag and a coffee cup, and I smile so quickly it hurts. I’m seated on a stone bench on the quad near my favorite tree not far from the library. It’s a warm autumn afternoon laced with the final throes of summer. A nature nerd like me is more than happy to sit outside and study. “Or rather, werebear claw for your thoughts? That doesn’t roll off the tongue, though. I don’t know how to casually bribe my way into interrupting your studying.” He bites his lip. “How am I botching this?” he murmurs. He’s so adorable it should be illegal.
“Hey, you.”
“How’s studying?” Tanner sits next to me, and I shut my book.
“As well as ever.” I lean my head on my hands with my elbows propped on my lap. I bet I have googly eyes with cartoon hearts in them. We’ve been texting a lot more since going official last week, and we both agreed to spend more time apart on the weekdays to focus on schoolwork. But if he and I happened to take a break at the same time, then that’s just a happy coincidence, right? “I’m ahead of the curriculum,” I add.
