Page 56 of Emerald Moon
“Of course you can!You’re a full-grown adult.I mean, like, you know how to take care of yourself.I just feel bad for dragging you out here and then not being able to even hang out with you for a chunk of the day.”
“I promise, it’s more than fine.And maybe I’ll run into your great aunt who likes me and we’ll have a great time.”
“I can’t tell if you’re serious or not.”
“I’m always serious.”
“You don’t mind that I have to abandon you?”
“We’re here for your sister’s wedding and you’ll be getting ready for that.It’s hardly abandoning me.And if you feel so bad, you can hang out with me now since all the regular humans are going to bed.”
Cass looked so hopeful, but Jo was running on empty.“I’m going to turn in early.I’m tired.Sorry to bail on you.”
“Oh, that’s fine.I hope you get some good rest.”Cass visibly deflated and Jo couldn’t handle seeing her like that.
“I got a little more left in me, I’m sure.What do you want to do?”
She perked up again.Jo’s heart warmed at her sincere expression.
“We could just hang out in one of our rooms since you’re tired.”
“Works for me!Mine is closest and I haven’t had time to mess it up yet, so it should be good to go.”Jo led the way, mustering enough energy to keep going.Seeing Cass’ smile helped a little.Jo was going to leave her on her own for so long tomorrow.This was the least they could do.Plus, it’d be fun to hang out with Cass without worrying about family being around.
The door clicked closed behind them and Jo leapt onto the bed, spread out like a starfish.Cass took a seat in the off-color, well-worn armchair in the corner by the window, crossing her ankles.
Jo yawned then popped their head up, leaning back on their elbows on the bed.“That chair looks like it’s a thousand years old and has seen a thousand butts.”
“Then it won’t mind one more.”
“It probably likes your butt.”
“Why?”
Jo shrugged and laid back down.“I don’t know.”
“Do I have a particularly good butt?”
Jo’s laughter burst out of them like a popped balloon.“Something like that.”They sat back up.“You want to watch TV?”
Cass nodded, readjusting in the old chair to face the screen.She pulled her long legs up into the armchair and curled up tight.
Jo flipped through the channels, making comments on what they saw, until they landed on a house buying show they often watched with Carina and some of the other pack members.“This one’s good.Either you love the couple and you get invested in their choices, or you hate the couple and you actively root against them while yelling about what awful choices they’re making.”
“I don’t foresee myself getting that invested.”
“Just you wait.It’ll get you one way or another.”
The couple turned out to be the kind that made passive aggressive comments about the other while they were sitting together in front of the camera.People like that made Jo so uncomfortable.They were definitely in the latter category.Jo kept pointing out the couple’s terrible ideas about what they needed in a house and Cass seemed to silently take it all in.When the final choice had been made — the wrong one — Jo wondered if they had talked too much and made it weird.
“They were not the best,” Cass said, the meanest she could probably ever be.“Why are they even married?”
“Right?It’s so weird.You’re supposed to love the person you marry, and you should probably like them, too!I know I wouldn't marry someone if I didn’t both like and love them!”
“Would you still get married even though you’re a werewolf now?”
The question took Jo by surprise.“Well yeah,” they answered honestly.“I still want that.Even if we both live for a really long time, that kind of just makes it even better, doesn’t it?”
Cass let her cheek rest on the back of the armchair, her gaze focused on Jo.“I think that, too.Some werewolves don’t want to get married because suddenly ‘until death do us part’ is a really long time away, but I think that’s a gift, not something to be wary of.”
