Page 77 of Emerald Moon
“We could not be more different.Let me go pick out something that smells good and isn’t currently on the floor.”
Jo cursed themselves for having too many band t-shirts as they flipped past each black t-shirt they’d overpaid for at a concert.Finally, they landed on a white shirt dotted in pineapples and picked out a pair of clean, black shorts because it was still far too hot to even consider pants.Grabbing their nicest, but still old, pair of Converse sneakers, they made their way back to Cass, and out into the evening.
Cass’ favorite restaurant wasn’t even close to fancy like Jo expected someone to pick for a date.It was a homey spot with mismatched tables in the front, a long hallway, and then more places to sit shoved in a room in the back.
“They have great biscuits here,” Cass said as they sat down at a table with well-worn edges in chairs that rocked side to side just a little on the slightly uneven tile floor.
”You know how I feel about biscuits.”
”I do, so I hope these are up to your very high standards.”
The menu was Southern comfort food with a twist, but not so unrecognizable that Jo wouldn’t like it anymore.They ordered food and cocktails that came in Mason jars which Jo found almost a little too kitschy, but it was fun and they liked it.Honestly, Jo could’ve been eating plain white bread with a glass of room temperature tap water and it’d still be wonderful because Cass was on the other side of the table, lighting up as she spoke about a birding trip she had coming up with some of her convention friends.
”We’re headed to the coast,” she said after swallowing another bite of food, careful as she was to not talk with her mouth full.
Jo tried to do the same during dinner, but sometimes words popped out on their own without their permission when they had a comment they absolutely needed to make and it couldn’t wait for something as silly as chewing.
”While it’s still summer?”
Cass nodded.“We’re going not long after the next full moon.”
”That’s coming up soon.Just shy of two weeks.”
”Are you excited for the next run?”
Jo’s features brightened.“I’m always excited, but I have to admit, since remembering a tiny bit of what happened last time, I’m way more pumped than usual.”
”Makes me happy to hear that.”
”Wish our packs could run together, though.That’d be fun.Too bad territorial instincts win out when there’s a full moon.”
”We can run together other times, though — like now.”
”Just get up from the table mid-dinner and go wolf out?”Jo laughed.
”Well, we’d pay first,” Cass responded like it was the only thing stopping them.
”I thought the next stop in your plan was a walk in the woods.”
”Plans can change.”
”Are we doing this?”Jo’s heart filled with equal parts excitement and dread.“I’m still a handful when it comes to changing back.”
“It’s a good thing I like handling you.”
A blush crept up Jo’s neck thinking of all the ways they’d like for Cass to handle them.It’d been so long since anyone had touched them like that and Jo found that instead of feeling nervous like earlier, they were filled with a deep need they’d long ignored but couldn’t ignore any longer.
”Yeah!Let’s go run!”Jo yelled a bit too loudly for the restaurant, but they needed something to do with all the horny energy that was welling up inside them.A run sounded perfect.
Cass drove to the edge of town where the lights were swallowed by a dense forest.Outside of the car, as Jo’s wolf scratched their way to the surface, they could hear the faint sounds of downtown Hickorywood mingling with the sounds of the forest at night.The air smelled like pine trees and sun-drenched dirt.
“It’s okay to run as wolves here?”Jo asked.
”Probably,” Cass replied, already taking off her shoes and socks.
“Cass!Didn’t know you could be such a rule breaker.”
”I don’t see any posted rules.Therefore, I’m not breaking anything.We’re not near a park or human homes, so no rules apply here.”
