Page 33 of A Furry Thing Called Love
“Don’t do that.”There’s frustration in his tone.
I cringe.“Fuck.I’m sorry.This…is a lot harder than I thought.”
Moving closer to him, I reach out and brush my fingers across his jaw.“I’m trying, Ar.I promise.Just… I want to make things easier on you, but I’m making it harder, aren’t I?”
He sighs.“No, not really.I simply need you to trust me, Jor.”
“Okay.”
I want to kiss him, but we haven’t done that since the day at the beach, and now isn’t the time or place to see if he’s receptive for more.
Pulling back, I grab my suitcase, setting it on the seat of his wheelchair, so I don’t have to worry about pushing and pulling them at the same time.Arlo grabs his own suitcase and we head out to the curb.
We don’t have to wait long for Valery.They jump out of their car, grinning wide as they sprint to me.
I hold my best friend close, shutting my eyes as I soak up the feel of them in my arms.“I missed you.”
“Missed you too, Jor.Don’t be such a procrastinator next time.”
I laugh and pull back.“Whatever.Planes go both ways, Val.”
“Yeah, yeah.”Valery looks to Arlo.“Hi, it’s nice to finally meet you.”
Arlo gives them a small grin.“You too.Thanks for having me.”
“Of course!I’ve only wanted to meet you forever.Can I hug you?”
Arlo looks surprised but nods.“Sure.”
Val launches themself at Arlo, holding on tight for a moment.When they pull away, Valery grins.“We’re going to have so much fun this week!Come on, let’s go.Luka said he was getting food, and I don’t know about you, but I am starving.”
Valery reaches for Arlo’s suitcase, and heads to their car without waiting for an answer from either of us.
Arlo and I glance at each other.“Yeah, so, that’s Val… Welcome to Boston?”
Arlo laughs.“I love them already.”
My chest warms and I fall a little more in love with Arlo just for that.
Chapter20
Arlo
Valery is…everythingI imagined them to be.We did FaceTime calls with both Val and Jordan’s cousin, Luka, leading up to this trip—Jordan thought it’d help me feel less awkward.But nothing really prepared me for Val in person.
They’re a whirlwind; big smiles, bigger personality, and even though it hasn’t even been a full hour since they picked us up from the airport, I already love them, and can see why Jordan stayed such good friends with them after their breakup.
We stopped to let the dogs out to go potty shortly after leaving the airport.Indie hopped around and then ran in circles for a few minutes, happy to finally be off the leash and able to stretch her legs.
Now, we’re at the apartment Val shares with Luka.“Thankfully, we have an elevator,” Valery says as we all pile in.“The first place I lived in did not.Going up and down four flights of stairs might have been good for my figure, but I was not a fan.I got out of there as soon as I could.”
Jordan snorts.“Yeah, that would have been a no for me.”
“Honey, we’re home!”Valery shouts as soon as they open the door to their apartment.
“Oh good, the food just got here, so perfect timing.”
Valery ushers us into the apartment, and I take Eli’s harness and vest off him before doing the same to Indie.
