“I’m sorry, baby. Truly.”
“F-For what?” Peri hiccuped. “I’m the one who–” His voice cut, and he curled tighter into Wash’s chest. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you! I just wanted an excuse to be close to you!”
“Shh… It’s okay,” he murmured, hugging Peri a little tighter to settle him again. Something clicked with Peri’s comment, though. So that was why Peri agreed to the plan. He hadn’t approached Wash because Taron told him to. Taron just gave him the excuse he needed to go after what he wanted.
That sounded more like Peri.
Since he didn't want Peri to take all the blame, he waited until the sobs settled again before explaining himself. “I’m sorry for walking away. I thought you were only spending time with me because Taron asked you to distract me and–”
“I wasn’t! I swear!” Peri cried, and Wash had to shush him again to finish his explanation.
“No, I know that now. I was hurt, and I reacted without talking to you. I’m sorry about that. I should have heard your side of the story first. I’m… going to have to work on that. I’m a little sensitive when it comes to the people I love.”
Finally, Peri lifted his head, his eyes red rimmed and still swimming with unshed tears as he asked, “Love?”
Wash cupped Peri’s chin, hoping beyond all hope that Elijah was right when he said Peri felt the same way. “Yeah, baby. I think I fell for you the day you showed up at my office door with a cupcake and a smile, determined to make sure I wasn’t left out.”
Thirty-Five
Peri couldn’t stop crying no matter how hard he tried. He’d thought when Wash walked away that their relationship was over. The pain in Wash’s voice, the look he’d given Peri so full of betrayal, it all felt so final. In his eagerness to find an excuse to be closer to Wash, he’d inadvertently hurt him, and he didn’t think he’d ever be able to fix it. The thought of losing Wash hurt so much that he hadn’t been able to leave his bed since Kian brought him home. He couldn’t make himself pretend everything was okay. And he didn’t want to explain how much he messed up to everyone at the office. He was too ashamed of himself.
The tears turned to happy tears when Wash said he loved him, but he was hyperventilating too much to reply. He tried, but all that came out was bits and pieces. “I–I– lo–lo–lo–”
Wash cut off his poor attempt, shushing him and drawing him closer until their foreheads were pressed together. “Breathe, baby. It’s okay.”
He shook his head, but refused to pull away even an inch, hiccuping around sobs until Wash tucked his face against his neck again and went back to petting Peri’s hair. The soft toucheswere soothing, and Peri relaxed little by little, slumping against Wash’s steady form.
“I love you,” he whispered, his voice still unsteady. “So much.”
To his surprise, Wash huffed a laugh. “Yeah, I figured that out.”
Frowning, Peri sat up to look his boyfriend in the eye. Wash looked amused which made no sense. What was funny?
Shifting them a little, Wash turned his wrist around, showing Peri the soul blooms on his wrist. There were three, all snuggled together, and Peri felt his cheeks burn as he realized what they meant. He’d found his mate. And apparently loved him so much he’d produced soul blooms on Wash’s skin without knowing he was doing it.
“Kian told me what they were. He said they appear when a fairy finds their person.” He chuckled, capturing Peri’s chin when he tried to hide his face again. “Oh, no you don’t. I’m not mad, baby. Just curious. There was only one at first. Now there are more. Can you tell me why?”
The flush worked its way to his ears, and he squeezed his eyes shut as he admitted, “They represent how much I love you. They’ll keep popping up until they match how I feel.”
Which was why most fairies who found their person often looked like they picked someone covered in tattoos. It wouldn’t cover faces, at least he’d never seen anyone who had soul blooms on their face, but he’d seen some that covered most of their body. Fated mates especially had a lot of them. Life long friends sometimes got a few here and there, fairies were known for marking their favorite people, but they never had as much as mates did. Since Peri was a naturally loving person and had started the soul blooms without even realizing it, he got the feeling Wash would wake up one day absolutely covered in them.
“I’m going to have to stop wearing so many hoodies,” Wash commented, and Peri’s eyes popped open.
“What? Why? I like how you dress.”
Wash’s slow grin was like a balm on the ache in his chest. He’d been crying so much his eyes felt crusty with salt, and his chest hurt. One smile from Wash soothed him better than a week of cuddles with his friends.
“I’m not saying you don’t. But if my mate is going to cover me in flowers, I feel like other people should see them. I’m not supposed to hide them, am I?”
Peri shook his head, leaning into Wash’s palm with a shaky sigh. “You can do whatever you want. Whatever makes you happy.”
When Wash drew him into a soft kiss, Peri felt his chin tremble. He thought he’d lost this. He felt like his soul was ripped in half when Wash left, and he thought it’d always be that way as a punishment for what he’d done. After Wash pulled away, Peri buried his face against his chest, hiding the tears that had sprung to his eyes again.
“Baby…”
“I’m really sorry,” he mumbled, his words muffled in the fabric of the hoodie Wash wore. “I swear, I wasn’t trying to trick you or anything. I’d only gotten a few minutes here and there with you and when Taron asked me to help him, I jumped at the chance to spend more time with you. I just wanted to know you.”
Letting out a sigh, Wash cupped the back of his head, carding his fingers through Peri’s hair. “I’m not mad.” He paused, seeming to consider his words before adding, “I was hurt, but I don’t think I could have stayed away from you even if you had been sent by Taron. By the time I overheard your conversation, I was so in love with you I wanted to turn around the minute I heard you crying.”