I Can Keep It?

The trip to and from the store went fairly quickly. Wren stuck close to him. So close that several times Wren bumped into him when Jackson stopped suddenly to scan the shelves. Wren didn’t relax until they were back in their dorm room with the door shut.

Jackson liked that he could see the difference now in when Wren was tense and uncomfortable. Wren was standing by the window, breathing in the fresh air. He looked calm and as relaxed as he ever got, then Jackson said, “We need to talk about your beard.” Wren tensed up worse than he had in days.

Jackson stared at the tight shoulders, at Wren’s unnatural stillness.

“I know hair length is important to wolves, trust me, Kia’s lectured me plenty on it. I was under the impression facial hair didn’t play a role in how your fur feels. Am I wrong?”

“You’re not wrong.” There was a large stretch of silence that Jackson didn’t try to interrupt.