Perigee

Chapter 5

I knocked quietly on Laura’s doorframe. I needed advice, but I couldn’t go to my parents or Cora and I wasn’t sure if I could talk to Uncle Peter about this. She looked up, seeing the hurt confusion on my face. “Derek, what’s wrong?”

“I need to talk to you,” I sighed.

She scooted up closer to her head board and motioned for me to come inside. I closed the door behind me. “Is this about the tension between you and dad?” she asked. I shook my head. “Well, for what it’s worth, I think you need to forgive him. He’s our dad… and he’s our Alpha…”

“That’s not what I wanted to talk about…” I said softly. I could feel the blood rushing to my neck and ears. Laura’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “I… I kissed someone yesterday.”

Her face lit up. “Congratulations! Who is it? Is she cute? Do I know her?” My eyes widened. I was unprepared for her barrage of questions. She punched me playfully on the shoulder. “Look at my little brother… having his first kiss… becoming a man!”

“It wasn’t a girl…” I said softly.

“Oh,” she said, cocking her head slightly. “Well… who is it? Is he cute? Do I know him?” Her eyes narrowed and her voice lowered. “Have I dated him? You know… there was that one guy, Samuel… I always had my doubts…”

“Laura, please!”

“Sorry…” she murmured, taking on a more serious tone. “How do you feel about it?”

I scratched the back of my head and heaved a sigh. “I don’t know. I mean I liked it… but I feel really confused.”

“Did you use tongue?” she asked.

I was positively scandalized. “People do that?”

“Maybe this is a talk you should have with Dad or Uncle Peter…” she said, realizing that she might have just traversed into the unfamiliar Birds and Bees territory. “Have either of them talked to you about…” She gave me a look that must have been significant, but I had no idea what she was trying to convey. My blank stare must have clued her in on that. “Apparently not. Stay right here… I’ll be right back.”

“Please don’t tell Dad!” I begged.

“I’m just going to grab Uncle Peter, don’t worry,” she said. She disappeared for a few minutes, coming back leading our uncle by his hand. “I’m going to let you talk to him. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

“Laura! Can’t you stay in here?” I asked, not wanting to have to recount it again.

“Absolutely not,” she replied. “This is going to be awkward enough…” She walked out, closing the door behind her.

“So,” Uncle Peter started, “Laura tells me you had your first kiss.”

“Yeah and I’m really confused because I never thought of the person like that before and now…” I looked up at him, completely lost.

He hugged me. “It’s only natural. Especially since you’re a werewolf. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m the one you should talk to about this.”

“I can’t talk to Dad,” I told him, pulling away.

“Derek, he loves you… and he’s very hurt by the way he handled that situation… you need to talk to him, not just about the kiss… but about that night,” he said. “I’ve never seen my brother so upset with himself before. It kills him that he reacted that way… and it hurts him even more that you won’t even look at him. It’s been months. You need to forgive him.”