“She rejected you?” His voice rises a terrifying octave. “Pontius?”
“No. Not rejected,” I admit, still not looking at the camera. “She just…left. She’s gone. She doesn’t want me. I fucked up.”
“Pontius,” Ness repeats, his tone clearly intended to calm.
“She’ll forget about me soon enough. She doesn’t even know my real name,” I tell him.
“Doesn’t know your real name?”
“She just wanted a weekend of anonymous fun.”
“Sounds hot.” He smirks.
“Shut it, Ness,” I grumble. “It doesn’t matter, she doesn’t want to see me again.”
“It does matter,” he says. “If she didn’t reject you, then you still have a shot. There’s still hope, you know?”
“I don’t know.”
“She’s the one with that little business, right?” He asks. “We could buy it. She’ll have to talk to you then.”
“Ness. No.”
“You have to do something, Pontius.”
“Or I could leave her alone, like she asked me to.”
“Do you want to end up like me?” Ness smirks, but there’s sadness behind his question.
Even Loch doesn’t want me to end up like Loch. He’s the only guy I know whose mate rejected him. He’s been fucking aroundever since. With a new date on his arm every week, he’s clearly still heartbroken. What do you do when the one person you are supposed to be truly compatible with leaves you?
I don't know how to help him. He threw himself into his job when Caddy rejected him. Our company wouldn’t be anywhere near what it is today if it weren’t for his dedication for the last four years. His days are full of nothing but work and random sex.
I don’t want to end up like that.
Sacha, our other business partner, used to be similar, before he met his mate. Less of a balanced like and more work for him. And then he met Bailey, and now he’s engaged. He’s gone a bit soft, he doesn't spend long hours in the office anymore. He takes days off, and is in a much better mood than he used to be. With hobbies, and more friendships and a life outside the office.
They are like my two potential futures. A gentle male in love finding new meaning in life, or a broken-hearted idiot who throws himself into one quick and dirty relationship after another. Only one of those things is appealing to me. The future that has Piper in it. I can't stand the idea of going through the rest of my life all alone, without anyone to love, no family.
“I got an email,” I tell Ness.
“From Piper?” he asks, thrown by my change of subject.
“No, from the agency that reunites families.” It’s not the same as having a mate who loves me, but it’s almost as good. The idea that I might have other connections out there is exciting. Growing up alone was difficult for me. I never met my relatives. Never had family dinners or played video games together. “I’m going to go meet a Mothwoman who might be my sister, I’m not sure. She’s the right age, we grew up a state apart but I’ve never met her before. She’s living with her mate on the east coast of Canada.” I let my voice trail off.
“Seriously? Pontius, that's great!” Ness sounds genuinely happy for me.
“I don’t want to get my hopes up too high.” There have never been as many Mothmen as there are some of the cryptid species. Lake monsters and Bigfoots had spread all over the world; there was some version on every continent. And the Decrypting broadened opportunities for those species. Families could travel and reunite after years spent apart.
Mothmen weren’t quite as lucky. Our entry into society was hindered by lower species numbers, our love of solitude, and our incompatibility with humans. Plenty of Mothmen have decided to continue living off the grid, in the shadows and under bridges. It's made finding any form of family difficult through social media or any of the apps currently designed for this. Instead, I turned to a private investigation company to help me find any living family members. This is the most promising link we’ve found so far.
“How long will you be gone?” Ness asks.
“I don’t know. I'll have to fly myself up there. That will take a while." Mothman wings don't really fit on planes. "We chatted a bit in email, and then on the phone. She said I could stay a couple months if I wanted.”
“A couple months!” Ness exclaims. “And you’re staying the whole time?”
“Absolutely,” I say. “Maybe I should just move there? Where I’ll be close to family?” If I stay here, where Piper is, I know I won’t be able to stop myself from following her and trying to make her mine again. I was so close, I held her in my fingers so briefly. But I ruined it, and she ran from me. The way all humans do.
