A hand to hold

(Greyson) Christian handed me another drawing, and I recognized everyone in it immediately. It was our family gathered around a table during one of his birthday parties. Uncle Logan was arguing with Micah while Matt had three plates of food in front of him. I remembered that birthday because Christian had thrown cake at me. "You forgot to draw yourself throwing cake at me." Christian laughed and reached for another sketchbook. He opened it and showed me a picture of myself covered in frosting. I couldn't believe he'd actually drawn it. "I was saving that one." I shook my head and placed the drawing on his desk. Christian looked pleased with himself as he searched through another book. I was beginning to think he'd kept every embarrassing moment of my life. "You have way too much free time." He ignored me and pulled out another picture. This one showed Mason sleeping on the couch with his mouth open. Someone had drawn a mustache on his face. "Remember when Pop did this?" I laughed because Mason had been furious when he woke up. Micah had blamed Jaxon, and Jaxon had spent an entire afternoon defending himself. Christian eventually admitted he'd helped Micah plan everything. "Mason still thinks Jaxon drew the mustache." Christian covered his mouth and started laughing. I couldn't believe we'd managed to keep that secret for so long. I was tempted to tell Mason just to see his reaction. "Don't tell him." I placed the drawing back on the desk and looked at Christian. He seemed happier now that we weren't arguing about Eli. I wanted to keep things between us like this. "Your secret is safe with me." Christian smiled and continued sorting through his drawings. I noticed several unfinished pictures beside his pencils. One showed the forest behind the pack house, but he'd only completed half of it. "Why didn't you finish this one?" He looked at the picture before placing it aside. I remembered him spending hours outside working on it. He'd stopped bringing his sketchbook into the forest recently. "I got distracted." I wondered whether he meant everything happening with his wolf. Christian had been trying to connect with his wolf since his birthday. None of us understood why his wolf hadn't appeared. "Have you tried talking to him again?" Christian stopped sorting through the papers. I regretted asking immediately because his expression changed. He'd probably spent enough time thinking about his wolf already. "Every single day." I nodded and looked down at the drawing. Mylo had been restless since Christian turned eighteen. He kept asking about Christian's wolf, wondering why he couldn't sense him properly. "Mylo keeps asking about your wolf." Christian looked at me with interest. I hadn't mentioned Mylo much because I didn't want him feeling worse about not having his wolf. He placed his pencil down and turned toward me. "What does he say?" I considered how to explain it. Mylo had been complaining about our missing mate almost constantly. He wanted to meet Christian's wolf and understand what was happening. "He wants to know why your wolf hasn't appeared yet." Christian looked down at his hands. I could tell he was thinking about it again. I wished I could give him an answer instead of making him worry. "I wish I knew." I reached across the desk and placed my hand beside his. I wanted to hold his hand, but I wasn't sure whether he'd welcome it. Christian looked at me before placing his hand over mine. "He'll come when he's ready." Christian smiled a little and squeezed my hand. I was surprised when he didn't immediately pull away. I decided not to make a big deal out of it. "You sound like Pop." I laughed and leaned back in my chair. Micah had been telling Christian the same thing for weeks. I wondered whether Christian was getting tired of hearing it. "Should I be offended?" Christian grinned and returned to his drawings. I watched him arrange them into separate piles. He seemed to have a system that made sense only to him. "Definitely." A knock came at the door before Mason entered. He looked between us and noticed the drawings spread across the desk. I wondered whether he'd come looking for me. "What are you two doing?" Christian picked up the drawing of Mason with the mustache. I tried not to laugh when he held it up. Mason walked closer and stared at the picture. "Why do you have that?" Christian looked at me before answering. I knew he was about to cause trouble. Mason was already examining the drawing like it contained evidence of a crime. "Because it's one of my favorites." Mason looked offended and reached for the picture. Christian moved it away before he could grab it. I started laughing when Mason pointed at the mustache. "Who drew that on my face?" I looked at Christian, waiting to see whether he'd finally confess. He was trying not to laugh, which made him look even more suspicious. Mason noticed immediately. "Christian, what did you do?" Christian stood and moved behind my chair. I knew he was using me as protection. Mason looked ready to chase him around the room. "Ask Pop." Mason stared at him before turning toward the door. I couldn't believe Christian had finally admitted Micah was involved. I wondered whether Mason would actually confront him. "I'm going to find him." Christian laughed as Mason left the room. I shook my head because Micah was probably going to blame someone else. He had an impressive talent for escaping trouble. "You're going to get him killed." Christian sat down again and picked up his pencils. He didn't seem concerned about what Mason might do. I was beginning to think he enjoyed causing problems as much as Micah. "Pop can teleport." I laughed because he had a point. Mason couldn't catch Micah unless Micah wanted to be caught. I wondered how Landon survived living with those two. "You're both impossible." Christian started coloring one of his drawings. I watched him work for a few minutes before checking the time. We'd been sitting together longer than I'd expected. "Are you hungry?" Christian looked up from his drawing. I remembered he hadn't eaten since returning from Omegaville. Cory was probably preparing dinner by now. "A little." I stood and pushed my chair back under the desk. Christian closed his sketchbook and placed his pencils inside their case. I waited while he finished putting everything away. "Let's go see what Cory made." Christian stood and followed me toward the door. I reached for his hand without thinking, but stopped before touching him. He noticed and looked at me. "You can hold my hand, Greyson." I looked at him in surprise. Christian rolled his eyes before taking my hand himself. I smiled as we walked into the hallway. "Just don't start acting crazy again." I laughed and squeezed his hand. I knew he was talking about Eli, even though he hadn't mentioned him. I was trying to respect what Christian wanted, but Mylo wasn't making it easy. "I'll behave." Christian looked at me like he didn't believe a word. I couldn't blame him because I'd given him plenty of reasons to doubt me. Still, I intended to keep my promise. At least until I had a reason not to.