Page 73 of How Not to Date an Angel

The clerk glanced between the two of them uncertainly, but gathered the pastries as Rami pointed through the glass and called them off.

Once Rami paid with their magic card, Julian led the way out of the bakery and even held the door open for them.

“Thank you,” Rami said, white box balanced in their palms.

“So, can we talk about it?” Julian asked.

Rami sighed, warmth threatening to color their cheeks.

“Fine. If you must.”The street was mostly empty for a cloudy afternoon, and Rami pulled their cardigan closer, just to have something to do with their hands.

“First: why’d you run off? What did I say?”

Rami frowned, recalling why they’d run out of the sex shop in the first place. “I was just… surprised, I think. You talked as if you assumed that I knew what having a—long john was like,” they said, and waved the box at Julian.

His brows furrowed, and Rami watched him run the conversation in his head, at the same time Rami did.

“No, I—okay, wait,” Julian said, waving a hand in a sharp angle through the air. “You’ve been on Earth forhow longand you don’t know the difference between ‘y’know,’” he said casually, “and ‘youknow?’”

Rami’s lips thinned as they replayed the inflection in Julian’s voice a bit better. “That might have been my error,” Rami admitted. “I was flustered. It’s something I’m a little… sensitive about.”

“Understandably,” Julian offered with a contrite twist to his lips. Then he brightened. “And seriously, everyone knows angels don’t havepastries in their cases,” Julian said with a wink. “But I know it doesn’t have to be that way. So. Why’d you never choose?”

Rami shrugged. “Nothing felt right. We—” Rami glanced around, then leaned closer and lowered their voice. “Angels were made without a gender. Why should I have to pick just because the humans did?”

“Okay, point. But, like, sex?”

Rami arched a brow—being very brave, they thought, having this conversation—and stood up straight once more. “Yes. What about it?”

“You never got curious?”

Rami’sgaze flicked back to him before it skittered away. “Of course I did. I said nothingfeltright, didn’t I?”

Juliantripped,and Rami stuttered to a stop as the demon gathered his feet beneath him. “Oh,” he choked out.

Amusement curled through Rami. “Yes,oh.”

“So you did try them out, take them for a test drive. Did you enjoy it?”

Their cheeks were as red as the stop sign they approached.

“I don’t see what business it is of yours.”

“It’s not. Doesn’t mean I’m not curious,” he retorted.

“If you must know, I didn’t really care for… the solo act, whether I tried out a… a donut or a long john.”

Julian snickered, and Rami shot a glare in his direction just as he straightened up, wiping his smile away with a hand across that strong jaw.

“My experiences were… fine. Nothing to write home about.”

Julian’s lips twitched. “Well, I’d hope not. Heaven probably wouldn’t care about your sexcapades,” Julian drawled.

Rami sniffed haughtily. “You know that’s not what I meant. It’s a human expression.”

“I know, I know. Don’t get your feathers all ruffled. Have you tried it with other people? It’s more fun that way.”

Julian spoke as if he had experience. Which, of course he had. Naturally.

---