Page 55 of The Gargoyle in the College

“Yes, if that’s what works for us.”

“Tempting. But when I think about gargoyles, I don’t think of them cooking.”

“Then what do you think of?” He puts the sausages into the water and gets started with the sauces.

“Well... It feels like gargoyles just sit there at gates and doors. Legend is that they guard places and drive away evil spirits. Is that what you do?”

He nods. “Yes, I’m tasked with that.”

I stare at him for another moment. He is focused on checking the water in the pot, oblivious to my stare. He looks so serious that he can’t be lying. There’s no reason for him to lie to me. I ask, “So, do you manage that?”

“Yeah, I do. Actually, it was before I was tasked to guard this place. I fought with my fellow gargoyles. I think that they fought as hard as I did, but they decided that I get to guard this place and be at the gate.”

The way he says it makes it sound real, even though... It’s a bit too much for me to believe. “There are other gargoyles.”

“That’s for sure. We’d been homeless for the longest time until I got to stay here. Now, they can stay nearby safely.”

“Sounds like gargoyles live in territories.”

“We are special ones. Most without a place to guard roam and get shooed from place to place. My gargoyles have been with me, and we fought together to safeguard this campus, so they are staying with me.”

I suck in a breath. Now, it seems a bit clearer to me. “You’re the leader of your... pack, group, family. What do gargoyles call that?”

“Maybe a group. There’s no name for that because we aren’t supposed to stay together. There’s a gathering spot for all the gargoyles in the city, but that’s all the community we got, except my group.”

“Are you going to show me around to the other gargoyles?”

“Yes, but only if you’re my mate. Our gathering spot is for gargoyles only, but I think they will agree that a gargoyle’smate should get access, too.” He puts the spaghetti into the pot and starts the timer. “Here we go. Food will be ready soon.” He moves away from the stove before he leans onto it, giving enough room so that his wings won’t get hot.

He gestures for me to get closer to him. “What’s holding you back? Still thinking about showing me off to others?”

My heartbeat spikes, and I look away from him. “I... It sounds like you’re such a strong gargoyle, but somehow, you care about me that much. I can’t do a thing, let alone fight something that I can’t even see.”

“It doesn’t matter. You don’t need to do anything. You don’t need to be good at anything.”

“So... What do you even see in me?”

He pulls me into his arms. “Something about you. Even though you don’t have to, you always want to make sure everyone’s feeling good around you.”

Did I even do that? All I’ve been doing is just to make sure I fit in and won’t get bullied. “That’s wild. It can’t be like that.”

“What do you mean? You are nice. You cleaned me when no one ever cared. I’ve been on the campus for a long time, no one has ever done something remotely the same.”

“I... I suppose I did. But it wasn’t planned.”

“I don’t care about that. You did it regardless. I’d never force you to do anything. All I care about is for you to be happy regardless of what happens.”

“You make me sound better than I actually am.”

“You just have to gain some confidence. Maybe someday, something will come up and you’ll get to know yourself more.”

“I...”

I want him to be right, but I’m not sure about that.

He pats my shoulder. “You’d never know until then. Let me join your journey.”

“But...” I still don’t understand why he cares about me and wants me as his mate. There’s no reason to. It feels right to be with him, but... “I just want to make sure—“

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