Page 13 of The Naga

When lunch time rolled around, I didn't waste a moment texting Khush.

Me: Okay, it's lunch time!

Khush: Can I call you?

Instead of answering, I simply hit call, too anxious to wait.

"Hey, Dustin," Khush answered, his voice warm as ever. Some of my anxiety dissipated the moment I heard it, and I sank into the couch.

"Hey, Khush. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, I was wondering when your next day off is," he said, and it took me a moment to compute that.

"Um, tomorrow," I answered once I'd found my words.

"Would you…like to come over to my place? There's something I want to show you, and my friends would like to meet you too," Khush sounded hesitant as he asked, and I realized he was nervous.

Usually, I was the one rushing a relationship along, but for the first time, it wasn't me, and I loved that. It meant I wasn't the only one feeling this spark.

"I'd like that."

"Great! Is tomorrow okay?"

"Definitely," I agreed, grinning at Scrappy, who shot me a curious look.

"How about we meet up for coffee at the coffee shop first? Say at around ten?" Khush suggested, and I smiled.

"Sounds good," I answered, and I could almost hear the smile in his voice when he spoke next.

"Okay. Now I'll let you have your lunch in peace. Text later?"

"Yep." I couldn't quite get the grin off my face, and as I ended the call, I grabbed a cushion from the couch and squealed into it.

Fuck. Khush was going to kill me one of these days.

I sat up and found Scrappy watching me with a look I could only translate as 'what the fuck is wrong with you, human?'

"I think I might be falling in love, Scrappy," I told her solemnly, and I was sure she was cursing me out for once again rushing headlong into something that was guaranteed to break my heart if it went south.

As always, I ignored her judgy stare. Instead, I picked up my phone and texted Quest. He was one of the first friends I'd made after I finally came out, and we'd been the best of friends since.

Me: I met someone.

As expected, he replied almost instantly. Like me, he worked from home, though his work was much more fun. He was a gamer, and streamed videos of his gaming online, making money from sponsors and ads. He was trans too (it's how we'd met) and my closest friend, apart from Scrappy.

Quest: I need deets.

Me: He's sweet AF, and a little grumpy, but he also gets flustered easily. He has the greatest laugh, and he likes snakes too.

Quest: Wow. You must really like him. You didn't mention his looks at all.

Me: Oh, he's sexy AF

I sent him the picture of Khush and me from our date night, and he shot back a reply almost instantly.

Quest: Holy fuck, dude. That man's *flame emoji*

Me: I KNOW. And you know how I'm always rushing into things?

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