Page 11 of Zachary

“Sure. There’s people like me, who have sex all the time. Before I met Rhys, I’d have sex with anyone I was attracted to. It was fun and I liked it and was good at it. But people like Rhys prefer to have sex with people they know and have romantic interest in. Neither of us was wrong; we just viewed sex differently.”

I nod, even though I know he can’t see me. “Okay. I get that. But how is—”

“I’m a person who likes talking to strangers,” he continues in his blithe Fabian way. “Even when they don’t like me, I still talk to them because I want to know why.Whyis everything.”

“Is there anyone who doesn’t like you?” I ask curiously.

He hesitates. “Um. Yes? Maybe. Does it count if they didn’t like me before but they do now?”

I don’t know if I want to sigh or laugh. “Sure. That counts.”

“Great! So, anyway… what were we talking about?”

“You like talking to strangers,” I prompt. “And it’s just like sex.”

“Eww, no, Ronan. Talking to strangers isn’t like having sex. I mean, sure, they’re both fun, but it’s in very different ways. Maybe you need to think about the kind of sex you’re having. If your partners aren’t meeting your needs—”

Panic drives me to interrupt. “I misspoke! You were comparing my current situation to the fact that people have different views toward sex.”

He stops. “I was? Oh! Yeah. So I’m a person who likes talking to strangers, but you’re not. So it’s harder for you to connect with people you don’t know.”

The echo of my earlier thoughts is both comforting and hurtful. He’d never say it aloud—he’s not cruel—but even Fabian thinks I’m not a real dragon.

“Yes,” I manage.

“I can help,” he assures me. “First step is to make a better connection with the people you already know. Who do you spend the most time with?”

Um. I know what he’s getting at, but—

“Ronan? You still there?”

“Yeah. Uh, I guess in total number of hours, that would be Zac, the demon who comes to the cave with me. But—”

“Perfect! He’s nice, and you’re already spending all that time together with nobody else to make you feel self-conscious or distract you. There’s plenty of opportunity to build a friendship, or at least a friendly acquaintanceship. And he’s one of Gideon Bailey’s cousins, isn’t he? That family has a lot of influence there.”

I let him finish, wondering just how I’m going to explain this. “They do, but—”

“So what you need to do is think about what you already know about Zac, like his interests or hobbies. Or you could ask him what he did last night—that’s always a good opener. What time are you meeting him today?”

“I’m not—he said we’re taking weekends off. Uh… Zac might not be the best person for this. He doesn’t like me.” My cheeks burn with embarrassment as I force myself to make the confession.

“He doesn’t?” Fabian sounds confused. “Why not?”

What’s worse, knowing someone dislikes you for a reason, or just having them dislike you because you’reyou? Because I remember how Zac was when Fabian was still here—a little distracted, not quite as friendly as his cousins, but it was still clear that he liked him. It’s just me he has a problem with.

“I don’t know,” I mumble, wishing I’d never sent that text. How hard could it have been to find some resources on my own? Now Fabian will tell Brandt how unlikeable and un-dragon I really am.

“Okay. Don’t worry, I’ve still got you covered,” he rallies. “You’re not going to the cave today, right? So you’ve got some time to prepare. Think about the people in town who’ve been nicest to you, and make a list of what you know about them. If you feel up to it, maybe go and talk to one of them. But it’s okay if you’re not ready!”

I waver, trying to decide if I should just tell him to forget the whole thing. “I was going to go over the research notes today—”

“Nope! No work. You need some time to recharge. Zac was right to say weekends off.”

I hear someone laugh in the background and realize with a little shock that his boyfriend is there. Of course he must be, this late. They live together.

“I’m so sorry, I’ve interrupted your evening—”

“You haven’t. We were just watching one of Rhys’s shows that he’s seen a million times before. And I’mnota workaholic, Rhys. I take plenty of time off. Just sometimes I get very involved in things and forget other stuff.”

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