Page 19 of To Cuddle A Gremlin

Caressing Sebastian’s cheek with his thumb, Isadore tilted his head slightly and traced the seam of Sebastian’s mouth with the tip of his tongue, asking permission to go further. Sighing, Sebastian opened, allowing Isadore to proceed. He kept the kiss light, not wanting to spook Sebastian, pulling back when Sebastian tensed.

Sebastian blinked his eyes behind the wire-framed lenses. Fog blocked Isadore’s view, but the owlish look was still present. He was adorable. “Um, uh, that was nice.”

“Right? Absolutely perfect.” Taking all of the chances, Isadore licked the tip of Sebastian’s nose. “This was the best afternoon. You did a wonderful job showing me around.”

“But…”

“Your pet. And you should decompress. Sebastian, our day was filled with a lot of ups and downs. I don't want to overwhelm you anymore.” Isadore reassured Sebastian as best he could. He understood when people were overstimulated and pushed themselves beyond their limits. Sebastian had a crazy day, and Isadore refused to cause more problems by prodding Sebastian more than necessary.

“Can we do this again?” Sebastian asked almost shyly.

“We will. For sure. First off, we have to come here when the festival is up and running and then I want to do other things with you. I have so many ideas. But we can start off slow and steady, which is always good.”

“Whatever you think is best.” Sebastian nodded. Isadore was tempted to roll his eyes, but he remained neutral. Sebastian agreed now, but he’d push when he had to. Isadore believed in Sebastian. “Can I walk you home?”

“I’d love it.”

CHAPTER 9

Kazmier: OMG. I have to tell someone.

Crash: Tell what now

Kazmier: So today, I went out in the real world and hung out. It was fantastic.

Crash: Oh, that’s cool. Did you have fun?

Kazmier: We did. It was a low-key date. Nothing extravagant, but it made my day, no, weekend.

Crash: I’m so glad for you.

Kazmier: I’m gonna be riding this high forever.

Crash: Yay. But take it easy, alright?

Sebastian shoved his phone in his pocket. This queasy feeling at the bottom of his stomach irritated him. Kazmier having a date was fine. Hell, he had one too. Andit wasn’t as though Kazmier was his. They chatted through a game and made no other attempts at communicating. Sebastian groaned as he fell over on his couch. Was this normal? Feelings were such a strange concept, and to have such intense ones for two different people was interesting. Sebastian understood that he’d have to choose or make a decision, but for the moment, he sank into the sensation. Someday, he could be the person someone wanted to keep by their side. And in a pipe dream, he had this idea Kazmier would be the first person he could trust. Because this ephemeral connection he had with Isadore might break. They were still so new, but with Kazmier? Oh, Sebastian dreamed. They’d meet in real life, and if this chemistry was one-sided, well, at least Sebastian would have made a friend. Maybe he could befriend Isadore in the game, and the three of them could chatter. Kazmier would like Isadore. They had the same vibe. Sebastian sighed. He could make it happen.

He was almost at work. Texting and walking at the same time was dangerous. He almost ended up on the road when he last tried.Stop dwelling on the negative. Worry about the day ahead. Sammi would be at the door, eager to hear how his weekend went, and he’d tell her the whole story, even when his cousin attempted to ruin Isadore’s opinion of him. Isadore was so amazing when he'd refused to give Meggz any inches. Sebastian wished he had been able to tell Meggz off. And then Isadore had been so cool afterward, getting them a drink. He never flinched or made excuses, which gave Sebastian conflicted feelings. He wanted to be like him, but he hated that Isadore stood up to Meggz.

As he approached the staff entrance, Sammi waited outside the door, her hands stuffed in her coat pockets, bouncing around.

“So how was your date? It must have gone well. You’re standing tall and happy.”

“I had a good time. A lot better than lunch. Though… for a brief minute, I thought shit was gonna happen. We ran into Meggz,” Sebastian shared, anxiety tightening his throat. His shoulders hurt from the tension of waiting for a message or something from his family, complaining about how rude he was.

Sammi's face was dark as a thundercloud as he described with minimal detail about what Meggz said and tried to do. “If I ever run into any of your family, I will kick their asses.”

“They stay on their side of town. They’d never even think about coming into the library.” Sebastian laughed as he swiped his fob to enter the library. Sammi’s scowl remained on her face while she hung up her coat and scarf in the staff workroom.

“They don't deserve you. Anyway, Meggz is just jealous you managed to snag a hottie like Isadore.” Sammi sniffed. “Does she still act like a prostitot?”

Sebastian raised his eyebrow. Meggz always dressed to impress, and her clothes were meant for someone half her age. She tried so hard to be attractive to all men that she often missed the mark.

“Okay, fine. Dumb question.” Sammi popped a pod into the coffeemaker and lounged against the counter. “How are you though? I know seeing even a cousin can be a challenge.”

Sebastian’s mind went blank. The insults and gaslighting would've had him flustered for a while after, however, with Isadore’s calm help, he managed to shake off the doubt and fear faster than usual. The resulting sensation was different, but a good different. It was freeing. “I’m fine. Isadore stopped her from being her bitchy self. He was so firm with her.”

“Good. It’s about time someone had your back.” Sammi patted his arm before turning her attention to the patrons entering the library.

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