Page 2 of Christopher

Luckily, when they’d moved, he’d brought his car. That meant he didn’t have to wait for anyone or ask permission to leave thehouse. He just had to go up to his bedroom, grab the keys and his jacket, and leave the house.

He had the codes to the gate and the alarm, which should probably help him feel like he really was a pride member, but it was still awkward. He was relieved when he left the house behind, even though, technically, it was his home.

He’d get used to it. He’d always been a bit of a loner, mostly because people in his pack tended to stay away from him because of his family. He’d been fine with that, but it meant he didn’t know how to make friends. Should he just go up to people and start talking to them? That thought made him want to run the other way, so probably not.

Well, he could think about it while he got coffee. Maybe he’d even be generous and bring back something for the rest of his family. Jennifer had taken a liking to Dennis’s banana donuts, so Chris could check if they still had some at the bakery before going home.

But first, coffee.

* * * *

Drake wasn’t new to blind dates. In fact, a lot of dates he’d recently been on were blind dates. His friends, family, and colleagues wanted him to be paired off as much as he did, and they never missed an opportunity to help.

Right now, he wished Lindahadmissed the opportunity.

He wasn’t sure what she’d been thinking, but the guy sitting in front of him was awful. He was dressed well and looked clean, and when he’d walked in, Drake had been impressed, but not for long. The man’s personality was awful. If Drake could get away with it, he’d run out the door without looking back.

“Do you know how much sugar is in that coffee?” Karl asked, leaning closer to Drake.

Drake had been puzzled when Karl had dragged his chair to his side of the table instead of sitting in front of him like anyone else would have. It was easier to get to know each other when you could look each other in the eyes, but Karl didn’t seem to think so.

Or maybe he was trying to get to know Drake in an entirely different way that involved getting his hands on him.

Karl squeezed Drake’s knee, and Drake jerked his leg away. He bumped into one of the legs of the table, wincing when pain shot through his knee.

Karl didn’t seem bothered. He wasn’t touching Drake anymore, but that didn’t stop him from leaning into his personal space.

“All that sugar is going to kill you.”

Drake took a sip of his caramel latte, which was the only thing keeping him here at the moment. It was also the only thing keeping him from screaming at Karl to give him space. He didn’t want to alarm the people in the coffee shop, so it was better if he continued sipping and staying as far away from Karl as possible.

“Sugar doesn’t kill anyone,” Drake muttered.

“You can’t be serious. Do you know how many people in this country are obese?”

“I’m not,” Drake pointed out. He might be a little fluffy and slightly overweight, but not that much.

Karl looked him up and down. “Well, you could lose some weight. I could help you. We could have you in shape in just a few months. Imagine how much prettier you’d be.”

Karl didn’t seem to find Drake repulsive, no matter what he was saying. He stretched out his arm again, squeezing Drake’s thigh this time.

Drake made a sound deep in his throat that made him sound like he was dying. Maybe part of him was. His soul certainlyfelt like it was withering, although that possibly was to get away from Karl.

Drake looked up as he moved away from Karl, inadvertently making eye contact with the woman sitting at the table next to them. She grimaced, and while Drake was grateful for the silent support, there was unfortunately nothing she could do for him. He was the only one who could do anything about this, but it was always hard for him to tell people to fuck off. He wanted everyone to be happy, even if it meant that he wasn’t.

His obsession with pleasing people was going to be the death of him.

“I’m fine,” he muttered.

He could feel Karl’s gaze on him as intensely as if Karl were touching him, which made him want to scream.

“You really are,” Karl said with a smirk. “How about you show me how fine you are in a more private setting? Are you done with your coffee?”

Drake had been taking a sip, and it went down the wrong way. He coughed, relieved that he wasn’t spraying caramel latte everywhere. That might have been the best way to get rid of Karl, though. Maybe Drake could try drowning in his latte a second time if it meant kicking Karl to the curb.

“We just met fifteen minutes ago,” he pointed out.

Karl gave him a toothy smile. “So? People have sex when they barely know each other, and we’ve been talking for fifteen minutes.”

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