Page 23 of Christopher

“Not a problem. If you’re that hungry, we should probably move faster. You’ll feel better once you eat something.”

“Oh, I don’t feel bad.”

“You don’t? Because that sounded like you’re starving.”

“I’m just a bit hungry.”

Chris didn’t look convinced, but he nodded. When a hand landed on Drake’s back, he jerked forward and immediately regretted it because it caused Chris to drop his hand. Drake wanted Chris to touch him again, but he couldn’t ask, so instead, he gave him a tight smile and made a beeline for the elevator.

So far, their first date wasn’t going great.

“What did you do today?” Chris asked.

“Not much. I went to work, cleaned the house, and got ready for our date.”

“Did you freak out like I did?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m still freaking out, actually,” Drake said before he remembered he shouldn’t be himself and blurt out everything he was feeling to Chris.

This date was going to be a disaster, wasn’t it?

* * * *

Chris could tell that Drake regretted blurting that out, but he didn’t mind. They were mates, which meant they weren’t playing games. They should be telling each other how they felt, and they shouldn’t be ashamed of it.

“You don’t have to freak out,” he gently said as they stepped into the elevator. “It’s just me.”

Drake snorted, then visibly curled in on himself as if he expected Chris to be angry at his reaction. He was all over the place, and Chris wasn’t sure what was happening, but being angry was the last thing on his mind.

“How am I not supposed to freak out? I feel that waybecauseyou’re my mate, not in spite of it.”

“Because there’s so much riding on this relationship, right?” Chris offered. “We’re supposed to love each other’s life. We don’t know that yet, though. I mean, I like you, but I can’t say it’s love yet. It will be, eventually. That’s all that matters in the end.”

Drake’s eyes were wide. He stared at Chris, and Chris wished he could read his mind, because he didn’t understand him. Drake had to be the most confusing person he’d ever met, and he loved it. He loved the feeling of being kept on his toes, yet at the same time, he knew that Drake would never do anything to hurt him intentionally. He wasn’t quite ready to hand his heart over to Drake, but he felt it would be a possibility somewhere down the road, and he was ready for it.

Well, mostly.

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Drake’s attention snapped to that, and he rushed out as if he couldn’t wait to get away from Chris. His foot caught on something, and he stumbled forward.

Chris managed to grab him around the waist and hauled him back in. Drake’s body collided with his, momentarily knocking the breath out of him. His back hit the elevator wall, and for a second, both he and Drake fell silent and still.

“Sorry,” Drake muttered.

“Not a problem, but you should watch where you put your feet.”

Drake mumbled something before carefully leaving the elevator. Chris was behind him, watching him. He couldn’t make sense of this. He was sure this wasn’t the way Drake behaved when he was with his friends or with people he felt comfortable with. It might be because he didn’t know how Chris would react to his personality and wasn’t willing to risk it. Chris wanted to tell him he didn’t have to worry about that, and he could.

“You know, Ireallylike you,” he said as he followed Drake out of the building.

Drake stumbled again, but this time, he didn’t need Chris’s help to stay on his feet. “You really do?”

“Yeah. I like that you always have something to say. I like that you’re never silent.” Because silence meant too much timeto obsess over his thoughts, and that wasn’t something Chris wanted to do. He’d have to deal with all of that eventually, but not right now. Not during his first date with his mate.

“You don’t want me to stop talking so much?”

“Why would I want that? You being a chatterbox is part of your charm, and Iamcharmed.”

Drake’s cheeks flushed. “I’m charmed, too.”

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