Page 7 of The Jorogumo

"His collection was amazing. I bet he'd have some great stories to tell about some of the earlier comics."

"Maybe you could host an event of some kind? Where comic readers of all ages can come together and talk?" I suggested, and Liam pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"Maybe. I'd need to find some way to promote it, though. Social media probably wouldn't reach many of the older folks."

"What about newspapers?"

Liam blinked, then brightened. "You're right! My grandfather used to get the paper every day, right up until the day he died."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Liam waved me off, making a face. "He and I didn't get along. No room in his life for a pansexual grandson unwilling to marry the girl chosen for him."

Ah, humans and their discrimination. And no, I wasn't happy to hear that he was pansexual. Why would I be?

Changing the topic, Liam and I started swapping ideas about what he could offer at one of these events, and how he could make it profitable not only for the store, but for the community as well.

I suggested as many ideas as I could come up with, and it was during one of those moments when I was speaking that I felt it. It was faint, barely strong enough for me to sense, totaste, but it was there. Desire. Lust.

Surprise had my words drying up, and I stared at Liam, shocked. It wasn't the fact that Liam was feeling desire toward me that had me feeling such shock—though it wasn't expected either—but the fact that his desire didn't make me feel uncomfortable.

Every single time anyone had expressed desire toward me, I'd felt uncomfortable. But not now. Not with Liam.

With Liam, I felt...hungry. I wanted more. I wanted to consume his lust in a way I'd never wanted anyone else's. I still didn't want him in quite the same way as he wanted me, but I wanted him nonetheless.

"Haruto? You okay?"

Liam's desire tasted like the most delicious dessert, and I'd gotten just a lick of it.

There could be only one reason for how good his lust tasted, for how much I wanted more of it. How I hadn't realized it until now was a mystery.

As I watched the confused look on his face, as I thought about all the time we'd spent together, and all the time I'dspent thinking of him when we were apart…it couldn't have been more obvious.

Liam was my mate.

Liam

Something had just happened, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what.

Haruto had been telling me another of his ideas for the event we'd spontaneously come up with, and I'd been thinking about how stunning he looked with his eyes all bright with excitement. My eyes had flickered down to his moving lips, and I'd found myself wondering what they tasted like.

Had Haruto somehow sensed my wandering feelings? Had I been too obvious in my appraisal? Had I made him uncomfortable?

"Haruto?"

He blinked a few times, then shook his head and gave me a smile. "Sorry, I got caught up in my thoughts. Where were we?"

I watched him for a moment, unsure if he was telling the truth. He gave me an easy smile in return, and I relaxed slowly with a nod.

We talked about the event for a bit more, but then his friend arrived, his steps hesitant as he walked into the store.

"Liam, this is my friend, Touya. Touya, this is Liam, the manager of this store and also my friend." I returned Haruto's smile before smiling at Touya, who gave me an awkward little wave.

"Hey, Touya. It's nice to meet you."

"You too," he said with a smile, then turned to Haruto. "Ready to go?"

Haruto's eyes flicked up to me, lingering for a moment with an unnamed emotion I couldn't read, before he glanced away.

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