Page 68 of Falling in Love with A Tiny Bat

Once he’s left, Brittny sighs, dreamily. “He gets like this when he has too much energy. Sometimes it’s stress. Sometimes it’s excitement. Right now, it’s both. He’s been researching how to help your friend all week.”

“I never meant for my offer to drive him to the brink of insanity.” I nudge Alexios in the side. “I’m supposed to save those kinds of things for this one.”

Alexios, tenderly, nudges me back.

And I have immediate regrets.

Me? Initiatingphysical touch? With someone who barely tolerates touching anything to such an extent he isconstantly wearing gloves?

Who even am I?

Be gone, foul thoughts of impropriety! Be gone, I say!

Ollie delivering plates to each of us with two small calzones on each overruns my thoughts. I have never seen more beautiful calzones before in my life. Circling a little white bowl of marinara, the parmesan-powdered crescent moons steal my entire heart.

I wonder if Brittny and Ollie are accepting applications for roommates. If Ollie gets in moods where he bakes things like that amazing raspberry turnover and these mouth-watering calzones when he’s hyped up on vibes, I’ll gladly march through the woods to commute to work each day.

Or maybe I’ll tame a butterfly to ride instead.

To think, just a month ago I had such mundane goals.

Now I’m conspiring to convince two people I’ve only met a handful of times that, in a kingdom which doesn’t have rent ortaxes, they totally need a roommate.

Life is fun like that sometimes.

Before I can hack a cheesy bite off my calzone, Ollie pulls a chair from by the window across the carpet, and plops down in front of me. “Does your friend just need music, or also sound effects?”

“Uh…”

“What does his timeline look like? How expansive is the game? I was looking at the average number of songs for a variety of genres, and depending on what we’re talking about, it could take me two weeks to two months.”

“I take it you’ve decided to accept this project?”

“I am freaking out.” Ollie stabs an entire one of his calzones, dips a corner in the sauce bowl, and takes a bite. Once he’s swallowed, he says, “But it looks like it could be a lot of fun. I never really gave much thought to doing more with music. It was just the avenue I found to…well…” He looks back at Brittny and smiles so wide a dimple appears in his cheek. “…to bridge a gap between worlds. I never expected it to become anything more than that.”

That’s so cute I might vomit. Best make sure I’m not dry heaving once I lose the turnover.

Sawing the edge off my calzone with my fork, I say, “I’ll get you in contact with Rogue. I don’t know much about his timelines or expectations. The only information I get is off the KickStarter page he’s running to fund the whole thing.” I plunge calzone in my mouth, and it might be the best thing I have ever eaten. Buttery, rich dough encasing cheese is faith-renewing.

There is a God.

And he is loving.

Amen.

While I’m busy having a tiny worship thought in the field of gratitude, Alexios seems to be on a different page, dissecting hisfood in order to isolate the spinach. The man has been surviving pretty well on his figs, cashews, and protein shakes ever since the order I placed came in. He’s even labeled a couple brands and flavors asnoticeably less offensive than the rest.

I hope I haven’t done him a disservice by letting him stick to his safe foods and fluid nourishment. The last time Kassandra asked about him at school, she seemed to let on that Pollux had been making new recipes every day, in a futile attempt to find more things he likes. She said Pollux made spreadsheets. She asked if I wanted them.

I stared at her until she realized I wouldnotbe cross-referencing a spreadsheet with my pantry in an effort to feed a grown man.

Right now, though, I feel sorry for him.

It must be hard to go out to dinner with your friends and suffer through the main social event.

“How are things going between you two?” Brittny asks out of the blue.

My back straightens as the memory of arms close in around me, tight and warm and comforting. A chin’s weight rests against my cropped hair before lips—

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