Page 57 of High Stakes and Soulmates
“Uh… no, not alone. It’s… complicated. I’ll tell you later, okay? But I promise I’ll be fine.”
Ezio looks uncertain but gives me a smile. “Okay. Yeah. Just… if you ever need me, don’t be afraid to ask.”
“I won’t… thank you.”
“Let us return to the room and relive the day’s events,” Yorick suggests when we catch back up to the others.
“Oh yes, that’s definitely what I want to do,” Julian says dryly.
“I believe I can put the recordings on the big screen for critique.”
“Well, that’s certainly the last thing I want to do. I, uhhh, feel positive that I could do something else.”
“What else does Julian enjoy doing?” I ask. “All I’ve ever seen him do for fun is be tortured by paintings of Gustov and display his nakedness.”
“He likes strip board games,” Ezio says.
I nod as I point at Ezio, acting like he’s thought of something quite astounding. “Right, do you think we could pay the delivery lady to watch? Or maybe she’ll pay us?”
“That woman seems up for anything. I will inquire,” Casimir says.
Julian gives us a look of disbelief. “Casimir is the reason why this day went to hell and you are all ganging up on me!”
“Honey… don’t fret,” Casimir soothes. “I will eat them if you wish.”
“Don’t eat our friends! If you just eat everyone you have a minor scuffle with, there will be no one left.”
“I don’t see the problem,” Casimir says. “More peopleless areas to have sex.”
Julian shakes his head wildly. “That’s not what that means! I’m going to leave you guys stuck here since I can leave anytime I want. Cyrus will go with me. He’s only slightly bullying me.”
“I did work quite hard laughing at you, and it made me hungry for lunch.”
“What about the rooftop café?” he asks with a smirk.
Yorick gasps. “But, puppers, I rooted you on! You would leave me too?” he whines. “You did so good! It’s not my fault that meanie werewolf was so jealous of your phenomenal run because he knew he couldn’t make it look so smooth!”
“That’s true. My dad just texted me an exasperated emoji. He’s at a loss for words.”
“Just the way I like him,” Casimir says.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
EZIO
“So then Cyrus was like, ‘I have plans tonight with a secret someone who I can’t tell you about.’ But of course, I had to be a good person and go, ‘Oh, have fun!’ While inside I was like, ‘Is it a new man? Is it the love of his life and I’m merely a rug for him to wipe his beautiful feet on?’”
“He definitely has a man,” a guy says.
“No… no,” a woman counters. “He shared a bed with Ezio. If you have a new man, you don’t share a bed with someone.”
“Maybe he’s a cheater?”
“If he was a cheater, he’d have laid some moves on Ezio,” a new woman explains. “He didn’t. He likes him—just can’t admit it.”
The door opens and Julian looks in. “What the… I step out for one minute and you just… slip on inside?” he asks incredulously. “You’re not allowed in the classroom!”
I give this monster I call a friend a look of disbelief as I wave at his students. “They were giving me love advice!”
