Page 9 of High Stakes and Soulmates
Not possibly,probably. That’s the real answer. Most definitely.
“I mean… unless you’re interested in him. Oh my god. You are, aren’t you? It’s so clear, why didn’t I see it before? I’m so sorry?—”
“NO! I mean, no. Honestly. No. We’re not… at all.”
“Yeah?” Zach asks, looking excited. “Okay. Thanks. Next time I see him, I’ll ask him out. He seems like a really fun guy.”
“Yeah… well, I’m out of here to finally get some sleep. What about you?”
“Same. Have a good night.”
“Thanks, you too.”
I sigh and head back to my car while my mind reels. It should be focused on the dead bodies. I should be thinking about howI’m going to figure this all out, and instead, I’m off wrapped up in some odd montage of Zach dating Ezio and how it’ll turn out if he finds out vampires are real.
I drive home and, after a quick shower, I head straight to my room and fall down on my bed, not sure I could get up even if someone busted through my door right this minute.
CHAPTER THREE
EZIO
“So then this absolute trash of a human being sweeps in and is all,” I mimic the hair swipe I swear he did, “‘Hi, I’m Zach, and I wanna touch you all over’ tomyCyrus.”
“Oh wowie, he said that? With you standing right there?” Yorick asks, hanging on to my every word. Clearly, he understands meorhe’s so attention starved he’s willing to pretend to.
“And then he was all, ‘After work, meet me around back in this dark and nasty corner where I’m gonna touch you with my fingers.’With his fingers.”
“Oh noooooo,” Julian says with much sarcasm. “So… even though this story is the most riveting story I’ve ever heard in my life, can we go back to the body staked to the wall? I know it’s like…soboring compared to some guy asking Cyrus out, but you know…”
“It was like woman, stake, bam. And then thisZachtossed his smoldering look right at Cyrus!At Cyrus!”
“I just… I feel like one of those things was significantly more interesting than the other,” Julian comments. “Like…significantly. I’m struggling to put my finger on which one.”
“I mean… it’s obviously the dead body, but I really don’t think we’re going to hear any more about that,” Yorick says.
The door opens and Casimir walks in before taking a look at Yorick. “Why is that pest inside my house?”
“You really shouldn’t call your lover a pest! If you’re going to treat him that way, then I’ll simply take him home with me,” Yorick retorts as he wraps Julian up in his arms. It’s easy to do from where we’re sitting at the table, but what looks easier than that is Casimir punching Yorick back to England, which is what Casimir seems ready to do.
Yorick, realizing this as well, quickly retrieves his arms. “I kid, I kid. Puppers, please save me.”
“Casimir, thankfully you’re here. I need to start my story over,” I say.
He grimaces. “Please don’t.”
I decide to tell him anyway. “We need to call a meeting with the vampires because there was this woman staked to a wall and a man drained dry, but more horrifying than that was this detective flirting with Cyrus.With Cyrus.”
“Oh? Cyrus has a date. That sounds lovely,” Casimir says.
I gasp, and when I don’t get the reaction I want, I gasp louder. Evidently, his superior sense of hearing is on hiatus. “Casimir, you don’t get it.”
“Tell me about the bodies,” he says, so I grudgingly fill him in.
Julian shakes his head in disbelief. “I’ve been trying to hear about the bodies for fifteen minutes, and instead, I got charades, miming, detailed descriptions, and scenes acted out, all over some guy asking Cyrus out on a date. We don’t even know if he accepted! But Casimir walks in and bam, he spills it all.”
Casimir gives his shoulder a squeeze. “You need to show more fang, dear. Try it. Bully him.”
“I’m not going to bully him now that he spilled it!” Julian protests.
