Page 8 of High Stakes and Soulmates
“Don’t joke about that shit.”
He seems hesitant as he says, “It… wasn’t a joke.”
“I don’t want to be a vampire,” I say, maybe a bit too sharply since he merely looks away from me and nods.
It’s not that I like being sharp with him, it’s that I want him to find someone else. I can’t date a vampire. I cannot let myself be drawn into that world. I shouldn’t even be interacting with them, but I have to… I have to use them… and as soon as he realizes that’s all I’m doing, he’s not going to want a thing to do with me anyway. Really, it’s best for him to move on and find someone who wants to be with him in a way I can’t.
Ezio doesn’t mention any more about it as we go into the house, and I find myself feeling bad that I’ve upset him. But if I apologize now, won’t it just encourage him? Fuck… why is this shit so hard?
And while I’m stuck trying to push all of that out of my head, he sets to work scrutinizing every part of the house and checking over the note Zach found, but by the end, we have little to show for it.
“Well, I guess I’ll get going. Let me know what the tests turn up. While we wait, I’m going to look into some things. I’ll call a meeting with the vampires and see if I can sense anything off.”
“Thank you. I can attend, just let me know when it is.”
“Good, I’ll see you there,” he says, then he gives me a wink and a smile before turning.
“What were you depressed about?” I ask before he can get too far away.
Ezio hesitates and glances back at me with a questioning look. “What’s that?”
“When I walked in, you said you were hugging on Julian because you were depressed about something.”
His grin falls and a serious expression takes over, surprising me. “Oh, I was just being dramatic and wanted an excuse to hug the floof. Julian is quite easy to sucker.”
I know he’s lying to me, but I also know that I’m not allowed to care enough to ask about it. Because the moment I start caring, everything gets that much harder. And I feel like I might fall apart if it gets even harder than this. “I see.”
“Have a good night, Cyrus. Sweet dreams.”
“Yeah… you too.”
I find Maeve watching the bodies being removed now that we’re finished with them here. There’s nothing else here we can do with them, so a medical examiner will be the next stop, and hopefully, they can confirm a few things. “I’m heading out so I can get a few hours of sleep before I come back in the morning.”
Maeve nods, looking as tired as I feel. “Me too.”
I find Zach not too far away. He’s leaning against his car, evidently waiting for me as I walk over to him. If he’s ready to confess to me like Ezio thinks, I really don’t want to even go over there. I don’t want to hurt his feelings when I shoot him down. He’s a nice guy and all, but the last thing I need is someone tying me down when I have shit to do… and putting their life at risk. “What was it you wanted to talk about?”
Zach rubs his head. “I… uh… feel like a teenager. This is so stupid. Ha ha… but I’m so tired of being shot down. I just… I was hoping since you’re friends with Ezio, you could tell me if he happens to date men?”
I hesitate as I realize that Ezio had nothing to worry about. It wasn’t me Zach was interested in but him. It’s almost enough to make me laugh, but I manage to catch myself before Zach thinks I’m laughing at him.
Well, obviously Ezio doesn’t mind men, and if he started dating Zach, he would stop wanting to date me. Honestly, it’d be ideal. Zach’s a pretty good guy and Ezio is… strange but he’sa good guy too. I mean… I guess Ezioisa vampire, but there’s nothing keeping him from dating humans. He certainly has no problem with me, and I’m a human.
“I’m sorry if this was inappropriate,” Zach says, probably because I’ve just been standing here staring at him and contemplating far too many things.
“Sorry, I’m just half asleep, I think. Uh… you know, I guess I’m not sure if he’s gay or not. I can ask him.”
What.
The fuck.
Was that?
I canask him? Like why the hell would I lie to Zach?
I quickly shake my head. “I mean… I think he is. Ha…” Yeah, there we go. Fuck, what’s wrong with me? “I don’t know if he’s dating anyone right now, but at least you know he’s not straight, right? Ha.” What is with all the awkward as fuck “Ha”s?
Could I sound more awkward? Could I sound any more like I have absolutely no idea what’s going on? Have I lost my mind? Possibly, right?
