Page 76 of Dancing with My Elf
“What’s going on?” Sebastian asked.
My tongue felt like sandpaper. I swallowed and forced the unappetizing words from my mouth. “You were right.”
Sebastian’s brows wedged closer together. “About what?”
“Zoe.” My chest tightened. “I told her she was my mate, but I’d waited too long.” I grabbed a pillow and pressed it to me like a shield. “She rejected me.”
“Ah, shit,” Sebastian muttered and plopped on the edge of the bed.
“Oh man, that sucks.” Diego shook his head.
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Sebastian asked.
Anger stirred so quickly, I didn’t have a chance to monitor my words. “Yes, you can tell your girlfriends to stay out of my business,” I spat. Sitting up straighter, I tossed the pillow to the floor.
Shadow jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. Great, now my cat was leaving, too.
“Whoa.” Diego raised both hands, palms toward me. “Where did that come from?”
“Nova and Gianna warned Zoe about me. Like I’m some womanizing clown.” I snapped my fingers and snarled, “That sure helped me woo my mate, didn’t it?”
“Lucas, that doesn’t sound like something they’d say.” Sebastian stared down his nose. “You must be twisting their words.”
They didn’texactlysay it that way as far as I could tell. I’d probably added my interpretation.
“If you don’t believe me, why don’t you ask them?” I pointed at them both. “They’re probably cackling about it right now.”
“I get that you’re upset, Lucas,” Sebastian said in a tone suitable in trying to calm a raging hippo. “But you can’t put all the blame on them.”
I turned away with a huff.
“You fought this,” Sebastian continued. “You refused to believe a mate was possible for you and maybe that contributed to you sabotaging any chance of it happening.”
I scowled. He might have a kernel of truth there. Too pained to admit it, I crossed my arms. “Gee, thanks for the pep talk. It wassuperhelpful. I really appreciated that last part when you kicked me while I was down. Not only have I lost my mate, but I quit my job.” I motioned to my crotch. “You might as well punch me in the balls and make it a trifecta kind of day.”
“Easy,” Diego noted with a downward motion of his hand. “Nobody’s against you. Why do you think we’re here?” When I didn’t answer, he snorted. “It’s not to help you write some country song about your sad life.”
“Right.” I sneered. “Don’t worry, you stopped by. Now you can go.” I motioned to the doorway. “Go gallivant with your mates.”
“Nope.” Sebastian shook his head. “Not until you agree to take a shower and then come downstairs to get something to eat.”
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling. “I don’t need this.” Pointing to the door, I said, “Go.”
An hourafter I pushed my roommates away, I had enough sulking around my room. A glass of water would be good. So would a shower. But I didn’t want to see either of them. I didn’t want to see anyone.
After I took a shower and washed off the stink, I stood at the top of the stairs. Was anyone below? No sounds indicated that anyone was there. I crept down the stairs and into the kitchen. I downed a glass of water and then refilled it before making a roast beef sandwich. Once I took a bite, hunger erupted, and I devoured it. Food and a shower made me feel less untamed.
Maybe some fresh air would help. I grabbed my coat and walked outside.
Seconds later, Nova ran out of her apartment. “Lucas, wait.”
She touched my arm, and I threw it off. “What do you want?”
“I want to talk about what happened.”
Raising my index finger, I said, “Oh, you mean you ruining any chance of me being with Zoe?”
She recoiled. “Lucas, we’d never do anything like that intentionally.”
