Page 30 of Awakened
A quasi-first date with someone you barely knew was no time to discuss ex-fiancés. I had a beautiful, engaging man in front of me, but all I wanted to do was word-vomit my love-life problems all over him. “My, uh, fiancé found his mate about two months ago. So, I made the move to St. Louis. Now I’m here eating yummy sushi with you.”
Zach’s smile fell, and he grabbed my hand. “That fucking sucks, but I would be lying if I said I was sorry.” He gave me a quick wink and snagged his last roll with his chopsticks.
That’s why spending time with Zach was so great. He could say something so simple and remove all the tension.
Me being me, I didn’t take the gift he offered to move on to alighter, less cringe-worthy topic. “What about you? Any good heartbreaks?”
Zach flinched. “Why don’t we save that story for another day?”
“Oh yeah. Sure.” And then we ate in painful silence, occasionally giving each other polite smiles. The entire time, I searched for something to say but came up with nothing. Goose egg. Bupkis. It was so awkward that I internally cheered when both our plates were clear.
Zach checked his watch and said, “It’s about time to get back to the office.”
We paid and walked back in silence. I looked anywhere but at Zach, kicking myself for not being able to be a normal fucking person. In the elevator, the unease got to me. “Sorry if I made it awkward.”
“No, no. It’s cool. I just don’t talk about it a lot.” His gaze lifted to where the floor numbers flashed. “If you want, we can talk about it later after I destroy your phone and lock us in your bedroom.”
My cheeks heated. If those were the circumstances, talking about his exes would be the last thing on my mind. I nodded and ducked out of the elevator, picking up the pace to my desk.
Zach followed a few steps behind. “Let me know if you need any help with anything.” He knocked on the frame of my cubical and then went to his own.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of too many new faces. I met dozens of people and retained maybe three names. I was going to need to do some Slack stalking just to keep up and not look like an asshole.
Zach said his goodbyes to the rest of our team and then whispered in my ear, “See you tonight. Get ready for the meal of your life.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll believe it when I taste it.”
Sarah and I tidied up the main floor. I’m not sure how two people could make such a mess, but Sarah and I had a gift.
As I tossed Sarah’s shoes into her room, the front door slammed, and Michael yelled, “Honey, we’re home!”
I peeked down the stairs and watched Sarah shoo the guys into the kitchen. The dozens of grocery bags in their arms rustled as they complained about how heavy they were.
Over the next hour, our home filled with delicious smells. I kept trying to peek in the kitchen but was pushed and carried out.
Zach threw me on the couch one more time and sternly pointed. “Sit. Stay.”
“Hey, I’m not a dog!”
Zach tilted his head and grinned at me.
“Okay, technically, I kind of am. You know what I mean!”
Zach went back into the kitchen laughing.
Sarah wasn’t as curious as I was. No, she was snuggled on the couch with a glass of wine, reading her smutty-sticker-covered e-reader.
“Relax, Les. They got this.”
I scrolled through the news for half an hour, concerned to see yet another kidnapping in the Midwest. The number of young weres being taken was skyrocketing, but the human police were getting nowhere. The news anchor speculated about the lack of involvement from The Regional Powers, but before she could dig into the details, dinner was served.
“Oh shit! Spaghetti and meatballs?” I took a heaping helping.
Michael smiled. “Yeah, they’re on the menu at my family’s restaurant. I worked there for a few summers during high school and college.”
I took a big bite and let out a long moan. “This is the best thing ever. I would marry these meatballs. So cheesy and magical. How—I just—Michael, will you marry me?”
Sarah slapped my arm. “Hey, that’s my man. You can have the sous chef over there.”
