Page 30 of Devour

I rolled my eyes.

“Food is food. Quit making yourself sick by forgetting that.”

“Yes, Mother.” Not my actual mother. Still annoyed the hell out of her to be the oldest one around, and to be reminded of it. “Maybe I should eat someone.”

“I told you what you should do. We’re meant to spread it around, not fixate on one of them. It’s not good for either of you to keep going back obsessively.”

Of all the things she said, that got through. I hadn’t considered the potential effect snacking had on Eli. Aside from the one time I pulled us up too fast, he’d been fine. More than fine, even. Our relationship bordered on symbiotic. The guy had one outlet for his urges, and that was me. He wouldn’t admit what he got from it, but he also couldn’t hide everything from me. Despite his efforts, I wormed my way inside his thoughts occasionally. And he loved our dynamic, even without the sex.

“Stop seeing him,” Gaia plainly stated.

“Not that simple.” I sighed. If only.

“It is.”

“I care about him,” I said.

“You know what happens when a predator befriends its prey? It starves.”

“I’m not starving,” I bit back.

“Clearly. Not the slightest bit hangry, either.” Gaia patted my knee before standing to leave. “Take care of yourself, dumbfuck.”

“You too, Mother.”

With that, we flipped each other off before parting ways. Gaia went back to whatever the hell she planned for her evening, and I gave up on my last-ditch effort to get full. Time for me to find someone to eat.

Rhory stopped messaging me back right after my birthday. I didn’t know how to feel about it. At first, mildly annoyed by the inconvenience. Then, genuinely concerned about his well-being when my texts went unanswered. Over the last couple of weeks, I settled into a mixture of hurt, somewhat angry, and an overwhelming third emotion that I couldn’t put into words. When people said they were a wreck, I never really understood that analogy, but… yeah. I felt messy—like that time Rhory accidentally gave me the emotional bends, only less intense and over an extended period. Ugh.

Well, whatever. He was an adult. Rhory had made it this far in life without me fussing over him. He’d be fine. I refused to entertain the idea he wouldn’t pop back up and pester me when he was good and ready. Until then, I’d found myself so accustomed to his steady presence that his absence left a gaping hole in my life. As a last-ditch effort for social interaction, I agreed to meet Ember’s new boyfriend.

Asher would be there too, of course. He and I were on good terms again and we hung out when our schedules allowed, which usually worked out to almost once a week. Unfortunately, Asher thought to ask if I’d bring Rhory along to dinner tonight. I chose to ignore his text. How could I possibly explain the situation to him, anyway? I couldn’t. Better to act as if I never saw his question than fumble with an obvious lie.

We met up at the same place as last time, a small pub known for their menu. Long gone were the days of drinking together at college bars. Still, we weren’t ready for the family restaurant scene. A bar with a restaurant atmosphere felt like an ideal compromise for dinner and drinks. Plus, none of us were old. Except maybe me. I always felt as if I’d been born old. Given my calling, as well as how often I found myself among the elderly, I felt even older.

Before meeting with my friends, I stopped at my place and stared at my closet. I purposely gave myself enough time to change into something else in hopes of not making Ember’s new beau uncomfortable, then decided the heck with it. This was who I was. I was a deacon, ordained and everything at last. If he didn’t like that… he could get bent. On my way out, I grabbed a jacket to guard against the chilly night air and left.

Being indecisive at home made me a bit late, but oh well. I’d waited on my friends enough times over the years thanks to my chronic punctuality. Time for them to return the favor. After a quick scan of the room, Asher spotted me and enthusiastically waved me over. I sat down next to him in the booth with a warm smile.

The only person I did not recognize extended his hand to me right away. “Garrett, so nice to meet you finally.”

Before I could even respond, Garrett turned to Asher with a teasing grin and said, “I didn’t know the boyfriend was coming tonight.”

Well, Asher turned about five different shades of red. I kept silent while I unzipped my jacket, flashing my clerical collar.

“Yeah, so, this is one of my best friends, Eli. He’s a deacon,” Ember gently explained. Bless her and her extended efforts at conducting damage control.

“Wow, sorry, I—” Garrett fumbled.

“Why exactly are you sorry?” I interrupted.

“I guess… because… you don’t look like a deacon.”

“And you don’t look like an idiot,” I quipped. “Guess we were both wrong.”

Asher barked out a laugh that he tried to cover as a cough. No one bought it.

“So,” I said while turning to Asher. “Boyfriend. That’s news to me.”

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