"I didn't just come to bring you honey cakes," Ptah said after a moment.
"I guessed as much." I sat back in my seat and blew across the top of my tea.
He cleared his throat, indecision warring on his face. "I know you probably don't want to..."
"Yes, I'll go on a date with you," I blurted before realising what I was saying. It wasn't like I hadn't been thinking about it almost constantly since I caught sight of him at the Jinx speed dating event.
"I was going to say there was no reason we couldn't be friends." He grinned widely. "But I much prefer your ending."
I chuckled in amusement. "Why don't I believe you?"
"I would have been happy to be friends rather than not have you in my life," he admitted. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too. But that was always the issue."
"Mmm, true. But maybe this time it can be different. I don't know about you, but I don't have much going on these days," he said.
"I just have my cats." As if summoned by the mention, one of the tortoiseshell felines found their way into the room and hopped up onto the sofa without being invited.
I shifted so I was sitting in the right position for her to sit on my knee, but she headed straight for Ptah and curled up next to him instead.
"It seems like I've got their approval," he mused.
"We both know how important that is," I joked.
"Especially if you want to convince a goddess of cats to date you."
"Shh, they don't know that's what I am."
He raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Do you really believe that?"
I let out a soft laugh. "You may have a point. I'm sure they've already figured out I can shift into a you-know-what, though I try not to do it in front of them."
"Of course they can tell. You're the one that always told me I needed to give cats more credit and that they knew exactly what was going on."
"You've spent time around them, you know I'm right."
"I certainly know one cat whose intelligence is unrivalled," he said.
The way he looked at me filled my stomach with a fire that hadn't been there in a long time. Or for anyone else.
"She certainly picked up on your awkward flirting."
He laughed and shuffled around on the sofa so he was facing me. "I don't hear you complaining too much about that."
"Then take this as your complaint," I teased. "You're going to have to do better than that on our date."
"Oh, I will," he responded. "You'll see."
The promise in his voice made me certain I wasn't going to be satisfied with just one date.
Chapter 6
Ptah
Bastet shivered as we stepped out of the portal that brought us to the god realm. "Sorry, I'm still not used to that." She glanced at it.
"You don't come here often, do you?" I asked.
