Cheeks hot, Cya set their computer on their lap. “Um, the beginning?”
He puffed out his cheeks but didn’t mock them. “Okay. Let’s get to it.”
Chapter eight
Gobbling Dick
Dex
Thelastfewweeksof the semester were busy. Dex was learning all the ins and outs of his new job, trying to keep up with his demanding dyscus practices, prepping for end of semester exams, watching over Jasmyn, and tutoring Cya every spare evening he could. He was burning the blunt at both ends—or whatever the saying was—and he couldn’t wait for March.
Nearly four weeks of nothing but work and dyscus; it was going to be heaven.
At the end of February, he helped Gem and Rusty move into their new flat, and the first Saturday of March, he joined some of his colleagues at the soft opening of The Passing Through Cafe’s Greed location. Their group stayed an hour or so, chatting amicably as they huddled in a tight circle for warmth before they all disbanded at the station.
When Dex moved to follow Toni and his human boyfriend, Jude, to the platform for Gluttony, he spotted Cya standing alone and slowed to a stop. The Sypent studied the departure screens before checking their watch, a delicate gold piece that probably cost more than Dex’s rent.
Their top half was bundled up in a thick coat, a creamy pink scarf, and a fuzzy hat that covered the pointed tips of their ears. They clutched their to-go cup between their gloved hands, their tail curled tightly underneath them as if to conserve heat.
As a cold-blooded Reptyl, they were sensitive to the chilly March weather, and Dex regretted not bringing a jacket with him that he could have shared. Not that they would have accepted it; they didn’t like receiving help—that much Dex had learned over the last few weeks of tutoring.
Although they showed up to every study session, they were combative and got defensive anytime he tried correcting their mistakes. They barely listened to him, and even when they did, they questioned everything he said, like they didn’t believe he actually knew what he was talking about.
Honestly, he would have thought they genuinely didn’t like him, except they arranged the repair of the lift in his building—they claimed it was because they didn’t deserve the torture of climbing six flights of stairs, but it was still a nice gesture—and they were really sweet with Jasmyn, remembering the simple signs she taught them. Sometimes, they even laughed at his jokes. Well, they neverlaughed, but they would smirk and scoff, which might as well have been a laugh.
All of that combined had to be irrefutable—probably scientific—proof that Cya didn’t hate him as much as they pretended to. In fact, he was convinced they were encroaching on best friend territory already. Another few study sessions, and they would probably stop pretending they didn’t know him when they passed each other on campus.
“Heading home?” Dex asked, and Cya glanced his way, then back to the departure screens.
“Yes.”
“Fun weekend plans?”
Their shoulders stiffened. “Not really.”
“Oh? No fancy parties where you eat caviar and kwinoah?” he teased, and Cya’s brows furrowed.
“What’s kwinoah?”
Dex frowned too. “Uh, you know, kwinoah. That grain that’s not actually a grain that you like to eat. We texted about it.”
They cocked their head and arched a dark green brow. “You mean, quinoa?”
“I don’t think that’s how you say it,” he corrected them carefully.
With a slow blink, they inhaled deeply, exhaling in a rush through their nostril slits. “You know what? You’re probably right. Kwinoah sounds like a very fancy, very real thing that actually exists.”
Wow, they were taking this really well, considering they usually bit his head off anytime he tried to correct them. Which only added to his conviction that they were pretty much besties now.
“I mean, I don’t know lots of things, but I do know how to read.” He winked and shot them finger-guns.
Like they were fighting a smile, they pressed their lips together and hummed. “Mhm, that must be it.”
“Well, since you don’t have fancy kwinoah plans, you could come to the movies with me.”
Cya’s golden eyes wide with shock. “The movies? With you? Like, us together?”
“Yeah, I gotta take Jasmyn and a few of her friends to the cinema since Mom is working a double.” He tucked his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “So, if you don’t mind kicking it with a couple tweens, you could totally come with us.”
