“Hey,” I said, trying for casual and knowing I’d missed it by a mile.
Up close, I could see the confusion on Dane’s face. I didn’t give myself time to think about what I was doing. If I had, I probably would’ve talked myself out of it.
I rose onto my toes and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. When I lowered myself back onto my heels, Dane was staring at me.
I offered what I hoped was a meaningful look that meantplease leave; we were absolutely not prepared for this.
Judging by Dane’s baffled expression, the message did not come through. To be fair, my face probably looked more like someone moments away from a nervous breakdown.
“Uh…” I reached for the sleeve of his jacket. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
Concern replaced the confusion in his eyes immediately. “Sure.”
Dane bent slightly, lowering his head so I could speak more quietly. I turned my back toward Glen and Lynn, even though it didn’t really change much.
They were both shifters, which meant privacy wasn’t guaranteed, but it still felt better than nothing.
“Those are my friends,” I whispered. “From college.”
Dane nodded once. “I figured.”
“You should probably go,” I added.
That made him pause. His expression shifted slightly, like he was recalibrating something. “Go?”
I rubbed a hand over the back of my neck, suddenly aware of how tangled this already was. “We haven’t talked about any of this.”
Dane studied me for a moment longer than before.
“Ah, right. We should talk about this more, but I really don’t mind meeting your friends, since I’m your boyfriend and all.”
His words gave me pause, because I noticed he said those words a little louder than normal.
Was Dane hinting Lynn and Glenn could hear us? I cleared my throat, although I’m sure what I should say next.
Then he asked, quieter, “Are you really okay?”
I didn’t have an easy answer for that. I wasn’t exactly okay, but I wasn’t falling apart either.
I was somewhere in between, caught in a strange mix of anxiety, nostalgia, and the kind of panic that had set in the moment I’d looked up and seen Glen and Lynn standing in my café.
Before I could sort out how to say any of that, Glen called from behind us.
"Hey!"
We both turned.
Glen was already walking towards us. "You must be Seth's boyfriend. I'm Glen."
Lynn's eyes widened. “Boyfriend?" She looked absolutely delighted. "You should come to dinner with us!”
I opened my mouth, fully intending to say something, but once again nothing came out. This was becoming a problem.
Lynn looked between us expectantly while Glen seemed far too amused by the entire situation.
Dane, meanwhile, wasn’t looking at either of them. His attention stayed on me, like he was waiting to see what I wanted before deciding anything for himself.
And for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to tell everyone he had somewhere else to be.
