Page 57 of UNAwere

I let out a breath when he’s gone, willing myself to keep it together. Maybe what happened is normal for Weres. Maybe things get horny when Weres Turn together. Or bite each other enough.

I try to think of all the lessons I had growing up, and how not one of them turned into whatever happened between me and Briggs, and give up.

We’re best drowning it with a few drinks and forgetting it ever happened.

When Briggs comes back to the table, he brings his scent with him, and I bite my lip.

‘Do you have siblings?’ I ask him, desperate to focus my attention on something else.

‘A sister,’ he says.

I raise my brows, surprised. ‘Does she live in Primrose territory?’

‘With her husband and three kids, yeah.’

‘Is she younger or older?’

‘Older.’

‘Are you…?’ I realise I never asked. ‘Single?’

‘Yes.’ The word comes out flat.

Oh, jeepers. I’m edging way too close towards the thing that happened between us, asking him questions like this.

‘What’s your sister’s name?’ I quickly ask.

‘Hannah.’

‘A palindrome,’ I say, smiling.

He cocks a brow, but his mouth has softened.

‘It’s…’ I circle my pointers over each other, trying to think how to explain. ‘A word or phrase you can spell the same way backwards as you can forwards. Like “madam”. Or… “No lemon, no melon”.’

Briggs huffs out air, his eyes crinkling at the sides, and I realise he’s actually smiling. And he doesn’t look like he’s angry, or in pain this time.

‘That’s some very interesting facts to have, just sitting up there in your brain,’ he says.

I grin. ‘It’s one of my special interests.’

‘Do you know any more?’

‘Umm…’ I think for a minute. ‘“Do geese see god”.’

He laughs again. ‘That’s fucking adorable.’

I feel my cheeks heat. ‘I think we’re well past thirty dollars now.’

The smile on his face doesn’t fade, and he gazes at me across the table like I’m a Rubik’s Cube he can’t help but want to solve.

‘I’ll buy you something nice,’ he says, voice soft.

Our food comes out before I can reply, and I smile, seeing he also got nachos.

‘This surely isn’t a coincidence,’ I tell him.

‘What?’ he asks.