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“I wasn’t sure if you’d suddenly get busy or something,” Dean says with a shrug. “You both live such adventurous lives, who’s to say something wouldn’t come up?”

“We wouldn’t just leave you hanging after promising to come visit you!”

“That’s very sweet of you,” Dean tells us with a nod, his blue eyes darting between the two of us. “I’m glad you came. I found that book I was telling you about, Nix. Are you still interested in giving it a try?”

“Very much so!”

I lean my hip against the desk, watching the two of them talk. Dean stands up, motioning for him to follow us. We walk through the library and he points things out, showing us each section, excitedly explaining all the things the library is involved with.

I suddenly understand why Nix enjoys listening to me talk so much about the stories I read. He might not read it himself but there’s something about watching someone be excited about something. Dean loves this place, loves his job, and loves that his library does so many outreach programs. He’s passionate about it.

I can’t decide if he looks adorable as he talks, or if he looks a bit sexy. Maybe a bit of both?

Shit, I shouldn’t be thinking like that! Dean is Nix’s soulmate.

Everything feels so confusing!

“Wait right here for a moment, please,” Dean says before going through a door that’s marked for employees only.

“This place is so cool,” Nix says, turning towards me. “If we lived in this town, I feel like we’d be here all the time. We could bother Dean and then look through all the books. You’d never get bored, Kassian!”

“How could I be bored when I always have you around?”

Nix grins at me. “You make an excellent point.”

I shove my hands into my jean jacket before I reach out to touch Nix. “I would miss you,” I admit softly, “if you were suddenly gone.”

“Kassian,” Nix says, suddenly serious. “You never have to worry about that. Never.”

I open my mouth to respond but words fail me. My heart hammers inside my chest at the declaration, desperately latching on, desperately wishing that it were true.

“Here we go,” Dean says, stepping back outside. I take a step back and look away for a moment, doing my best to calm my racing heart. Dean looks between us, raising his brow. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Nope! We were just waiting for you.”

“Right,” he says, unconvinced. Thankfully, he doesn’t press for more. He holds out a book for Nix who takes it, staring at it almost in reverence.

“Wow,” Nix breathes out. “Thank you so much, Dean! It means a lot that you picked out something you thought I would like.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he says with a small grin. “This one is that space adventure book I was telling you about. I think you’ll love it. If you get through it quickly, I have more in the series you can read.”

Nix is already opening the book and paging through it. I cover my mouth with my hand, hiding my smile. Dean turns towards me.

“I brought you two books, Kassian.”

“What?” I ask in surprise. I assumed this was all for Nix, since the two of them have this soul connection. Why is Dean including me?

“I found a copy of ‘Through Winding Doors’. I thought maybe you’d enjoy a reread?”

“Oh,” I say, taking the book from him. Our fingers touch and sparks run through my hand. “This was really kind of you, Dean.”

“But I wanted to find something new for you as well,” he says, handing me a second book. “This one is called ‘A Vampire’s (extraordinary) Story’. It’s the story of a young adult who’s turned into a vampire without his permission. It explores what it means to change in a society that focuses more on your actions than what you are. I loved it because it was this beautiful allegory for being queer. There’s a romance as well, though the main focus is more societal expectations, found family, and a bit of political intrigue.”

I stare down at the book in my hands, trying to process everything I’m feeling. Dean took the time to pick out a book he thought I would like. As he describes it, I can’t help but feel incredibly seen. How did he know I would love this? How does he know me after meeting me two times?

“Thank you,” I stutter out. Clearing my throat, I try again. “This was so nice of you, Dean. Thank you so much. This sounds exactly like something I would enjoy.”

Dean smiles down at me. “I’m glad.”