Page 14
I turned to stare at him in disbelief, wondering what he was doing.
“It smells like… grass.” His eyes popped open again. “Or dead leaves or something. Old plants.”
“Why are you smelling the park?” I asked with a hint of disdain. That was a weird thing to do, right? Smell nature? Who did that? I glanced around in mild embarrassment, hoping no one had noticed.
“I’m trying this new thing where I appreciate each season equally.” His shoulders slumped as he shivered and rubbed his bare arms. “One of the self-help things I saw on my phone yesterday said to do it.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. It’s not like if I don’t appreciate one enough it’ll stop happening, right? Dunno why I bothered.” He started walking again, untying the chequered shirt knotted around his waist to shrug it on. “So why don’t you need to feed today even though your date ended with only a chaste cheek kiss and an unsettling beard tickle last night?”
“Oh.” My blush returned. I’d forgotten about that. “Yeah. Um… I kind of… jerked someone off in the bar restroom.”
Nat stopped and turned to face me, eyes widening with excited intrigue.
“During the date.” I winced.
He burst out laughing, the sound loud and raspy, and managed to ask, “Who?”
“I’m not sure, actually.” I smiled nervously at two elderly ladies who were sitting on a bench by the edge of the river. They were watching us. Lowering my voice, I told Nat, “There was, um, a glory hole, and while I was texting you, a dick appeared through it.”
“Ooh, I’m so jealous. Was it a nice dick?”
“Yeah,” I admitted, gaze drifting as I remembered it. How hot and hard it’d been in my hand. How much he’d come. I sighed wistfully. “It was so nice, Nat.”
“Did you see who it was?” he asked as we started walking again.
I flushed, picturing the big hunk with the blue eyes. “I’m not sure. There was a guy watching me in the bar afterward, but I don’t think it was him. He didn’t actually seem interested. So… dunno. Maybe it was him and he just didn’t like the look of me after he saw me.”
“Bullshit.”
I huffed. “You think everyone finds me irresistible.”
“Because it’s true.” Nat delivered a firm smack to my ass. “You’re a snack, mouse.”
“No, you just have to say that because you’re my best friend and you love me.”
“You know, Klaus, for someone who knows how hot he is, you’re shockingly insecure about people finding you attractive.”
I huffed again. “It’s not about my looks. I know I’m hot. But that’s not the only thing that makes someone irresistible. And evidently, my personality is not irresistible. Because no one actually wants to date me, they just want to fuck me.”
“Your personality is amazing.” Nat frowned. “And some people want to date you. They’re just… not the people you want to date.”
I flung my hands up in the air. “Exactly! So what’s wrong with me? Why can’t I find someone I want to date who actually wants to date me back?”
“You will,” Nat said steadily. “You’re putting too much pressure on the whole thing, babe.”
“No. I think I’m just unlovable.”
“Klaus.” Nat’s head fell back in exasperation. “Shut your stupid face.”
“I am. I’m unlovable.”
“I love you.”
“You’re weird,” I muttered sulkily, crossing my arms and stomping my feet a little as we continued our morning jog at a very slow walk. “So you don’t count.”
Nat let out a dramatic little noise of offence, pressing a hand to his chest. The black polish on his short-bitten nails was chipped, and he had a ring on every finger. “I don’t count?”
