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“That’s so handy. How long have you all been a pack?”
“Jasper and I met in university when we were taking the same business class. That was almost a decade ago, now. He and I started dating Tony three years after that. A year after that we met Hana and Gabe, then all moved in together. So I guess about six years for all five of us being together.”
“Wow! I feel outclassed.” I laughed. “My longest relationship was two years.”
“No sense wasting time on a relationship that doesn’t suit you,” Billie said.
“That’s fair. So, the pack is all okay with you going out with me? How exactly do I fit into all of this?”
Billie picked up my hand, boldly nuzzling the scent gland on my wrist and pressing a soft kiss there that had a full body shiver rolling through me.
“You fit into it exactly how you want to fit into it. That's the beauty of our situation,” Billie said. “If you just want to hang out with me, that's cool. And if you want to include some or all of the others, that's cool, too. Obviously, you'd still have to meet Hana and Gabe, but that's not hard.”
My head spun at the idea. “Sorry, this is all kind of new to me. I haven't dated much in general for a while, and I've never dated multiple people.”
They rubbed their thumb in circles over my wrist and it took a considerable effort to not squirm in my seat.
Billie took another sip of their smoothie, watching me with a mischievous gleam in their eyes. “Try not to think about it too hard. You approach this one person at a time. Right now you're just on a date with me so you can worry about the others later.”
I took my hand back to add a splash of milk into my tea and took a long drink to collect myself. At least this time it wasn't so hot it burned my tongue. “I guess that's fair. Tell me aboutyou, then.”
“You first,” Billie insisted. “You’re hoarding all the knowledge and I want to learn about you, too. Tell me fun Books facts! Favourite food, colour, animal, and hobby. Go!”
I laughed. “Okay, um, anything Italian is my fave since that’s what I grew up with, but specifically I love stuffed shells the most. Favourite colour is purple, I love cats, and reading is my biggest hobby, though I’m sure that’s not a surprise considering I work in a library.”
Billie leaned on their elbows, watching me expectantly. “What else?”
“I’m bad at fun facts. Um, I’m the oldest kid, two younger brothers, ten million cousins scattered over the country and back in Italy. I’m thirty-three, and I’ve been a librarian for about eight years now. Your turn again.”
“What do you want to know? I don't personally think I'm that exciting.”
“Everyone's exciting in their own way,” I insisted.
“Well, for starters I'm twenty-nine. I don't really have a consistent job, but I do love painting and pottery.”
“You never found anything you liked? What did you go to business school for?”
“That was just for fun. At one point I thought I would work at the family business,” they wilted a little, shrinking down in their seat, “but…they're not such a fan of me making my own way in the world. They don’t like the pack either. I was supposed to marry some hoity-toity asshole for a business deal for them. Spoiler alert, I didn’t do that, so now I'm disowned, but sort of in a good way.”
My heart squeezed. “There's agoodway to be disowned?” I reached over automatically and Billie let me take their hand.
“Kinda. I get the benefit of the cash without having to see the people who don't think that I'm worth anything. My grandparents set me up well prior to their passing, and there were some strict stipulations that kept my parents away from my inheritance. I have enough stocks for voting power in my grandparents company so my parents can’t get rid of me entirely. I haven't seen them since before the pack moved in together.”
“Wow. I couldn't even imagine. They don’t deserve you,” I said firmly. I was curious what exactly their family did if they were trying to arrange marriages for business deals. That sounded like big money to me, but I didn’t feel right asking.
Billie squeezed my hand and gave me a soft smile. “Thanks, Books. Didn’t mean to get so heavy for a first date.”
“You’re absolutely fine. I’m so sorry your family doesn’t appreciate you. Mom drives me crazy sometimes, but I know she means well. I'm so used to seeing my parents all the time.”
“That's nice, though. I definitely don't begrudge people having good relationships with their parents, it's just not something I have.” Billie fussed with their straw. “The pack makes up for it a lot and most of them have decent relationships with their families. Jasper's moms have always liked me.”
The server arrived with our food and we took a few minutes to tuck into it. Billie watched me with a pleased expression as I shoved a too-big bit of eggs Benedict into my mouth. It's always been one of my favourite breakfasts, but it's a pain in the ass to make myself so I always leave it for restaurants to handle. Hollandaise sauce is the food of the gods, I swear. This place made it extra buttery.
“I'm in love.”
“Right? You want a bite of my French toast, Books?”
“Yeah, I'd love to try some. Do you want some of my benny?”
