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They'd recently finished reading The Plumed Serpent by D. H. Lawrence. Though not entirely pertinent to his study, it had been a fascinating foray into the mysticism of the area. Curiouscat had been particularly taken with it, bringing it up every other day and finding new interpretations for certain passages. She was so enamored with it that Raf had once joked he would gift her a special edition with gilded pages—not that he'dalreadybought it.
"You don't even need to read it anymore," Raf chuckled. "You've heard me talk about it so much you're probably just as much of an expert as I am."
His dissertation was on the ritualistic use of precious stones and minerals in Pre-Columbian Meso-America. He'd had to do plenty of reading on the subject in order to understand the belief system in the area, the pantheon of gods and their respective purposes within the community. It had been particularly fascinating for both of them to find out more about the human sacrifices and ritualistic killings.
It had all started with an anecdote from Raf's reading, but Curiouscat had been so intrigued by the subject that she'd demanded he told her more. And so, he'd started studying with her by his side, sending her some of his reading materials and discussing a lot of the philosophical and anthropological implications with her.
It would be a lie to say his dissertation wasn't a product oftheirdiscussions. Curiouscat had an inquisitive mind and a great imagination, and she'd offered insights he would not have otherwise explored before.
His major focus was obsidian and its circulation across the region, looking at rituals both as standardized practices and localized ones.
Due to the amount of time he spent with his nose buried in a book on the subject, he'd become more and more narrow in his thinking, which was where Curiouscat helped him, urging him to take a step back and reconsider the wider picture when his tunnel vision was becoming too bad.
"Thatistrue," she laughed. "But it's really fascinating stuff. I want to go there someday. See the temples, and the archaeological sites…" she trailed off on a dreamy sigh.
"Me too. We should go together," he threw the idea out there, more as a joke.
"You know what. Wereallyshould. After you graduate, you should take me on a trip to Mexico and officially introduce me to Aztec culture."
Raf was quiet for a moment. She seemed like she really meant it. He didn't know whether to continue on with a joke, or say something serious, or actually invite her…
He'd saved up enough money to afford it. That wasn't the issue. The issue was that she might notwantto meet him—might even not like him if he wasn't behind a screen.
It wasn't the first time Raf had been plagued by thoughts like that. He wasn't bad looking by any means, but he didn't see himself as anything out of the ordinary. What if she didn't like what he looked like?
"Blue? You still there? Don't tell me I shocked you?"
"You… You'd like to meet?"
"Sure, why not?" The way she said it sounded like it was no big deal for him.
"Let me get this straight. You want to meet?Me?"
"Of course I want to meetyou, Blue. Who else? But only if you want that, too. I have a family commitment later this year, but I can do it any time before that," she continued, her voice steady and sure.
It…shocked Raf.
"I'd love to," he eventually answered.
"Good. It's about time you took me on a real date," she chuckled.
Raf was still staring at his screen dumbfounded. This was real. It was happening. She actually wanted to meet him… Damn, but he really felt himself become tongue-tied.
"Where are you? I can come to you," he offered.
"You're a gentleman, aren't you?" she drawled in amusement. "I live in upstate New York. What about you?"
He blinked. He couldn't believe he wasthatlucky.
"I'm in the city."
"No shit," she blurted out. "You're serious?"
"Yep. But first, since we're actually doing this, I have to ask something," he winced, since it wasn't something entirely comfortable, but since she'd opened that gate, he needed to make sure.
"Shoot."
"Tell me you're of age. You're at least eighteen, right?" He asked, already on pins and needles as he awaited her answer. If she was younger… Until now he hadn't wanted to entertain that, but if he had confirmation of her age and shewasa minor, then he couldn't in good conscience continue with their conversations, could he?
