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I was desperate to ask Greid if he’d watched it and if Loty and Huna had conspired to kill Marish so they could collect his life insurance and be together. Hopping off the treadmill, I gulped down the rest of my water as the episode finished on a wicked cliffhanger—with Loty walking in on Ashi and Golir in a very friendly embrace and blackmailing them with the threat of telling their lifemates.
Reluctantly turning off the TV, I raced upstairs and burst into the kitchen to find Greid standing at the fridge, guzzling straight from a carton of juice. It was the kind I didn’t like, so I didn’t care.
When he saw me, he inhaled sharply then started coughing and spluttering, spraying juice everywhere.
I laughed, pushing damp tendrils of hair off my sweaty forehead. “Went down the wrong way?”
“Uh—huh,” he got out between coughs, gasping for breath. He didn’t seem to know where to look, eyes darting frantically as he fumbled to screw the lid back onto the carton.
I walked over to grab some paper towels from the counter and heard him suck in another fast breath and start coughing again. He held his hand out for the towels, eyes watering as he coughed into the crook of his elbow, but I knelt down to wipe up the juice droplets for him instead.
“Hey, have you watched Gloom Falls?” I asked as I stood up and dumped the towels in the trash. Plucking at my drenched tank to get some air on my sweat-slicked skin, I turned to face him.
Greid’s eyes shot up to the ceiling, then to the side, then to the fridge as he turned to face it, his voice still hoarse and raspy from coughing as he said, “Uh-huh. Yep. It’s great.”
I watched him as he just stared into the fridge, grabbing a pack of deli meat then putting it back, then a jar of pickles before putting that back too.
“Can we watch it after we finish Our Neighbours the Humans?” I asked, wondering what he was doing. “I just watched an episode while working out and I’m fully invested now.”
“Yeah, sure, of course.” His voice was strangled but overly perky. “There’s like fifteen seasons, so. Big commitment.”
“I don’t mind.” I cocked my head and crossed my arms. “You okay there?”
“Totally fine!” Greid shut the fridge and turned to face me, but his eyes darted down my frame before flitting away again. His ears were fluttering so fast it looked like he was about to take off into the air.
As he power-walked over to the counter and grabbed a store-bought muffin—I hadn’t attempted to make them again—I hesitantly uncrossed my arms and glanced down at myself. Was he grossed out because I was all sweaty? I couldn’t imagine Greid caring about something like that.
Or… All my other clothes were loose and pretty shapeless. My workout clothes were tight leggings and a stretchy tank.
My gut bottomed out and I glanced at Greid just as he stuffed half the muffin into his mouth. Heat raced over my skin, and it had nothing to do with the hour I’d just spent on the treadmill.
“Well, better… back to work. Necklace,” Greid mumbled with his mouth full, keeping his eyes averted as he raced out of the kitchen and up the stairs. A second later, I heard him trip and let out a strangled, “Ow, fuck.”
“You okay?” I called.
“Great!” he shouted back immediately.
I didn’t move for a long moment after I heard his workshop door shut way above me. Letting out a slow breath, I walked to the sink to refill my water bottle. My workout clothes weren’t particularly revealing, but they were tight, and Greid had only ever seen me in loose shirts and pants, or the giant hoodie that swamped me.
I already knew I was attracted to Greid. I’d always known it, deep down, but adjusting to such a monumental life change hadn’t left much room for me to really acknowledge it. Now I had. I’d acknowledged it, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
And now I was wondering if Greid was attracted to me too.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Beryl
My trial shift at Abyss was… something.
Greid had walked me there just before four and got all shy when I gave him a brief hug to make myself feel less nervous. He’d told me he’d meet me at seven, got shy again when I asked him if I looked okay, mumbled that yes, I did, then watched as I took a deep breath and walked into the bar.
It hadn’t been all that busy yet—just a few people, mainly demiurgus, sitting in some of the low seating and sipping wine or mixed drinks. Mani was all smiles as she took me to the back office and showed me where to leave my coat, then handed me a little black apron with a big front pocket.
She’d introduced me to the two other bar staff who were working. A big, hulking demiurgus called Ron—yes, Ron—with a shaved head and thick hoops in his ears, and the only other human member of staff—a short, brown-haired guy called Gavin who gave me a cheerful grin as he loaded glasses into the dishwasher.
But it was Ron, not Gavin, who Mani asked to show me the ropes, and I quickly realised why. He was a big, cheerful guy who calmly showed me where everything was, didn’t mind at all when I asked lots of questions, and gently encouraged me to make my first drinks when someone came up to the bar and ordered. Then he stood beside me and quietly told me how to use the register, and gave me a huge grin and a high five when the customer walked off to their table with two gin and tonics.
“See? Not too scary.” He nudged my shoulder with his elbow. He was even taller than Greid, and twice as broad. “Here, let me show you how to pull pints…”
