“Of course not.”
“Absolutely not,” they say over one another.
“Then why are you breaking up with me? Mav said you would break up with me when you found your mate.”
“Mav? Did Mav give you the beer?”
Well, duh. “Yes. Mav is your bartender, Garrett,” I whisper. “You should really know that.”
Selene slaps a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. I don’t like that. I want to see all her laughs, all her smiles. At least she still thinks I’m funny. Bet her stupid mate won’t make her laugh.
“I know who Mav is. Although if he’s stupid enough to give you Devil’s Brew when your magical signature reads so low, he’s not going to be tending bar here much longer,” Garrett growls. “Selene, can you get him home by yourself?”
“If you can help me get him stood up, I’ll be able to take it from there.” Suddenly I’m hoisted to my feet and my arm’s being tossed around Selene’s shoulders. “Come on, let’s get you home.”
Stepping out into the cold night air is a shock to my system, and I snuggle further into Selene’s side. Wait. No. I can’t snuggle her—she’s going to leave me. I try to disengage, but somehow my hand gets caught in Selene’s chunky-knit scarf. “At least the scarf thinks we belong together.”
“What?”
“Nothing. ’M fine. I can walk myself…bymyself.”
Selene scoffs. “You’re literally cutting off your circulation with my scarf, and you can’t stop swaying. Come here.” She pulls me closer, soft hands tugging at the material squeezing my wrist, and I take the chance to stare into her pretty eyes while I still can. “There, all fixed.” The scarf falls away, but instead of dropping my hand, Selene intertwines her fingers with mine.
I let her tag me along with her because I don’t actually want to be anywhere else. There’s a lot to love about Crystal Lake but Selene is by far the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Wait, the lake. My steps come to a halt, and Selene glances at me in confusion. I’ve only been down to the lake a couple of times but it’s pretty. “We should go to the lake,” I tell her, turning in a circle to figure out which way to go. If I take Selene there, she’ll think it’s romantic. Bet her stupid mate’s not romantic.
“We can go another time.”
“Nope.” I shake my head, and my glasses slip down my nose. “Has to be now.”
“Why?” Gently, Selene reaches up, taking the glasses and slipping them into her coat pocket.
“I need those.”
“I’m just keeping them safe. I’ll give them back once we get you home.”
“But we need to go to the lake first.”
“We can go to the lake on Sunday after your demon lesson.”
“Has to be now.” Before her mate swoops in.
Selene roots her feet to the spot despite my efforts to get her to walk with me. Maybe I can carry her? That’s romantic, right? “Why does it have to be now?”
“Because you need to know I can be romantic. It’s important.”
She giggles. “You don’t need to worry. I already know you can be romantic.”
I cup her cheeks, looking into her eyes intently. “You do?”
Delicate hands cover mine. “Yes. Now come on. If you’re still worried when you sober up, we can talk about this more in the morning.” She captures my wrists, pulling me forward, and this time I go willingly.
I’m not sure how we got here, but Selene helps me stagger up the stairs towards my bedroom. Flopping backwards onto the bed, I sigh dramatically.
“Who’s your fated mate? Do you know?”
She freezes in the middle of tugging off my boots. “Who told you about mates?”
“Mav. He said you were waiting for your mate. What’s that make me? Am I just a placemat?” That doesn’t sound right. I try again. “A placement. Placeholder.”
