“No.”
“Huh? Then why are you making it?”
I raised a brow. “It’s for you. You drink coffee, do you not?”
He looked shocked. “I do! But… you don’t have to do that for me. I mean, I can do it myself. I mean, not that I don’t appreciate you doing it, and not that I could do itbetterthan you or anything but - “
In that moment, I needed to silence him before he worked himself up even further. In one swift motion I closed the space between us and pressed the tip of my finger to his lips. Instantly he went quiet. A deep pink blush spread across his cheeks.
“Caleb,” I said. “You’re overthinking it. Just let me prepare you coffee. All right?”
I removed my finger. Caleb nodded, his eyes wide like an owl.
“Good.”
After that I returned to my duty. From the corner of my eye I noticed it took Caleb a moment to come back down to earth. He spent about five minutes wiping off a butter knife and staring into space before he finally shook himself off and came to sit at the table.
Except in his daze he’d forgotten his plate on the counter. I sighed and retrieved it for him.
“Oh my god,” Caleb mumbled, sounding mortified. “Thanks.”
“Not a problem. Black?” I asked.
“What?”
“Your coffee. Do you take it black?”
Now he looked embarrassed. “Oh, no. I like, um… cream and sugar.”
That didn’t surprise me. I would have been more surprised if hedidtake it black. Humans were easy to read once you’d met enough of them. I didn’t know why I bothered asking.
After spooning a dollop of sugar and cream into his mug, I placed it on the table. “Here you are.”
“Thanks, Adriel,” he mumbled. “It’s really nice of you to do all of this for me.”
His cheeks were still pink from earlier. Did my small gesture really affect him that much?
“Don’t worry about it. Just make sure you don’t waste it.”
“I won’t!” Caleb exclaimed. “I’ll drink every drop.”
He paused and his eyes widened, realizing the possible innuendo of what he just said, and his blush deepened again. As if trying to escape the situation, Caleb began hurriedly eating his meal.
Humans, I thought with mental weariness.
As Caleb ate, my mind wandered. I realized that since he was a fan of my books, he would have read the sex scenes in them as well. How strange it must have been for him, then, to sit across from me while thinking such thoughts. Was he thinking about them right now? Did he think that every intimate scene in my books was somethingIwas into?
I crossed my arms and continued watching him. He must have been aware of it, because he never once lifted his gaze to meet mine.
Shy little human,I thought.I wonder what you’re thinking right now.
Once he was finished, he put away his plate and mug into the dishwasher.
“So, um… You’re not going to drink anything?” Caleb asked.
“No,” I told him. “I don’t feel the need for it right now.”
It’s cute of him to worry about me, in a way.
