I grinned. “She’s great. Total character. Did you know the first thing she did when we brought her home was catch and eat a mouse?”
Rafael’s brows raised. “Home? I thought she was staying with Jake.”
“Oh. Well, I meant home in general. As in, not on the streets.”
“Right.” He nodded. “So weird that you found a pregnant cat, though. Is she healthy?”
“Yes,” I said, perking up. “The vet cleared her, thank god, but we’re going back again on Sunday for another checkup. Since we don’t know her history and she’s quite far along, it’s safest that way.”
“What are you gonna do with the kittens?” Rafael asked.
“I haven’t thought about that,” I admitted. “But I’m sure we can find homes for them all.”
“That’s good.” Rafael smiled.
“Why?” I grinned. “Do you want one?”
“I don’t think I’m ready for that kind of responsibility,” he said with a laugh. He threw a fry into his mouth. “Unless - wait, do you think having a kitten would help me pick up omegas?”
I elbowed him. “You’re an idiot, Raf.”
“Oh!” He frantically ate another fry. “Did you ask about my - you know, situation?”
It took me a moment to realize what he meant. “Oh, the Omega Angel Café thing? About how you want to date an employee?”
“Hey, keep it down,” he mumbled. “When you say it like that, it makes me sound creepy.”
“I did ask, actually.”
Rafael gazed at me expectantly. “And?”
“Skylar said there was nothing specifically in the rules about it, just that you shouldn’t ask during a shift,” I told him. “But honestly, Raf, what is it about this omega that you’re actually interested in? You barely know him.”
Rafael put down his burger and looked a bit hurt. “So?”
“I’m just saying, maybe it’s not a great idea,” I said. Before he could give me even sadder puppy dog eyes, I added, “There’s plenty of ways to find dates, Raf. You could try an app, or go to an old fashioned date night, or - ”
“Just have a hookup like you?” he said sharply.
I paused in shock. “What?”
Rafael bristled and looked down at the counter. “You seem to be pretty happy with just sex. Maybe I should try to be more like you.”
“Dude, what are you saying?” I asked, feeling defensive now. “I’m just trying to help you.”
Rafael shot me a strange look that I couldn’t quite read, almost as if he was hiding something from me. After a minute the tension broke when Rafael murmured, “Sorry. I know it’s stupid, but I guess seeing you find dates all the time starts to grate on my nerves.”
“Jake isn’t adate,” I shot back, “and he’s the first person I’ve slept with since Heath.”
Rafael flinched. Despite my irritation at him, he seemed to actually regret his words, so I tried to back off. We sat in uncomfortable silence as we ate our food.
“Is there something else bothering you?” I finally asked. “Because I don’t want this to be a thing.”
“No,” Rafael said with a sigh. “I don’t know. Sorry, Griffin. I’m just frustrated, I guess.”
I nodded. “I get it. Things with Jake aren’t exactly peachy, either.”
He glanced at me and nodded, but there was that strange edge in his expression again. Maybe I was just overthinking it since we had just experienced that tense moment.
