I threw the door open.
“Felix,” I said, a bit breathless from excitement. “You came after all.”
“Of course I did,” he replied.
I hadn’t realized how much shorter he was than me until now. His voice came from quite a bit below my face. If I had to guess, his head was probably at my chest level.
“I was looking forward to seeing you all shift,” Felix added with a slight laugh. His voice was softer than before, like something was distracting him.
“I’d say the same, if Icouldsee.” I grinned. “Come on in.”
“This is a nice place,” Felix commented as I led him to the living room.
“So I’m told.”
“Oh.” Felix stuttered. “Sorry, I didn’t mean--”
“I’m just teasing you, Felix,” I interrupted. “You’re not offending me, don’t worry. And just so you know, I only tease the people I like.”
I imagined Felix was blushing now. If I pressed my hand to his cheek, I would no doubt feel it--but we weren’t at that level of intimacy yet.
Yet?I thought.Slow down, Eli, you only met the guy today.
But why did Felix come? He must have felt a spark of something between us. Why else would he show up to my home after a first meeting?
I flopped onto a couch and gestured for Felix to do the same. The fabricwhumpfedas he slipped politely into the couch opposite me.
“So, what made you decide to visit after all?” I asked, hoping to pry the truth out of him. “And how do you know I’m not a weird murderer?”
Felix laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a murderer with a guide dog.”
“I could be the first. Maybe they can make a movie about me.”
By his sarcastic tone, I guessed he was raising an eyebrow at me. “Are you?”
Now I was chuckling too. “No.”
“I didn’t think so. Besides, you’re too nice to be a murderer.”
“You can be nice and a murderer,” I teased. “But seriously, what did I do that was so nice?”
“You left me a giant tip earlier,” Felix said. “Rude people leave bad tips, or don’t tip at all. That constitutes as nice.”
“You earned it,” I said honestly. “Besides, you’ve probably never had to spend two entire hours forced to chat with some alpha before.”
“You didn’t force me!” Felix protested, sounding indignant. He was so easy to tease that I couldn’t help myself. “I liked talking with you. Honestly, I didn’t even realize we’d spent that much time together until it was over.”
“Me neither,” I admitted. “I don’t remember the last time I’ve had so much fun just having a conversation.”
Felix sounded like he was smiling. “Me too.”
I smirked. “You’re not just saying that to be nice?”
“No.” He paused. “I wouldn’t have come all the way here to visit you if I was only trying to be nice.”
That sent a thrill through me. Was he confessing his interest? Or was there some other reason he was here?
Maybe he’s taking some sort of pity on you,my dark thoughts said, trying to poison me.
