“You don’t need to be so nervous, I won’t bite. I like you. I think you are sweet and endearing, and we are just friends tonight, enjoying a movie together, eating snacks until we are so stuffed we can’t move.”
I rubbed circles on the top of his hand, they were slightly hairy, and a chill ran down my leg at how much I wanted to see what lay beneath.
“F-friends?”
I nodded. “Yeah, isn’t that what you want?”
Atlas licked his lips and glanced at mine.
I said friends because I thought it would make him more comfortable, but obviously, I said the wrong thing. He was sweating, which I didn’t know moths could do, and I could hear a whine coming from him. I don’t think he realized I could hear.
It's best if I fix this at once.
I leaned in closer, my voice dropping to a whisper that seemed to fill the space between us. "Maybe I've misread things. Is 'just friends' not what you had in mind when you brought me flowers, Atlas?"
My hand ran up his arm, up into his hand, and I pulled it to my chest. He breathed heavily, and from my eyes he glanced down to my chest. I didn't mind because I was pressed against him, and I was also wearing a lower-cut top.
Atlas stuttered, “Um, I want to date you. I’m not good at dating. I’ve never dated before…” he spat out before looking away.
A smile formed on my lips as I cupped the other side of his face, turning him to face me once more. “Is that why you are so nervous?”
He nodded. “You are beautiful, and I am… Well, look at me.”
I knew what he meant, his original form, but right then, I had to pretend it was his human form. What sort of feelings did he have about his original form?
I liked that Atlas wasn't human, but not because I had some weird monster fetish, because a human man had disappointed me. I'd watched my mom waste years hoping my dad would change, only to finally escape when I was twelve. Maybe that was why the idea of someone fundamentally different appealed to me when I started reading monster romances.
I didn’t think a perfect male existed except in fiction, specifically monster romances. I always thought monsters couldn’t be real either, so I settled on believing that I would only ever love a monster. I’d never be tricked, never get hurt.
Well, look what fate did? They put this Mothman in front of me, who made me melt like butter on a hot summer's day.
Atlas was something else.
Clumsy, shy, sweet, a male I wanted more time to figure out.
I sighed and pressed my hand to Atlas’ heart. “It isn’t what is on the outside that matters, Atlas. It is what is within someone’s heart.”
He tilted his head to the side.
“What makes you, you? Are you kind and gentle? Quick to anger? Aggressive? Possessive?” I winked at him and heard a clicking noise. “Do you enjoy nightly walks with the moon high in the sky?”
Atlas nodded.
“What about rock concerts during the daytime?”
He shook his head.
“Me either. This is what we are going to do. Get to know each other. Find out what is in each other’s hearts, because that matters. And right now, I know I am attracted to you, because of who you are, in here.” I poked his chest.
Atlas sat up straighter. “And I like you. For what is in here.” He pointed to my chest. “Right there between your torso crack.”
I snorted and threw my head back. “You mean my cleavage?”
He nodded, then winced. "Yes. The—the word escaped me. Your heart-area." His hand fluttered vaguely toward my chest before he covered his face. "Lucien and the others spent three hours coaching me today. They made flashcards. And diagrams." His voice dropped to a mortified whisper. "So many diagrams..."
I gasped in delight. I felt I was falling for him even more.
My jaw dropped as I clutched my heart. "Wait—you actually took lessons on how to date me?"
