I want to ask him to teach me how to bake. It’s something that we could do together. I think he’d enjoy it, but I’m not sure he’d be a good teacher. He probably knows too much to go back to the basics. But I’m still asking him to teach me. I just want to feel the dough beneath my fingers and see if I can findthat passion, too. Because what is my passion? What is, life? I still don’t know, and I’ve been away from the Fae lands with all its requirements for weeks now. All I’ve done is wallow on the couch and get a job. Lark didn’t even make me get a job. It just happened to fall in my lap and happened to be around my crush.
It’s so silly to call it a crush. We’re grown men, for crying out loud, but I think that’s what it is. Isn’t it? I’m not entirely sure. I don’t know how crushes work. I was never allowed to have one because I was never allowed to dream of being with someone that I’ve chosen. That’s just how the Fae world runs.
I wish I had more clothes to choose from. Jeans don’t feel like appropriate date clothing to me. Except for the fact we’re just going to the gardens, and we’re gonna watch the wood nymph perform. We’ll probably walk around and munch on free vegetation. That actually does sound like a perfect date. Jeans would be just fine for that, right?
I know Talon likes the gardens, and he likes the wood nymph’s music. So I thought it’d be a good idea for the two of us to start. Very low anxiety, low paced kind of date. That’s the kind of thing I want. I think Talan feels the same.
I hope to get to know him much, much more than I already do.
I grab one of my formal shirts. Well, a shirt that Lark told me was formal in this realm. It’s stiff compared to a Fae dress shirt. I’m not entirely sure I like it, but we did modify it so that my wings had a lot of space, which I quite appreciate. It pairs well with the jeans that I’m wearing.
I only wish we could go barefoot because shoes in either realm are not all that comfortable for me. If I could go barefoot, I would. Maybe we can drop our shoes at the community garden and just walk with the dirt between our toes. Wouldn’t that be great?
Talon shows up at my apartment at exactly 7pm. He’s dressed much like I am, in nice slacks and a deep purple dress shirt. He also has on dress shoes. I try not to chuckle at the shoes because he grimaces.
He lifts a foot. “I don’t like shoes, but these seem date appropriate.”
“I don’t like shoes either, and I was contemplating going barefoot. You want to leave your shoes here?”
Talon grins and nods as he steps into my apartment. He slides his shoes off at the door.
I pull him in closer by the collar and just stared into his eyes. I’m not sure if he’s ready to kiss yet, but I want to know what his plush lips feel like against mine. And what that beard feels like. Will it give me a rash? Will it chafe my delicate Fae skin? I’m not sure, but I want to know.
He eyes me up and down until his eyes stop at my lips. But neither of us move in.
“I want you to teach me how to bake,” I say.
He stares at me with a strange look on his face. “You want me to teach you how to bake?”
“Yeah, I think we could bond that way. I want to know what it is about baking that you love so much.”
There’s the sweetest grin on Talon’s face. “It makes me think of my grandma. She’s the one that taught me everything I know. Every time I get into the dough, I think of her. I also just love how easy it is. I know exactly what I need to do to make everything work just perfectly.”
“That’s beautiful,” I say. “I wish I had something like that in my life. Fae courtesan training doesn’t teach you anything delicate like that. They teach you the art of pleasure and few other things. I can speak with you in one of seven Fae languages, three demon languages, and two human languages. This one youcall English and then Spanish, because in my research in this country, those are the two most useful.”
“How smart. It took me a bit of time to learn English. It’s not so easy on the tongue, like the Fae languages.”
“I can teach you fun things to do with your tongue.” I wink, making him snort instead of blush. “Sometimes it’s hard not to flip over to Fae because it’s just easier. It’s what I’ve known my entire life. I’ve only known English and Spanish for the last several years. Ever since Lark got taken.”
“It’s admirable that you wanted to learn other languages, so that you could communicate with anyone around here.”
“I thought that as well, too. What if I don’t want to stay in Hex my entire long ass life? What if I wanted to travel? And English isn’t the most common language. What if I want to go someplace else? What if someplace else has Fae or demon languages? I want to be prepared.”
“I don’t think people usually see you as prepared.” Talon looks away.
“I know most people just see me as a Fae courtesan that just fucks around. But there’s so much more to me, I just don’t know what. Fae courtesan training never taught us anything delicate except for pleasure. And while I enjoy pleasure, I would like to know something more about myself than how I can make someone moan at just a simple touch.”
Talon goes bright red as I thought he would. It’s endearing. He drops his head just a little. He scratches his elbow and looks to the ceiling.
“I’m not a virgin, but my experiences have not been pleasurable.”
I walk my fingers up his arm. “Oh, well, you’ve come to the right person.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I just wanted you to know. I’m quite educated in pleasure.”
Talon swallows and looks away again. “I know.”
