“This is fantastic.” He puts his nose over the mug and deeply breathes in the scent.
I can’t help but grin. “Yeah. It’s pretty terrific.”
We sit and sip in a companionable silence, with only the slightest bit of awkwardness due to the ending of last night.
I get lost in thought, remembering last night and try to hide the flush I can feel in my face by draining the rest of my coffee.
“Do you have any plans while you're here? For today, I mean?”
Flint looks at the coffee left in his mug, then pins me down with that blue eyed stare of his, making me shiver. “I planned to go out. I imagine I will need to find Calida. A place to stay. A job, I suppose.”
While this all makes perfect sense, I’m not sure what sort of job he’s going to find here. Based on what I’ve written of him, at least, he is a warrior through and through and all of his “job experience” is going to be pretty worthless in a small Midwestern college town. I can’t imagine the college is going to be overly excited to hire a man with a sword. Wait — does he even have a sword? I haven’t seen anything but his bag but I can’t imagine that a sword would fit inside it.
"Do you know where you wanted to start?”
“No.” he says, cheerfully. “But I’m sure I can figure it out. I was smart before I got ‘buff,’ after all.” He smiles, but I feel like he’s waiting for something.
Oh. He’s teasing me. Right.
As he finishes his own coffee, he asks “And you?”
“I’m actually off today. Usually, I try to reset my apartment, clean things up, run some errands and work on my story.”
“Ah,” he nods. “I will get out of your way then.”
I chew my lip as I watch him while he gathers his few belongings and stops to put his boots on. “Where will you go?”
He is busy tying his boot and isn’t appearing to notice my sudden anxiety. What is going to happen? If he leaves this morning, will I ever see him again? I still don’t think he’s insane, although it’s possible. What if he reallyisfrom Goira? There are so many holes he could help me fill in in this story. Plus... that kiss.
While it may have been a one time, alcohol fueled fluke, I’d really like to figure that part out for sure. Maybe.Definitely.
What I do know is that I’ll never do either of those things if he walks out that door and I never see him again.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure Calida and I can figure it out. Really, she should be staying with you, but I have to admit, I’m going to miss her.”
“Here!?” I blurt out, unable to stop myself.
He sits up and tilts his head, studying my face.
“I mean, you could stayhere, until you figure it out? If you don’t mind crashing with me and sleeping on the couch. Just... until you find a place to stay… and a job.”
Oh shit — I did not just do that. Shitshitshit. Yes. Yes, I did. Impulsivity for the win. Mentally, I facepalm myself so hard I leave a bruise.
Flint is still studying my face. “Are you sure?” His voice is quiet, thoughtful.
Too late to back out now, Casie, you absolute ass.
Oh, who am I kidding? I desperately want to be the bold, outgoing woman who takes risks. Daring. Fun.
“Sure, I’m sure. What kind of person would I be if I let you and Calida potentially sleep on the street? I mean… you aren’t going to murder me, right?” He looks appalled, so I quickly continue, “Of course not. So it seems like a nice solution. Maybe in exchange you can help me fill in some of the holes in the story I’m writing?”
He smiles. “If you’re sure, we’d love to stay. I will still get out of your way for now though, and go track down Calida.”
He makes his way to the door and smiles at me over his shoulder as he closes it behind him.
I heave out a huge breath that I wascompletely awareI had been holding. Walking to the door, I lock it behind him. Resting my head against the solid surface of my door, I run through a recap of the upheaval that my life has undergone in the past twenty-four hours:
I am now living with a man, for the very first time. Not just any man, but the hottest man I have personally ever seen, who also appears to be brave, kind, smart, and funny, and who may or may not be a Fae warrior from a realm I thought I had invented in my own head. He is bringing a tiny blue dragon who loves pizza and rats with him and we’re all going to live in my tiny, not super fantastic, apartment.
