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“I’m a librarian at the local university.”

“Oh, so you’re like super smart,” Nix says. It’s not a question but a statement. For some weird reason, I feel my heart do a little jolt of joy at the praise.

“I wouldn’t say that,” I tell him with a chuckle. “I just like to be around books. I find it really soothing to keep things organized and kept track of. Plus, it’s always been a joy to have a hand in other people’s learning.”

“Shit,” Nix breathes out, his eyes wide. “So you’re like a proper adult.”

Kassian and I both laugh at that. “And you’re not?”

Nix shakes his head. “I mean sure, I’m an adult but not like a real adult, you know?”

“I don’t know,” I tell him seriously. “Tell me about it?”

“Okay so like, Kassian and I don’t have like a real job.”

I tilt my head to the side, looking at both men. I can’t help that my lips tick up slightly in amusement. “Your jobs are fake?”

“No, that’s not what I mean,” Nix says right away, laughing.

“It’s a very unconventional job,” Kassian says in explanation. “We travel a lot so we’ve never really learned how to cook for ourselves. We eat out more days or eat on the road. I can’t remember the last time we spent a large amount of time in one place. We’re constantly on the move, meeting new people, and visiting new cities. It’s exciting but it’s also very consuming most of the time.”

I hum softly. “Sounds like it gets hard sometimes.”

Nix shrugs. “I mean, I guess? But we don’t mind. We have each other,” he says brightly, turning towards Kassian. Kassian suddenly looks anywhere but at Nix. When his golden eyes meet mine, there’s a layer of pain he’s trying to hide.

Damn, I can’t wait to tell Hazel how well I’m reading these guys next time I talk to her.

“That sounds really lovely,” I say honestly. It makes a small amount of pain go through me as I think about my own platonic partner who’s no longer here. I miss her.

I wonder if I’ll ever have someone like that again.

“It’s okay,” Kassian says, rolling his eyes. “That’s what bros are for.”

“Bro,” Nix says dramatically, leaning his head against Kassian’s shoulder.

“When are you leaving town?”

Kassian straightens at that. “Weirdly enough, we’re in the middle of a break. Because most schools are starting, we’re on a hiatus until our next official meet and greet next month.”

“Oh, that’s exciting. An entire month off?”

Nix hums, nodding his head. “We haven’t decided what we want to do exactly. I thought it would be fun to hit up a beach before the cold air comes in, but Kassian thought we should go back home for the month.”

“Where is home?”

“We come from a little town down South,” Kassian explains. “I don’t think I’m feeling that anymore. I changed my mind. Maybe we should stay around here. Check out the sights a bit.”

“What sights?” Nix turns towards me. “What sort of things are around here?”

I scratch my cheek, thinking. “There’s a wonderful museum that specializes in dinosaur exhibits. There’s a beach in the next town over that a lot of people rave about. In all honesty, I spend the majority of my time either in the library or at home.”

“Can we check out your library?” Nix asks. It’s the way he asks, so full of innocent earnestness that makes my smile.

“I could arrange for that to be possible.”

“Oh my gods,” Nix says excitedly, practically bouncing in his seat. It’s really cute, his excitement, his smiles, the way his cheeks pink when he’s like this. Wait, cute? Why’d I think that? “This will be perfect, bro! I know how much you love reading.”

“You do?” I ask Kassian. He nods. “What’s one of your favorite books?”