17. Can You Just Die of Awkwardness? Asking for a Friend…
Can You Just Die of Awkwardness? Asking for a Friend…
LUKE
O h God, he was not going to survive this non-date.
Luke pushed to his feet and scrambled to the family room, where Azroth was regaling Matteo with tales of Luke’s intelligence and handiness.
He’d gotten back to the room when the demon began in on his overall manliness, and Luke almost prayed for the floor to open up and swallow him.
He stopped that thought short and shuddered.
In this house, something like that was very possible.
“Azroth? That’s an interesting name. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that,” Matteo said politely.
“Oh, have you ever visited Estonia?”
Matteo shook his head. “No.”
“We’re all from Estonia.”
Luke’s eye twitched, and his grin froze on his lips. That was enough demon nonsense for one day.
“Thank you, Azroth!” Luke cut in a little louder than necessary. “I got that…thing handled for Mullmag. You can go do whatever you were doing.” He mentally rolled his eyes at himself and his awkwardness. It was amazing that Matteo spoke to him at all.
“Not a problem.” He turned toward Matteo and beamed. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Matteo. I hope you and Luke have an enjoyable evening.” Azroth stepped away from the sofa and exited the room as if he were gliding an inch above the ground on a pocket of air.
Luke collapsed onto the sofa with a loud sigh and closed his eyes for a second. Except the cushion next to him dipped, causing Luke’s eyes to pop open. Matteo’s smiling face hovered above his own.
“You okay?”
“Yep. Sure. Right as rain,” he answered, aware that his tone was unnatural, but the demons were driving him crazy, and now Matteo was so damn close.
Like close enough that he could see how full and perfect the curve of his lips was.
They looked soft. Really soft. Like delicate pillows of fluff soft. Or rose petals and cotton candy.
It wouldn’t take much at all for him to close the short distance between them and taste those lips. He could finally feel for himself whether those lips were as soft as they looked.
No! No kissing. That was too fast. His brain searched for something else to focus on. He was missing something. “Drinks!” He shouted. He’d been getting some water for both of them. Fuck, his brain had shut down and was not rebooting.
He shot to his feet, narrowly missing a collision with Matteo’s head, and rushed into the kitchen.
With a silent curse at his building nerves and the overwhelming awareness that a house full of demons was watching their every move, Luke fixed them some glasses of water and brought them to the living room with some paper towels.
As he returned, Matteo was flipping open the pizza box and folding the lid so that it fit underneath.
“I wasn’t all that hungry earlier. Now this smells so good, and my stomach won’t stop rumbling,” Matteo said with a little moan.
“This is my first time trying their pizza. I had their hot wings, and they are insanely hot but so good.” Luke placed a glass of water in front of Matteo and put one down for himself. He picked up the remote and turned on the TV. “What are you thinking of for a movie?”
“How about something action-y? Lots of explosions. I’m more relaxed than I was, but I don’t think I could take anything too serious.”
He knew exactly what movie to put on— The A-Team .
Lots of explosions, ridiculous chases, and funny banter.
He pressed play on the movie, and they dug into the pizza.
It might have been lukewarm, but it still tasted amazing.
Luke was going to offer to stick in the oven to warm it up, but they were both shoveling in pieces so fast that it didn’t seem important any longer.
They polished off the pizza with relative ease and sat back, chatting through the movie.
During the many times they leaned up to get their drinks and then sat back again, they might have inched closer together.
So close that their shoulders brushed. Luke froze on the outside while butterflies took flight in his stomach.
It was almost impossible to pay attention to the exciting climax of the movie now.
Matteo was close enough that Luke could smell the faded notes of his cologne mixed with the lingering scent of pizza sauce and cheese.
As the credits rolled, Luke began to panic. What now? Matteo’s shoulder wasn’t merely brushing his, but it was pressing into it. Their arms were touching! If he moved, that would all end. If he were brave, though, he could lean toward Matteo and kiss him, but he wasn’t that brave. Not even close.
“So…um…” Matteo started, at least sounding like he was in the same indecisive boat as Luke. “Do you have some studying you want to get done?”
That’s right! He wanted to use Luke’s house as a quiet location to study. He’d totally forgotten.
“Oh, wait! It’s Friday!” Matteo smacked his forehead, and Luke barely stopped his hand from shooting out to rub that spot for him. “You probably have no interest in studying today.”
“No, I wouldn’t mind getting some reading done,” Luke said. “I’ve got an enormous collection of books I need to work through. Do you want to study for a while?”
Matteo’s sunny smile returned in a heartbeat. “Yeah. I mean, if you wouldn’t mind. Should we read here…? I know your roommates are giving us some space, but I’d hate to take up a common area like this.”
“We could study in the library. Ogos is usually the only one who hangs out in there, and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. Or…we could read in my room. We’d be out of the way in there.”
“Yeah, that sounds great! Besides, I’d love to see your room.”
Luke huffed a little laugh. “Don’t get your hopes up too high. There’s not much to it. Just a lot of books and notes for my thesis. Pretty boring.”
“What? You don’t have a flock of plush birds on your bed?
” Matteo teased as he helped gather up the pizza box and used napkins.
He accompanied Luke to the kitchen, where they disposed of their garbage and refreshed their drinks.
After a quick pit stop in the family room to grab their bookbags and coats, they trekked up the stairs.
“All my roommates have rooms here,” Luke explained as they crossed the second floor. “Not much to see except for the bathroom.” Which he remembered to point out in case Matteo needed to use it. “My room is in the attic.”
“Whoa…lots of stairs, but private, right?”
“Definitely.”
“ Um …so…are you dating anyone?”
Luke’s foot slipped off the stair he’d just stepped on, and he barely managed to slam his hand against the wall to keep from face-planting.
He had not been expecting Matteo to ask him that.
He cleared his throat and continued. “Watch that step. It’s…
slippery. Uh…dating? No, I’m not dating anyone. I don’t have much time for it.”
“Oh. Yeah. You’re busy with your thesis and classes,” Matteo replied.
Why did he sound so disappointed?
Fuck! Was he interested?
“What I mean is that I’d love to date. Like to, I mean. I’ve quit two of my jobs. My landlord is paying me to help keep up with the house, so I’m hoping to have a lot more time on my hands now. For dating, that is. Are you dating anyone?”
And of course, when he blurted out that last question, he had just reached the top of the stairs, so he spun around and practically shouted it in Matteo’s face.
Dear fucking God and all the damn demons listening to him through the walls, could he be more awkward than this? He would have to ask Azroth if he was cursed or born under a cursed star, because normal people couldn’t be this awkward.
Somehow, Matteo didn’t seem to notice. The young man with the rich dark eyes and beautiful hair smiled at him, staring like he hung every star in the night sky for him.
“No, I’m not dating anyone right now.”
“Cool. Cool.” Luke murmured and forced himself to take a step back so Matteo could finish coming up the stairs. He waved one hand at the room while running a critical eye over everything. It wasn’t too messy, but only because he didn’t have a lot of stuff. “This is my place.”
“You’ve got…a lot of space,” Matteo managed without sounding too underwhelmed. “But it’s private! You don’t have a roommate sleeping in here with you, right?”
“Yes! Everyone has their own room. The demons rarely come up here.”
“Demons?” Matteo chuckled.
Fuck!!! That was a slip.
“Oh, just a playful nickname for my roommates. They’re not actual demons. I tease them because they’re so nice.”
He would not survive this. Matteo’s cuteness and his closeness, not to mention his wonderful smell, were scrambling what was left of Luke’s poor, overcooked brain. It was rotting porridge and would ooze out of his ears soon.
“We should get to studying,” Matteo said.
“Yes.” Luke gazed around the room again. Problem. There was only the full-sized bed, dresser, and nightstand. No additional chairs, couch, or even a desk and chair. Just the bed.
“You don’t mind me sitting on the bed with you, do you?” Matteo asked, standing beside Luke at the foot of the bed.
“No! No, it’s fine with me.”
“Cool. I usually sit on my bed to read. The hard part is always not dozing off for a quick nap.”
“Okay. I promise to help you stay awake.” Luke flashed Matteo a smile, but it was tense and awkward, which was fine because Matteo’s smile appeared nervous as well.
They moved to opposite sides of the bed and sat.
Luke kicked off his shoes and dug through his backpack for a book.
Any book, really. He knew deep down he wasn’t going to retain a single word he read while sitting next to Matteo.
He was simply going through the motions, so that Matteo would stay longer.
What was the plan?
Matteo had already broached the topic of dating. Luke needed to gather the courage to ask Matteo out on a date. That wasn’t hard. He could do this!
They shifted the pillows against the wall to cushion their backs and set their books on their bent legs. Luke had a dry tome on the history of migratory habits of birds from Canada. It looked like Matteo had some book on battles from the Peloponnesian War or something like that.
Did he need more proof than that? They were perfect for each other. They both studied boring things! In their recent conversations, Matteo had admitted that he was a business major with a minor in history.
Luke stared at the words in front of them without comprehending any of them. He checked— twice —that the book wasn’t turned upside down, giving away that he couldn’t concentrate for shit.
“Matteo?”
“Luke?”
They spoke at the same time.
“S-sorry, you go first,” Luke stammered.
“Oh. I was wondering…would you like to go out with me sometime? For like coffee or dinner. On an actual date.”
“Yes! I mean…” Luke winced. He shouted that in Matteo’s face. Couldn’t he try to act a tiny bit cool? Hell, no! “Yes, I would love to go out with you.”
Matteo’s face lit up like the sky on the Fourth of July. “Really?”
“Yes, definitely. I was just going to ask you the same thing, but I didn’t think you’d consider going out with me because you’re so hot and I’m such a dork. Why would you?—”
Luke’s rambling was cut off when Matteo’s soft lips pressed to his, swallowing up the rest of his words.
A warm, gentle hand cupped his cheek, holding him still as that perfect mouth touched his.
Luke’s heart froze for a moment and then exploded in a flurry of flips and jumps, like it had started its own floor routine at the Olympics.
Matteo was kissing him.
Hot, sweet, funny Matteo was kissing him!
Oh, shit! He was supposed to be kissing him back!
As Matteo pulled away, Luke leaned in, chasing him and extending the kiss, which ended up being Luke kissing Matteo’s teeth as his companion opened his mouth to laugh.
Luke jerked away. His face was on fire. Part of him wanted to hide, while the other part wanted to run and crow to all the demons that he’d kissed Matteo.
“Sorry,” Luke mumbled.
“Don’t be. You’re adorable.”
He shook his head, his eyes dropping to the few inches of open space between them. “I am not. I’m a giant dork who talks to birds.”
“That’s precisely what makes you adorable.
” Matteo removed his hand from Luke’s cheek and touched his chin before placing his hand on the mattress between them.
“You’re kind and gentle with small creatures.
You look out for their best interests, while not attempting to train them to be some kind of performing pet for your amusement. ”
“Thank you. I’m impressed that you want to befriend them after they chased you that day. Most people would want to stay away from them completely. You’re brave.” He glanced up in time to see Matteo give a little deprecating roll of his eyes.
“Yeah, well. I was kind of hoping it was a misunderstanding. When you’re talking to them and feeding them, they have such unique personalities. If I didn’t at least try to make friends with them, I’d miss out on all that.”
“So…a date, huh?”
“I would like to get to know you better. Hang out. See what other things we have in common. Maybe…kiss some more…”
“Like this?”
Luke leaned in and captured Matteo’s lips in a sweet kiss that had a bit more force behind it.
Matteo’s lips felt even softer this time, and he made the cutest noise that left Luke light-headed.
His skin tightened, and he breathed in Matteo’s scent that still held notes of his cologne but something softer and slightly floral under it.
A board creaked somewhere close to them, followed by an unmistakable giggle.
Matteo jerked away from him and swung his head around, eyes wide as he searched the room. The hand that had been pressed into the mattress between them grabbed Luke’s arm. “Did you hear that?”
“I’m sure it was the house settling. It’s an old building. It makes all kinds of creaking and groaning noises.”
“No, I mean the giggle. You heard it, right?”
Yeah, he heard it. He didn’t want to call Matteo a liar, but it wasn’t like he could explain that it came from one of the demons watching them.
“I heard…something,” Luke hedged. “I thought it might be a bird. Or maybe one of the neighbor cats chasing after a bird.”
“Really? You think?”
“Possibly. Maybe we should study for an hour, and then we can discuss what to do on our first date.”
Matteo’s expression cleared, and the fingers biting into Luke’s arm loosened to fall to his own lap. “Okay. That sounds like a responsible plan.”
“And don’t worry. I’ll be right here to keep you safe.”
“That sounds even better.”
The first step in protecting Matteo was going to be setting up new ground rules about spying on them when Matteo was over for a visit. This time, it was just a kiss. He didn’t want to think of the demons watching him if things were to get… spicy .