15. Linden
Linden
The moment I sat down at the cafeteria table, Nerion’s gaze was fixed on me. Even out of the corner of my eye I could see the smirk spreading over his face, that knowing look pulling at the corners of his eyes. He knew something was up, that something had happened.
“Teddy,” he said softly, looking to his boyfriend who was currently horking down chicken nuggets. “There is no longer a virgin at this table.”
Teddy’s nugget fell into his ranch, his jaw dropping. “Are you serious?”
Nerion nodded. “If he was glowing any brighter, he’d be a lightbulb.”
I felt my entire face go hot. “We didn’t—”
“Oh, you absolutely did,” Nerion interrupted, his grin widening to absolutely ridiculous proportions. “I can practically see the satisfaction radiating off you. Plus, you’ve got that post-sex glow thing happening. It’s very obvious.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said flatly, reaching for my water glass and draining half of it in one go. The cold water did nothing to cool down my burning cheeks.
Teddy was staring at me like I’d just announced I’d sprouted wings. “So you and Linden actually...?”
“That’s not—” I started, but Nerion was already launching into his interrogation.
“When?” he demanded. “How long? Was it good? Please tell me it was good because you deserve to have at least one decent sexual experience before graduation.”
“You’re insane,” I muttered, stabbing at my food with more force than strictly necessary. “Can we not do this right now? We’re in the middle of the cafeteria.”
“That didn’t stop you with us,” Teddy observed mildly, and I shot him a look that made him hold up his hands in mock surrender. “I’m just saying, you were very insistent about the pair of us getting together, in front of everyone at that Halloween party last year.”
“That was different,” I said, even though I wasn’t entirely sure how. I just didn’t want to be wrong. “You two were already pretty involved, you just needed a push.”
Nerion leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest in that satisfied way that meant he’d already decided he’d won this conversation. “So what’s the deal, Linden? Are you two actually together now or was this just a one-time thing?”
I didn’t have an answer to that. The truth was, I wasn’t entirely sure what Cass and I were. We’d exchanged blowjobs, yeah, and it had been great. But we hadn’t really talked about what that meant. Hadn’t discussed whether this was just a physical thing or if there was more to it.
But deep down, I knew what I wanted that answer to be.
“I don’t know,” I admitted finally, hating how uncertain I sounded. “We haven’t really discussed it.”
“Well, you should probably do that,” Teddy said reasonably. “Before things get too complicated.”
“Things are already complicated,” I pointed out. “I’m supposed to be his supervisor. Not whatever this is turning into.”
“Is that how Cass feels about it?” Nerion asked. “Or is he actually into you for more than just your big green dick?”
I furrowed my brows. “You don’t know how big it is or that it’s green.”
“Linden, baby,” Nerion grinned. “We were roommates for two years. All of you is green. And do you really think you didn’t have a boner in your sleep sometimes?” His smile widened again. “You pitch a tent big enough for four people.”
I felt my face get even hotter, if that was even possible. “You’re the worst.”
“I’m the best, and you know it,” Nerion said, reaching over and stealing one of my fries. “But seriously, you need to talk to him. Figure out what this is. Because if you don’t, you’re just going to spend the next few months pining and being miserable, and I’m not going to let that happen.”
“Why do you care so much?” I asked, genuinely curious. “I mean, I get that you want me to be happy or whatever, but this seems like a lot even for you.”
Teddy and Nerion exchanged a look that I couldn’t quite decipher. It was the kind of look couples gave each other when they were communicating something without words. Finally, Nerion shrugged.
“Because I know what it’s like to be scared of letting someone in,” he said quietly, and there was something in his voice that made me take him seriously.
“And I know what it’s like to almost lose someone because you were too stubborn to admit how you felt.
You had a front-row seat to my idiocy and I don’t want that for you. ”
I didn’t have a response to that. Nerion wasn’t usually serious about anything, so when he was, it hit different. I picked at my food, thinking about what he’d said. About Cass. About whether I actually wanted this to be something more than just sex.
The answer came immediately and with surprising clarity. Yeah. I did.
“Okay,” I said finally. “I’ll talk to him. After our shift tonight. I’ll take him back to my room again.”
“Ah-ha!” Nerion shouted, pointing a finger at me. “I knew it! You two did bang it out!”
“I’m going to kill you,” I said flatly, but there was no real heat behind it. Nerion just laughed, completely unbothered by my threat.
“You love me,” he said, stealing another fry. “Now come on, spill. Details. I want to know everything.”
“Absolutely not,” I replied, but Teddy was already grinning at me like he was looking forward to hearing this. I sighed, realizing I wasn’t going to get out of this without giving them something. “Fine. But I’m not giving you play-by-play commentary. That’s private.”
“That’s fair,” Teddy said, shooting Nerion a look that suggested he should probably rein in his enthusiasm. “So things went well?”
“Yeah,” I admitted, feeling that warm flutter in my chest again just thinking about it. “Really well, actually. He was very patient. And he didn’t make me feel like shit about the fact that I had no idea what I was doing.”
“Surprising,” Nerion said. “That’s who Cass is behind that asshole facade, huh?”
“He’s not an asshole,” I found myself saying, defending him almost automatically. “He’s just scared. Of disappointing people. Of not being good enough. Just like everyone else.”
Nerion and Teddy exchanged another one of those looks, and I realized I’d probably just revealed more than I intended to.
But it was true. The more time I spent with Cass, the more I understood him.
Underneath all that grumpiness and defensiveness was someone who actually cared deeply about things. He just didn’t know how to show it.
“So you like him,” Nerion stated, not bothering to phrase it as a question.
“I... yeah,” I admitted. “I do.”
“Good,” Teddy said, nodding approvingly. “Because he obviously likes you too. The way he looks at you when he thinks no one’s watching is pretty much a dead giveaway.”
“How would you know that?” I asked, slightly defensive. “You’re not around us that much.”
“I was there in the greenhouse the other day,” Teddy reminded me. “While Nerion was painting. And I saw the way he watched you while you were working. His eyes were glued to you almost the entire time.”
I felt my cheeks warm again. “I’m just big. It’s hard to miss me.”
“It’s not that and you know it,” Nerion said, leaning forward. “He’s infatuated with you. Trust me. I’ve seen that look before on men I’ve enchanted. He wants you real fucking bad.”
Teddy rolled his eyes but didn’t argue, which I took as confirmation that Nerion was probably right about this.
The thought made my stomach flutter with a mixture of hope and anxiety.
What if Cass actually did feel something for me?
What would that mean for us at the end of the semester?
He still had two years left and I would be graduating. We would be worlds apart.
“Can I ask you something, actually?” I replied, looking between them both. “When you two first met… did you feel something different about each other?” I glanced over at Nerion. “You’ll fuck anything that has a pulse—”
“I beg your pardon—”
“So what made Teddy different?” I finished before he could argue further. “Why couldn’t you just move on to someone else?”
Nerion was quiet for a moment, his usual smirk fading into something more thoughtful. He reached over and took Teddy’s hand, threading their fingers together like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“It wasn’t a choice,” he said finally, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it.
“I tried to keep it casual. Tried to convince myself it was just sex, just fun, just scratching an itch. But then he’d say something stupid or sweet, and I’d feel this...
jolt. Like electricity. Like my magic was literally drawn to him. ”
Teddy squeezed his hand, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“I’ve enchanted plenty of people by accident,” Nerion continued.
“That’s what my song does, right? It makes people want me.
And even without the song, I knew how to get what I wanted.
But I was always the one in control, the one who was wanted.
But with Teddy, it was backwards. I was the one being enchanted.
And that terrified me because I knew if he ever stopped wanting me back, I’d literally turn into sea foam and cease to exist.”
I felt my stomach twist as I listened. I’d been there the whole time and still, just hearing the story reminded me of how much of a chance Nerion had taken with Teddy. How much he’d risked for him.
“So you’re saying I should tell him,” I said slowly. “How I feel. Even though I don’t know what happens after graduation. Even though it could all fall apart.”
“I think we’re saying,” Teddy interjected gently, “that not saying anything guarantees it will fall apart. At least if you’re honest, you give it a chance.”
Nerion nodded. “Plus, you’re a dryad. You only have to visit the grove every month or so to stay powered up. So you can see him as often as you want. It’s not like your kind are big into getting day jobs or anything.”
“Assuming he wants to make it work,” I said, but I was already thinking about how I could approach this. What I would say to Cass. How I could explain that what happened between us wasn’t just a one-time thing for me.
“He will,” Nerion said with absolute certainty. “Trust me on this. It’s written all over his face. And, even if it doesn’t work out, at least you had a good time, right?”
I wanted to believe him. But as I finished my lunch and headed back toward the conservatory, I couldn’t shake the anxiety coiling in my stomach.
What if I was misreading the situation? What if Cass just wanted the sex and nothing else?
What if telling him how I felt would ruin what we’d just started building?
The only way to find out was to actually talk to him.
When I reached the greenhouse, my nerves were already frayed.
So, instead of sitting around and overthinking my way through every single thought I’d ever had, I threw myself into work.
Most of the debris was clear now and that meant getting my hands in the soil. That, above all else, calmed me down.
The soil was cool and damp beneath my fingers, rich with the kind of life force that made my magic sing.
I worked methodically, removing the last of the charred debris and testing the pH levels to see what amendments we’d need.
It was meditative work, the kind that let my mind wander while my hands stayed busy.
I’d been at it for about an hour when I heard footsteps on the gravel path. I didn’t need to look up to know it was Cass. I’d gotten good at recognizing the particular sound of his gait. It was quick, slightly impatient, like he was always in a rush to get somewhere.
“Are you always here,” he asked, setting his bag down near the work table.
“That’s sort of my job,” I replied, which was true enough. I just didn’t mention that the real reason was to burn off some of this nervous energy coursing through my veins. “And my major. Why are you here so early?”
“I wanted to get some practice in before we started the real work,” Cass said, and I could hear something different in his voice. Something lighter, maybe. Less guarded. “Professor Blackwood gave me something to help me with my control issues. We’ve got sessions twice a week now.”
I looked up from the soil, genuinely impressed. “That’s great. She doesn’t usually take on extra students.”
“Yeah, well.” He shrugged, moving to grab one of the work gloves from the shelf. “Apparently I have potential or whatever. Her words, not mine.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that. Cass was trying. Actually trying. And not just to work off his punishment faster. He was investing in himself, in getting better at controlling his magic.
“That’s really cool,” I said, meaning it. “You’ll have to show me what you’ve been working on.”
“Maybe later,” he said, and there was something in his tone that made me think he had something else on his mind. He was being quieter than usual, less prone to his typical sarcastic commentary. “Do you mind if I go work on the glass a bit?”
“Not at all,” I said, waving him toward the other end of the greenhouse. “I have lots of plants to work on, anyway.”
“Thanks,” he said, heading toward the stack of glass. Then he stopped, looking back at me. “And maybe later we can sneak back to your room again? I’ve got some things I want to show you.”
My cheeks flushed immediately and I felt my cock twitch in my jeans. “Uh… yeah. That would be… great.”