Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
MATEO
If it weren’t for the meeting Taron insisted on setting up, Mateo might’ve spent the whole day with Dax.
Even while chatting with him and watching him make breakfast with multiple limbs, which was fascinating, it was still a lot more of a relaxed environment than at the condo.
And much cleaner. Dax hadn’t lied when he said keeping things clean was a habit from when he was younger.
His apartment wasn’t pristine, but everything had a place, and there were no dishes in the sink or questionable smells.
It was a lot easier for Mateo to relax with Dax than it was at the condo.
Unfortunately, he had to head back eventually.
He wasn’t entirely sure when the meeting Taron wanted was set for, and he didn't have a phone to text him and ask. He was forced to head home a lot earlier than he would’ve preferred, though Dax did insist on accompanying him back.
It was a nice offer, and not one Mateo could refuse since he didn't have a phone to help him figure out the way and he wasn’t familiar with this side of town.
They left together after breakfast, heading for the subway station he remembered from the night prior and back toward Spellbound.
While waiting for the subway to arrive, he glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eye, studying the still sleep-mussed hair and smile on Dax’s face.
He wasn’t as put together as he was in the office, he was a lot more relaxed, but that only seemed to add to the appeal.
The man was gorgeous no matter how messy he got apparently.
Dax’s smile grew and his cheeks darkened a little. “I can feel you watching me. Do I have something on my face?”
Jerking his gaze away, Mateo looked anywhere else, embarrassed at just how awkward he was around the kraken.
Seriously, what did the guy see in him? Mateo had a meltdown in front of him, fell asleep on him, caused him to become dehydrated by keeping him in the sun too long, fell asleep on him again after Dax invited him over for dessert, and still Dax kissed him the day prior and smiled at him today like he was being cute and not embarrassingly awkward. What did Mateo even do with that?
The subway arrived before he was forced to answer Dax’s question, and they shuffled inside together.
Luckily, it wasn’t overly crowded since it was a weekend and not near any rush periods.
Dax found a seat and sat down, patting the one beside him for Mateo to join him.
Normally in public transit, Mateo preferred to stand and try to keep his balance without touching anything, but he couldn’t say no to that sweet expression and sat gingerly on the edge of the seat next to Dax, hoping beyond all hope that no one sat in the seat next to him.
Without a word, Dax’s tentacles wrapped around him, physically moving him so they switched seats and Mateo was against the end panel instead of the open seat beside them.
He even kept a tentacle around Mateo’s waist to protect him from leaning into the panel itself.
Mateo jerked around to face him, confused, and Dax flashed him an easy smile in response.
“You were uncomfortable. I want to help. Is this better?”
“Uh, yeah… Thanks,” he replied. He chewed on his bottom lip, debating whether or not to offer to switch back. His weirdness about germs was his thing, not Dax’s, and he didn’t want Dax to feel obligated to deal with his issues, but… the seat Dax chose for him really was better.
It was weird, Dax never complained or teased about his issues. He just did whatever he could to make Mateo more comfortable. Could the guy get any sweeter?
This time when he was caught staring, he didn't look away. He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Dax’s cheek before pulling back and looking away awkwardly.
Clearing his throat, he said, “Thank you,” again just because he felt like Dax deserved to know how great he was. How comfortable he made Mateo feel.
“Goddess, you’re cute,” Dax commented.
Whipping his head back around, Mateo frowned at him. “What? No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are,” Dax grinned. “Are all humans this cute or is it just you? Wait, I know another human, and he’s not nearly as adorable as you are. So it’s just you, then.”
Mateo felt his face flush more and more the longer Dax went on.
And because he’d gotten comfortable with the kraken the last few days, he didn’t hesitate to argue with him.
“Well, what about you? You’re literally always smiling, and you’ve got that pretty blue hair and those swirls on your skin when you’re swimming and–”
He cut himself off, horrified. Those weren’t cute traits. Those were reasons he was attracted to Dax. He really was digging himself in a hole this morning. He blamed Dax. The good night’s sleep left him feeling lighter than he had in days, and it was all thanks to the kraken.
Dax’s grin widened, and he looked practically giddy about Mateo’s embarrassing confession. “Really? You like the marks?”
Shrugging awkwardly, Mateo said, “I mean, yeah. They’re gorgeous, but you knew that already–”
Again, he was cut off, this time with Dax’s lips on his.
He sucked in a surprised breath and stiffened, but melted into it when Dax sipped at his lips until the shock faded and the stomach-tightening attraction took its place.
How he got this man’s attention, he’d never know, but despite how many times his brain tried to warn him it was a bad idea to date someone from the office, he couldn’t himself pull away. Something about Dax just drew him in.
The kiss didn’t linger, Mateo wasn’t comfortable with people watching, and he knew they weren’t the only ones on the train, but when they pulled away Dax was still smiling.
He laced their fingers together, his tentacle tightening to keep Mateo as close as possible without Mateo climbing into the man’s lap.
By the time they arrived at the station closest to the condo, the relaxed and giddy feeling he experienced around Dax was starting to fade and apprehension took its place.
He really didn’t want to go to this meeting.
He didn’t want to cause problems for his roommates just because he was having a bad week.
He should’ve contacted Taron and told him the meeting wasn’t necessary, and it was Mateo’s own issues that caused the meltdown last week, not anything to do with his roommates.
Two tentacles settled on his shoulders, rubbing gently as they exited the station and turned left toward the condo.
“It’ll be alright, Mateo. Whatever the meeting is about, Taron isn’t a bad guy.
He’s actually really nice. He’s probably just there to make sure things are going well. It might not even be about you.”
Unlikely. Taron hadn’t mentioned house meetings until after seeing Mateo having a meltdown. He didn’t say that out loud. He didn’t want Dax to think he couldn’t handle things himself.
They stopped outside the condo building, where Dominic stood nearby, pointedly not watching them, despite Mateo knowing he was aware they were there. The guy tried not to be nosy about things, which Mateo appreciated. It was still weird to have a doorman at all.
“Did you want me to join you? I can talk to Taron about the noise if you want,” Dax offered.
Shaking his head rapidly, Mateo tried not to sound ungrateful by the offer when he said, “I’m good. I can handle it. Thank you for bringing me home. I never realized how much I rely on my phone until I no longer had access to it. Luckily finding my way to Spellbound doesn’t require a map.”
Snorting, Dax looked over his shoulder where they could actually see Spellbound in the distance. The cluster of buildings was enormous so it was kind of hard to miss.
“You’re lucky you live so close. I’m going to go home and go for a swim. Let me know if you need any help with Taron.” He walked backwards, a smile stretching across his face when he pointed at Mateo. “You owe me dessert. We left the treats out all night. I don’t think they’re good anymore.”
Mateo didn’t even argue with that. He had no doubt the reason they missed it was because of him and his inability to keep his hands to himself when he was sleeping.
He was worse than an octopus, which was funny since the person he slept next to was literally half-octopus and somehow managed to keep his tentacles to himself no problem.
“I promise, I’ll make it up to you,” he agreed. “See you later.”
Dax waved before turning and disappearing into the subway station again. Mateo sighed, his good mood sinking a little as he turned back to the building and what awaited him inside. He paused when Dominic opened the door for him, his voice a little uneasy when he asked, “Has Taron arrived yet?”
Dominic nodded. “He arrived twenty minutes ago.”
Great. Because not only was Mateo the reason for this awkward meeting, he was also late. His roommates were going to hate him.
Taron was in the living room when Mateo came inside, and he spun, narrowing his eyes on Mateo, his hands planted on his hips.
“Mateo! You’re late!”
“Sorry,” he murmured, taking off his shoes and putting them by the door.
He had to step over the rest of the shoes that littered the doorway, but kept his face carefully neutral.
Not everyone was conscientious enough to take off their shoes when coming inside.
He’d rather risk tripping over piles of shoes than have shoes worn inside the condo.
He mentally shuddered just at the thought.
“My phone is broken, and I didn’t know what time the meeting was. ”
Taron cocked his head. “Your phone is broken? What happened to it? Do you need a new one? There are company issued phones–”
Thankfully, before Mateo had to answer, someone else spoke for him.
“Slow down, T. He just got in the door,” a deep, husky voice chided.
Mateo glanced in that direction, finally noticing two newcomers.
Goddess, he hoped they weren’t more roommates.
He wasn’t even sure where Taron would fit them, but he wouldn’t put it past the shapeshifter to try. The man was chaotic.
Taron stuck his tongue out at the man in question, but forced himself to slow down, turning to Mateo again and gesturing to the empty chair near him. “We were just talking about how things are going. Care to join us?”
He really didn’t want to, but there was no getting out of it now. Maybe if he’d been smarter he could’ve just skipped the meeting and pretended that he forgot. People forgot meetings all the time. Case in point, the guy who lived in the room across the hall from him wasn’t present either.
Taron politely waited for him to sit before giving him a pointed look. “So, Mateo, how have things been going in the program for you? Any complaints or anything you want to discuss with your roommates that you might’ve not mentioned yet?”
All eyes swung his way and Mateo shrank in his seat, shaking his head rapidly.
From his expression, Taron wouldn’t let it go, but before the shapeshifter could demand more, someone knocked roughly on the door, drawing everyone’s attention off of Mateo and towards the entryway. Mateo let out a breath of relief.
Taron frowned, heading for the door, and the man who’d spoken earlier joined him, standing at his back as Taron opened the door. The tension left the pair as quickly as it arrived when Taron immediately started complaining.
“Louis? Were you working on the weekend again?!”
Louis, the neighbor who lived across the hall from Mateo and worked odd hours, murmured something that was too slurred to be real words.
Mateo couldn’t see what was happening, not with both Taron and the other guy standing in the way, but a rough voice spoke that definitely wasn’t Louis, the words tight with restraint and maybe irritation.
“Taron, invite me past the ward, please. He needs rest,” the husky male voice demanded.
Taron stepped aside and said, “Arthur, as my friend, please enter,” with more than a hint of a grumble in his voice.
Finally getting a good view, Mateo’s eyebrows shot up. A man had his arm around Louis’s waist, the other holding Louis’s arm around his shoulders. Louis looked like he couldn’t even hold himself up, his head hung and his body lax. Why did it look like he got in a fight and lost?
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Taron announced to the room at large, “Gentlemen, let’s put a pin in this conversation. I need to make sure Louis is alright.”
Mateo slumped in his seat with relief. His roommate might not be polite enough to be quiet at night, but at least he was getting them all out of this meeting. He’d be thankful for that at the very least.