Page 63 of Shifted Desire

“Alright. Let’s go get that drink.”

The dive bar I pick is one far enough away from the office and my parents’ house that there’s no chance of running into anyone we know, but I still feel exposed as we sit in a dingy booth and sip our beers. I’m being watched by half the people in the room, their hungry eyes making my skin prickle unpleasantly.

“This place is…”

“Shitty?”

Nathan chuckles. “Yeah. Makes me kind of nostalgic, though. I used to go to places like this back in my brief rebellious phase.”

“Huh, I thought that would’ve been more glamorous than this.”

He frowns, falling into the trap of my joke.

“Speakeasies always sounded chic to me. Your youth was during Prohibition, right?”

Nathan scowls. “Hilarious.”

“My wit is but one of my many charms.”

He makes a noncommittal sound, but the smile in his eyes as he sips his beer makes me think he agrees.

A long silence stretches between us, and I realize that we’ve never had a conversation just the two of us that didn’t involve something to do with work or sex.

“So…” I fiddle with my napkin, oddly nervous. “What do you like to do for fun?”

“Other than you?”

I roll my eyes. “Other than me.”

“Hmm…I run?” He sounds unsure whether that counts as something fun.

“How very wolf-y of you.”

“Yes.”

For a dreadful moment, I worry Nathan is going to end up like three-quarters of the men I’ve gotten drinks with. Those who seem incapable of holding a basic conversation or asking questions.

I open my mouth to say something snarky about asking me what my hobbies are, but he continues.

“Since there aren’t woods nearby, I had a mural put up in my place that I face while I run. It’s silly, I know. But like you said, it’s a wolf thing, I guess.”

“That’s not silly.” If anything, it makes me a little sad. I can picture him on his treadmill, lights low as he gazes out into a forest he’ll never be able to reach.

“Other than that, I don’t really have any hobbies.” Nathan rubs the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “What about you? What do you like to do?”

“Other than you?” I say with a teasing grin.

He laughs, shaking his head. “Thanks for reminding me how cringey that line was.”

“Don’t worry, I’m always happy to tell you how cringe you are.”

“Right, kids say cringe, not cringey.”

“I’m not even close to being a kid.” I grimace. “Don’t use me as a guide to youth culture. I’m a peak avocado toast-eating millennial who is only mildly less cringe to kids than you are.”

“You’re still very young,” Nathan says, a flicker of concern in his eyes. “Too young to be having drinks with me. But we’re here and already ignoring how pervy the age gap is, so tell me about your hobbies.”

“Who said we’re ignoring it?” I ask, biting my lower lip to keep from laughing as he frowns. “I very much enjoy taboo things, so I’d be lying if I said you being older doesn’t make things hotter for me. Don’t you like it?”