Page 41 of Operation: Ogre

“I know.” Jaxon continued. “You like to plan.”

“Some things.” I mean, I did plan romantic entanglements. Well, ones that weren’t mine. I blinked. Hell. I was in a romantic… something or other. Holy underworld. I never would’ve thought about this happening. With Jaxon. I still wasn’t sure of what I felt besides panic—I really wanted to ignore its ever-looming cloud—but I wanted to figure it out.

Chapter Eighteen

Jaxon

We were on our first date. Maybe. I honestly didn’t know. Chris hadn’t agreed to be mine, but hadn’t not agreed either. I wasn’t sure where we were, besides the fact that Chris was okay with me pursuing him, but he didn’t feel as I did, at least not yet. I hoped that in time he would. But for now, I would show him how important he was to me. I could do this. I could be superior to every other person who’d wanted Chris. None of their feelings possibly compared to how much I liked him. I knew everything about him, and I knew we were meant for each other.

I didn’t want to give him up. This fake dating had been almost kismet in a way, because it had finally opened my eyes to us being an actual couple. Also, it had allowed me to explore what the two of us dating would be like. I adored the way I could touch him, hold him, kiss him, and just be with him. I liked Chris so damn much. But were we even fake dating now? He knew I didn’t like Aaron, let alone wanted to date him, so this scheme was no longer needed. I didn’t want it to end, though. I liked it, even if it was fake.

Chris flipped the page on his plaster-covered menu, drawing my attention to him. His deep brown eyes were scouring the options, even though he would get the same thing—he always got the same thing. He loved phantom cakes. No doubt he would get them topped with fruit and powdered sugar, and then basically bathe them in maple syrup. My Chris did love his sugar.

My heart stumbled in my chest. My Chris. Monster god, I liked the sound of that. No. I loved the sound of that.

“What are you going to get?” Chris asked me, looking over the top of his menu.

“Uh.” I glanced down; I hadn’t even looked yet. “Not sure.”

“It’s so hard to choose.” He gave a small moan, and I swallowed. I’d heard that noise from him more times than I could count, but it had a very different effect on me now than it had in the past. I wanted to hear it when he was deep inside of me, claiming me, chasing his pleasure.

I cleared my throat. “Struggling to pick what kind of phantom cakes you want?”

“No. I’m going to get the cinnamon roll ones, but I also want french frights too.”

“Hmm.”

“This is definitely a cheat day,” he commented. “But how can I turn down phantom cakes from Ghoulbers? They have the best here.”

They did. They had an excellent vegan menu too, which I appreciated. The owners were a ghoul and a human couple. He cooked, and she ran the front of the house. The diner was a little cheesy, with its neon lights, purple walls, and retro theme, but I loved it. On one wall that was basically windows were vinyl booths, then opposite was a chrome counter with round stools. There was a janky jukebox, which only worked half the time. The waiters rolled around on skates and only talked to you when you absolutely needed it, which made me feel comfortable enough to come here.

“I thought you weren’t going to do those this year.” I had been the one to invite him here and mention the phantom cakes, so I should probably apologize for tempting him.

Chris groaned, and his head dropped back, making his neck appear a mile long. “Don’t remind me. Yeah, I want off the bench, but…” He made another throaty sound that had me squirming in my seat and making the booth protest loudly. Chris sighed. “I’ll just have to run it off later.”

Unable to stop myself, I rested my hand on his. “Baby, please don’t run tonight. You’re going to hurt yourself again.”

“I’ll be okay.”

He wouldn’t, though. Chris worked out too much, and I was afraid he was going to harm himself. Again. I’d barely survived that simple bruise. Hell, I had been so worried about him. I couldn’t imagine how I would react if it were something worse. I understood he wanted to play more, but I also didn’t understand why he pushed himself so hard. I was trying to, though. I’d never understood an athlete’s willingness to work themself to the bone. However, Chris was an adult. He knew his limits.

“Alright,” I said, but I retained hold of his hand. “But it’s fine to rest. You know that, right?”

Squeezing my fingers, Chris said, “I know, big guy.”

“How about we get a side of frights to share?” I suggested, and Chris beamed at me.

“That’s perfect.”

In the end, Chris got the cinnamon phantom cakes, a side of frights, and a chocolate milkshake, and I got a mushroom burger with a side salad. We were supposed to discuss our project, but we didn’t. All we did was chat, laugh, and tease each other. It felt like old times and yet more. We casually held hands, as if we’d been doing it for years, and when Chris offered me a fright, it was natural as could be to open my mouth for him to pop it in.

By the end of the night, we were walking hand in hand down the road toward Creelin U. The stars were so bright, and the chilly air held an edge of peace I’d never experienced before. Chris sighed and dropped his head against my arm. “This is nice.”

I grunted in agreement.

“Is the blood moon going to affect you?”

My brow furrowed at the sudden change in topic, but when my gaze flicked upward to the silvery moon hanging in the sky, I figured it really wasn’t that abrupt. Dean Yaga had just been talking about it. Also, it was something that every monster needed to be aware of. Blood moons happened. I couldn’t remember the last one being a big deal; I’d been in high school. My parents had always kept me home from school, not that I thought they truly needed to. Sure, emotions might be heightened, but nothing extreme.