Page 131 of Noctis

“Sorry I’m late,” he said.

“No problem.” I stood and kissed him before turning to Laura. “This is Pascal. Pascal, this is Laura.”

“It’s lovely to meet you,” he said.

Laura looked him up and down. “Likewise. Very lovely.”

“Laura.”

“What? I’m appreciating your good taste.” She offered Caligo her hand, and he shook it with just enough pressure to pass for normal. We’d practiced that too, after he’d nearly crushed mine. “So, Pascal. How did you meet Rowan?”

“In a coffee shop,” he said.

Which was true, depending on how you defined meet.

“He kept staring at me,” I added.

“I was hoping he’d notice me,” Caligo said.

Laura made a delighted sound. “And did he?”

“Eventually.”

“You make me sound so oblivious,” I said as we sat down.

“You were drawing,” Caligo pointed out. “You hardly looked up.”

That was also true. He was doing better than I’d expected, his centuries of watching people finally coming in useful.

The waiter returned with our drinks and handed Caligo a menu. He studied it with great seriousness, despite having spent ten minutes at home examining it online and deciding what to order.

Dinner went well.

Mostly.

When Laura asked what he did for a living, Caligo remembered the vague answer we’d agreed on about working remotely as a freelance researcher. Unfortunately, he followed it up by saying he’d become interested in human behavior.

“As opposed to what?” Laura asked.

“Animal behavior,” I said before Caligo could answer. “He’s worked on both.”

Caligo nodded, happy to go along with my rescue attempt. He then spent several minutes answering Laura’s questions about the behavior of foxes, apparently drawing on things he’d learned while watching them in the forest. It was the most convincing he’d sounded all evening.

His other slip-up came when Laura said the dessert menu looked good enough to die for. He went still for half a second before catching my eye and ordering the lemon cake.

“You’re developing a habit,” I told him.

“I like lemon cake.”

“I’m beginning to realize that.”

Laura’s gaze moved between us. “You two are disgustingly cute.”

Caligo looked pleased. He remembered to laugh when she made a joke a few minutes later, even if his reaction came a little late. Laura didn’t seem to notice. She was too busy telling him a story about a disastrous pottery class she’d attended, and he listened with such intense interest that she grew more animated with every detail.

By the time we’d finished dessert, I’d begun to relax.

Caligo glanced at his watch, managing to make the move look realistic rather than holding it an inch from his face as he had during rehearsals. “I should go. I have an early start tomorrow.”