Page 24 of Crocodile Tears
Despite everything, she laughs.“Are you asking me out or conducting threat assessment?”
“Both.”
She counts off on her fingers with scientific precision.“Let me make sure I understand the situation.You think I’m under surveillance because of my research, you’ve just given me security advice that sounds like it’s from a spy movie, you randomly lectured me about goose migration patterns, and now you’re asking for a second date while bleeding from my accidental bite wound.”
“That’s… an accurate summary.”
She tilts her head, studying me with the same focus she probably applies to particularly interesting cellular samples.“Do you think this is normal dating behavior?”
I touch my lip gingerly, noting the bleeding has stopped.“I think this is dating behavior for people with complex professional lives and occasionally problematic biology.”I meet her gaze directly.“I can promise dating me will never be boring.”
“That’s either the best selling point or the most terrifying warning I’ve ever received.”
“Probably both.”
She stands with her hand on her car door, looking like someone trying to decide whether she’s had the best first date of her life or the most surreal.“Yes.”
“Yes?”
“Yes to the second date but somewhere with normal levels of paranoia, please.”
I smile at her phrasing.“I can’t promise normal, but I can promise proportionate to the actual situation.”
She tilts her head, studying me with scientific curiosity.“Calvin?”
“Yeah?”
“As a reptile shifter, you’re not supposed to be able to grow a second head, right?”
The question stuns me.“What?”
“Just checking.”She grins slightly.“Because after tonight’s performance, I wouldn’t be surprised if you had hidden capabilities I don’t know about.”
Despite the stress of the evening, I grin too.“No additional heads.Just enhanced senses, occasional shedding, and apparently, a talent for turning romantic conversations into security briefings.”
“And expertise in Canadian goose migration patterns.”
I wince slightly.“That was improvisation under pressure.Not my best work.”
She opens the door.“I’ll call you tomorrow after I’ve had time to process… whatever this was.”
“Rebecca?”
She pauses.“Yes?”
“For what it’s worth, tonight was the best first date I’ve had in years.Even with the surveillance, the accidental bloodshed, and my temporary insanity about waterfowl.”
Rebecca’s expression softens slightly.“If you’re right about the surveillance, and my research really is attracting the wrong kind of attention—” She hesitates, clearly choosing her words carefully.“I’m glad I was with someone who noticed.”
The simple acknowledgment brings a lump to my throat.For months, I’ve wondered if my hypervigilance was an asset or a liability in civilian life.Her response suggests that maybe, under the right circumstances, it’s exactly what’s needed.I clear my throat with a cough.“Get some sleep and remember what I said about varying your routine.”
“I will.”She smiles slightly.“By the way…”
“Yeah?”
“Next time you want to kiss me, maybe wait until I’m not talking about enzyme kinetics?”
She disappears with a smile that suggests tonight’s weirdness hasn’t completely ruined my chances.I stand on the sidewalk for a moment, touching my lip where her teeth left their mark, and wonder if this is what normal looks like for people like us.
