Page 24 of Romanced By the Rat
I fall next to Charlotte on her bed, Jeremy doing the same on the other side of her. Part of me wonders if it will be awkward now, but we nuzzle into each other, sprinkling kisses over the nearest skin.
“God, I love you two.” I don’t even realize I say it. My body knows more than my brain will allow, and I tense, hoping the two will ignore it instead of explaining that it’s too soon for such bold statements.
Charlotte turns to me, looking deep into my eyes. “I love you both, too.” She rolls back to Jeremy. “I know it’s soon, but that was too perfect to be anything but love.”
Jeremy laughs. “Good, because I fucking love you both.”
She kisses us, and Jeremy and I grab hands across Charlotte’s body. I pull them as close as possible. Everything’s perfect until the world starts to fade. I’m losing consciousness again, which could only mean one thing.
Chapter sixteen
Charlotte
I’m at my usual table, glancing at my watch, nervously tapping my foot. They’ve gotten so much better. Both of them took on this closing shift to save money for their upcoming competition. It’s been fifteen minutes since I’ve seen either of them on the floor, which could only mean one thing.
Sure enough, Jeremy barrels out of the server station with a short white hat on his head. He rushes through the dining room, dropping drinks off, snagging empty plates, and leaving checks. He’s moving full speed, making up for the lost time.
He’s at the table nearest me, and I can hear whispers of his conversation with the green-skinned guest. “So sorry about the wait. Romeo has a health condition, and so I’ll be helping him out for the rest of your dinner.” The guest murmurs something back. “Oh, no, it’s no trouble. He’s actually my partner, so it’s a pleasure to help him out.” The guest nods praises. I click my tongue. She should leave a hefty tip after that spiel.
He turns away, heading toward me. Our eyes meet, and he shakes his head.
“It’s been three days!” I exclaim.
“I know.” He sighs. “Thankfully, it was when we were both in the server station alone.” He picks his hat up, and Ramsay waves at me from underneath.
I wave, rolling my eyes. “Well, it’s getting further apart. That’s good.”
Jeremy straightens his hat over his golden locks. “Yeah. I know.”
“Well, be careful. Pay close attention to whether he passes out. You don’t want a man appearing on your head.” He leans down, kissing me on the cheek. “I’m always careful.” He rushes away before I can argue because it’s a blatant lie. That’s one of the things I love about him. He’s carefree, living on the edge, while Ramsay keeps us both in line. That’s why we work so well together.
After Jeremy tends to his tables, he disappears again, not returning to the main floor for another ten minutes. When he emerges this time, Ramsay, or should I say, Romeo, follows after him. I breathe a sigh of relief. His time as a rat is getting shorter every shift. He wears thick-rimmed glasses and rubs at his full mustache above his lips—his new disguise while human. We all agreed that the authorities at Fort Pines aren’t a massive threat to us, but we’re close enough to the base that we should take caution while living in Ghostlight Falls. We love our quiet life here together too much to leave it behind.
The two men work together, clearing out their last two tables. Romeo's attention snags on me, and his usual focused expression shifts, warming up into a rosy smile. He jogs over to me, leaning down to kiss me on the lips. “Miss me?”
“You’re never really gone.”
“Yeah, but I’m a much better server when I’m in my man body.”
“And much sexier.” I pull him by his collar to my lips again.
He pulls away. “Okay, save that for later. Let us close this place down.” He jogs ahead, Jeremy following behind and subtly smacking him on the ass.
I turn back to witness the green-skinned guest at the table next to me, the one Jeremy had spoken to earlier, giving me a scrunched- face look. I stick my tongue out at her. It’s surprising, usually her species of alien isn’t so judgy, but I guess every walk of life has its own type of Karen.
I ignore her, eating the last bites of my ratatouille. I’ve tried other dishes at Ratcliff’s, but this one is still my favorite. I think it’s sentimental to me now.
The woman next to me signs her check and slides out of her seat, scoffing as she walks by me toward the exit. I’m the last guest in the restaurant. It’s usually like this on the nights my boys close. I watch as Jeremy and Ramsay wipe off the last table, laughing with each other as they clock out and take off their aprons. I can never get enough of them. Sometimes I wish I could change into a tiny rodent and spend my time observing, completely unnoticed. Their love is so palpable, and I still pinch myself that it’s something I get to be a part of. All my life, I felt lonely. Now I feel seen and wanted at all moments.
They share a quick kiss before meeting me at the table. “You ready?” Jeremy asks as he extends a hand to pull me to my feet. I accept his offering, and he crashes his lips against mine. Ramsay works on clearing my table quickly. He runs my empty plates back to the kitchen and scurries back to us. I greet him, kissing him on his scratchy lips. “I owe you a tip.”
He smirks, kissing down my neck. “How about you repay me once we get home?”
My cheeks heat with the anticipation of what’s in store. “I can do that.” I grab his hand and turn toward the exit.
Jeremy grabs my other hand. “Hey, don’t I get a tip? I refilled your drink earlier tonight.”
I kiss his cheek. “Of course you do.” I grab his hand. “But you two are suckers, because it’s really all just a treat for me.”
