Page 27 of Code Mages & Empty Pages
Because you think I’m hot?
After we finished setting up “Roe”, Luc spent another hour walking me through the basics of my character. A training game, he called it, so I could get a feel for the mechanics. My coordination was shit and I was terrified to break anything, but Luc was endlessly patient, even when I forgot which key was which. He made it feel less like homework and more like a private joke just for us.
The next morning, Saturday, the house was oddly quiet. I spent a while in my room, cracked open my laptop, and managed to put down a few hundred words. It wasn’t much, but enough to feel like I was making progress. I called Owen, caught up on family stuff, then found myself just…sitting, letting everything from last night sink in. Luc’s steady presence, the way he’d looked at me as he said she fit me kept circling in my mind.
After lunch, which was a quick snack plate with crackers, cheese, and a few slices of apple, I settled onto the couch with my laptop balanced on my knees. The house was quiet except for the low hum of the fridge and the occasional click of my keyboard as I scrolled through the local animal shelter’s website. The fairy cat I’d found there weeks ago was still listed. My heart squeezed a little every time I saw his picture.
I must’ve been staring too long, because Luc’s voice startled me out of my daze. “Want a cidre?” he called from the kitchen.
“Yeah, thanks,” I said, barely looking up from the shelter website.
A minute later, he came back with two bottles of that quince cidre I’d grown to love and settled next to me like he belonged there.
“Cheers.” Our bottles clinked, and the fizz was tart and sweet at the back of my tongue. I was achingly aware of his warmth, thecasual closeness, the way this could so easily feel like home if I let it.
For a moment, the silence between us felt easy. When did being around him become comforting instead of awkward?
Did something shift between us last night?
“So?” he nudged, tipping his chin toward my laptop. “What are you up to? Writing?”
I hesitated, smile tugging at my lips. “Uh… not exactly. It’s a little embarrassing, actually.”
Luc smirked. “Now you’ve got me curious.”
“Curiosity kills the wolf, or so they say.” I grinned and turned my laptop so he could see. “I’ve been looking at a shelter Cat-Sìth.”
“A what?”
“Here.” I pointed at the screen. “This is Ruffles. Just look at him, isn’t he adorable?” The picture showed a glossy black cat with a star-shaped white spot on his chest and the most alert, hopeful eyes I’d ever seen.
Luc studied the screen, then shot me a crooked smile. “Okay, I’m not a cat person, but he’s really cute.”
“Right?” I sighed, shoulders dropping a little. “I found him a while back and was about to enquire about him when I discovered the fungus in my hallway cupboard. I was just checking out the page because I wanted to see what Carson’s husband was up to…” My voice trailed off.
“You wanted to adopt him?” He glanced at the photo and then back at me.
“I guess I would have, yeah. I can’t stop checking if he’s found a new home. He’s bound to, soon.”
Luc was quiet for a heartbeat, watching me. I didn’t feel the urge to chatter outwardly to cover my insecurities. Being silent with Luc didn’t terrify me anymore.
Chapter 10
Luc
The rut hit me hard by midweek. After days of restless nights, sharpened senses, and Dawn’s scent driving me out of my mind, I was ready to snap. It didn’t matter how many cold showers I took, or how many times I hit the gym. I was teeteringat the edge and fought myself every time she brushed past or I caught her eyes across the kitchen table.
I knew what this was. I’d gone through a rut plenty of times before, but never with someone I wanted so badly it hurt living under my roof.
By the time Friday rolled around, I ran out of ways to keep my distance. The urge was a living thing in my chest, raw and hungry. My skin felt too tight, and my patience was worn paper-thin. I didn’t trust myself to be alone with her. Who knew how long the mask I wore would hold.
I managed to somehow keep it together until we arrived back home from work. Then she smiled at me over her tea, and everything in me snapped.
“Dawn.” My voice came out lower than usual as I stalked across the kitchen.
She froze by the counter and looked up at me. “Yeah?”
I tried to swallow the saliva that pooled on my tongue.
