Page 29 of Nerdelicious
The thought is a little titillating. But he’s probably just comparing me to Caroline. The name is a whine in my head. Caaaaroline. I pour us both tall glasses of milk.
I set his drink down next to the cake and lean my hip against the counter beside him as we both dig in.
After a couple of bites, he picks up his phone. “This is good,” the robotic voice says.
“Thank you.”
We eat for a few minutes. Beast finishes the whole slice in a few bites, and then he chugs down the milk.
I’m only halfway through my own piece when he picks up his phone again. “Can we talk? So to speak.”
A zing of anticipation thrums through me. “Ha. Okay. What do you want to talk about?”
I wait for him to type out the words, taking a drink of my milk and watching him over the lip of the glass.
He stops typing and then watches me for a moment, worrying his bottom lip. “I was wondering if you would help me with something.”
“Of course.”
His brow lifts. “I haven’t told you what it is.”
I shrug. “So tell me.”
His feet shift and this time he doesn’t meet my eyes as the robotic voice speaks. “It’s about dating.”
“Um.”What?
His fingers move faster. “I’m not asking you out on a date.” Now he looks at me.
Ouch. “Well that’s a relief.” Good ol’ dry humor, so good at masking feelings of inadequacy. I take a giant bite of cake, chewing it up before replying. “So, you need help dating someone else. Someone not me.”
He nods.
Caroline. I’m sure of it. But just to clarify. “The blonde from the bar? Caroline?”
He nods again.
“How would I—” I frown as he continues typing. “How could I possibly help you date her?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I can’t talk.”
I roll my eyes and gesture at his phone. “You’re doing fine. Just use that on your date.”
And leave me out of it.
He types again and then his gaze lifts to mine, his cheeks a little flushed as he pushes the speak button. “I don’t know how to talk to women. Even with the technological assistance. I need help. Practice.”
A tug on my heart. It’s actually really sweet that he’s asking for help. It’s probably not the easiest thing to admit. “So you want me to help you practice dating?”
“Or give me advice.”
I shrug. “Get her number and send her a text, maybe. Go from there. She’s been all over you the past couple of weeks. I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”
He shakes his head at his phone, his mouth a thin line. “I have her number. I’m sure she will go out with me. But then what if I do or say something wrong? I don’t know how to date. I’ve never been in a relationship.”
“Is that what you’re looking for from Caroline? A relationship?” I ask. The thought is perturbing. Beast and Caroline... together? Caroline coming over to Granny’s for dinner, or hanging at Jude’s with everyone, perched like a canary on Beast’s lap. The jarring images spit and stomp through my head, like someone speaking Klingon in aStar Warsmovie. It’s just not right. But I don’t want to examine those feelings too closely.
“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead. Does it matter?” his phone intones.
