Page 66 of The Goat in the Bedroom
I was desperate enough to try anything. I leaned across the table quickly, aiming for Tyson's lips.
Except he was reaching for his water at the exact same moment.
Our faces collided with a crack that made people at nearby tables turn to look. His nose hit my cheek, my chin knocked into his jaw, and we both jerked back with matching expressions of pain and surprise.
“Ow. What the...?” He touched his nose, checking for blood.
Oh my gawd. I was going to murder my best friend later. They'd make a documentary about us, I was sure of it. “I was trying to kiss you.”
Tyson touched his nose, clearly looking for the break. “Why?”
“To reset the energy.”
“What energy?”
This was an absolute disaster. Everything I'd practiced, everything that worked with Gryff, was failing spectacularly.
My phone was buzzing nonstop now.
GRYFF
What's happening?
Are you okay?
I'm coming.
Tyson moved like he was going to leave, probably to go call 9-1-1 to report that his date had assaulted him and he needed medical assistance.
“Wait—“
But then, like he'd been summoned by the sheer force of my humiliation, Gryff appeared in the coffee shop, protein shake in hand, looking like he'd just happened to be in the neighborhood.
“Freeman. Fraser.” He approached our table with fake surprise that wouldn't fool a toddler. “Crazy running into you guys here.”
“This is your coffee shop,” Tyson said, clearly amused. “You told me about it. You said you come here every day after training.”
“Do I? Huh.” Gryff's eyes darted between us, taking in our body language. “Everything okay?”
“We're having an adventure,” Tyson said, grinning. “Your roommate just tried to romance me using what I can only assume is advice from a 1950s dating manual.”
“That's... specific,” Gryff said carefully.
“She ordered me a drink that could rot my teeth, stared into my soul for thirty seconds, announced she's bad in bed, and then tried to face-plant into a kiss.” Tyson was openly laughing now.
Gryff's eyes went wide. “She did all that?”
“The trust exercises were supposed to work,” I protested.
“Trust exercises?” Tyson looked between us with interest. “Is that what's been going on? You two have been?—“
“Nothing,” we both said too quickly.
“Right.” Tyson stood up, still looking thoroughly entertained. “I'm gonna go. Artemis, you're awesome, but maybe next time just be yourself? You were great at the beach. Natural. Easy.” He paused. “Of course, you had your emotional support roommate there, so maybe that helped.”
He clapped Gryff on the shoulder. “See you at practice.”
After he left, Gryff and I stood there in the middle of the coffee shop.
