Page 104 of A Broody Mate for the Human
My heartbeat picks up. “Don’t make this be an empty promise,” I mutter. I don’t think my heart can take it if he bolts on me again or if he chickens out of it.
He looks at me earnestly, his gaze softening. “It’s not an empty promise.”
“We really need to talk, Raffy,” I say quietly.
“I know, David.”
I wasn’t Jun’s mate, but I always knew he was waiting for his mate, so whatever relationship we had we kept casual. He never once made me believe that we could be something more. With Raffy it’s different. I don’t know if he is waiting for his mate or if he already found them. I don’t know how he thinks and feels about me.
I know chosen mates are a thing. Annie and Ella told me all about it, but I don’t know if this is something Raffy wants.
My thoughts make me halt for a moment. Wait a moment brain, does this mean I want Raffy… as a mate? I want to be tied to him for eternity?
I glance at him shortly, noticing how he is collecting the bag and putting it back into the car. He turns to me and shows me his crooked smile. “I bet you want to drive?”
I snap out of my thoughts. “You bet correctly.”
Chapter thirty-four
Mr. David Ford for the Academy Award
*DAVE*
Thankstothelandlady,we take off with a whole bag of snacks and sandwiches. Raffy sorts through them while we’re driving towards new territory further into the west of the country. I haven’t been here yet, so it’s all new for me, too, but I notice the forests getting a bit thicker and broader and the streets more narrow.
“I’ll separate our sandwiches,” Raffy tells me.
“Why?” I ask absent-mindedly, keeping my eyes on the street to stay focused.
“Because”—Raffy starts to separate our sandwiches in two bags like the cute grandpa he sometimes is—“mine are with bacon, and yours are vegetarian. They might take the taste and scent of my bacon sandwiches, and I’m sure you’d hate that. Oh, and I made sure the landlady packed you some stuff with nutritional value. So, you get your usual Nutella fix but also some cheese and veggies. I think she even added some vegan ham to it.”
I have to fight all my instincts not to slam the brakes and jump the man next to me at this utterly sweet comment. At the same time, I feel tears filling my eyes. I have never had someone who cared for me, and my needs the way he does. Well, of course, Annie and Ella do, but it’s not the same… I never had a boyfriend who actually cared for what I liked.
I’m not going to survive it if I learn that Raffy is waiting for his mate. I know it now.
“Thank you,” I say, my voice hoarse.
“Did I say something wrong?” Raffy asks, appalled.
“No, not at all, I just…” I take a deep breath. “I just got something in my eye.”
Fortunately, I’m traveling with a caveman, a cute and kind, sometimes grumbly and silent person… but a caveman, because he buys the worst excuse ever and starts fumbling for a tissue to offer me to dry my eyes.
For the next two hours, we drive in comfortable silence, just taking a few breaks to allow Sugar to walk around and for us to have some snacks. My preferred snack would be Raffy himself, but the sandwiches aren’t too bad either.
Man, when did I turn into such a horny teenager?
This part of our trip seems to be a comfortable and calm one. There are hardly any cars on the street, no traffic. However, I notice on our next small break that Raffy seems to get restless.
He showed the same behavior right after our kiss disaster during the fair and in the forest too. “Is something wrong?”
He whips his head to the side to look at me, his eyebrows furrowed. “Hm? Why are you asking?”
I frown. Oh hell, I’m not the caveman here, he is! I know pretty well when something is off. “Raffy,” I demand. “Spit it out.”
He furrows his brows, glaring at me.
I poke his chest. “You know I’m not scared of you, so stop with the grumbling and growling and tell me what’s going on.”
