Page 12 of Nightmare For Hire
“Yeah. See ya.” I drop back to the picture of the guy on the app. I’ve never had a draw to get to know someone before. Okay, that’s a lie. I felt drawn to know Dani, then Maddox once I played around in his head a bit to make sure he wasn’t going to hurt Dani. I wanted to know their life stories, what made them tick. My constant questions drove them crazy for a while. Now I have Cyrus to discover.
Chapter 6
Cyrus
As soon as I turn my phone on in the locker room, it starts buzzing.
Devon: I still miss you :cries: But I know this is for the best. Mick won’t find you in monster town.
I drop onto the bench to type out my response. It’s been hard without Devon, but we’re making it through.
Cyrus: I miss you, too. But I’m only a few hours away. I can’t wait to show you and Norris around when you come to visit me. And holy fuck is this hospital cool! Monster babies! I’m in heaven learning about all the different species and how to take care of them.
Devon: I’m so happy for you. I truly, deeply am.
MONSTER MATCH: You have 1 new message.
Cyrus: Oh, got a hit on Monster Match. One sec…
I open up the app to find a sweet, rambling message.
Nox_Nightmare:Hi! Hi! I’m Nox, a Nightmare, literally. I came across your profile and thought we’d make a good match. If you like waffles, I’d love to take you on a breakfast date and get to know you. What do you say? If waffles aren’t your thing, I love candy and wouldn’t mind taking you to the fudge shop to watch how they make the fudge. Then we can sample some of the wares until our tummies hurt. Well, it’d be your tummy because mine is unaffected by human food. If neither waffles nor candy are your fancy, I’m open to pretty much anything. I don’t sleep, don’t need to. So any time and anywhere works for me.
I chuckle and reread the note over and over. I feel like I could have written something just as rambling. Nerves always take over when I’m trying to send a message. That’s why I haven’t sent any since I started on Monster Match a few days ago.
I press the profile picture and suck in a breath. Nox is gorgeous, with a mop of blond curls and green eyes. Flawless skin, and a bright, cheerful smile. Total opposite of what someone would expect a Nightmare to look like. I take a screenshot of the message and the profile and send it to Devon.
Cyrus: Not one mention of sex or preferences. Looks promising.
I need someone to go slow with me. It’s been almost a month since I last saw or heard from Mick. I feel amazing with him out of my life. My therapist has helped me start rebuilding my self-esteemagain. All in all, my life is on the upturn and the job at Rivenfield’s hospital is quickly becoming my favorite. So much to learn, and I devour it all.
Devon: He is drop dead beautiful. And that profile is perfect for you.
Cyrus: I’ll message him back when I get home.
Devon: Oh! Tell me how it all goes.
Cyrus: Will do. Chat later :kisses: Say hi to Norris for me!
I spend my walk home thinking of a response and hope he hasn’t moved on since it’s been all night. I did put my work schedule in my profile, and mentioned that I don’t look at my phone until I get off. Once I get home, I kick off my shoes at the door, then drop onto my couch to type up my response. I hit send, then to keep myself from thinking about it too much, I head to the bathroom to shower.
Showers always help clear my head. Nox sounds too good to be true, but what if he isn’t? What if he’s exactly what I need? What if he’s as sweet as his profile makes him seem? I hope he responds. My stomach flutters. I’m in the shower so long the water runs cold and I yelp before getting it turned off.
As I’m drying, my phone dings and I rush to look.
MONSTER MATCH: You have 1 new message.
My heart pounds. I press the notification and my stomach flip-flops with happiness.
Nox_Nightmare:OMG! I’m so excited. I love waffles so much, not as much as candy, though. Human food is so weird and yummy. It always makes me happy. When in doubt, always eat a snack. Oh no, I almost put snake and that would have been a tragedy, especially if you like snakes. For whatever reason, those two words always mix up in my head when I’m spelling them. How silly?! I’d really really really love to take you out to waffles sometime. I like filling up all the little wells with the different syrup flavors.
CyCy_123:I’d love to meet up for waffles. How does tomorrow morning sound?
And send. Not two minutes later, I get a notification for a new message.
Nox_Nightmare:Yes! Portal Place Diner at 9am?
CyCy_123:Perfect :) See you there.
