Lucas entered the Sunny Side Up Café, a smile on his face, and a spring in his step. I was sat in the same booth we had occupied on our previous visit, a cup of coffee half drunk already. When I had left Oma’s, I had shot off a text to him, asking if he wanted to meet for breakfast. Of course, he had responded immediately to the affirmative, which unnerved me. Lucas’ immediate desire to see me again made me wonder if Oma wasn’t on to something when she asked if he had feelings for me. One wouldn’t think that one night of having drinks and one night of debauchery would enamor one to another so quickly. But Lucas had the look as he made his way over to my booth in the mostly empty café. Sundays obviously weren’t very busy after the breakfast rush, either.
When Lucas slid into the booth across from me, that smile growing wider and more genuine, I brought my coffee mug to my lips and took a long drink. The waitress, Jill, popped up and took Lucas’ order for coffee as well and we both ordered our meals. I opted for another veggie omelet and fruit cup, which made Lucas smile, so he ordered the same. However, I desperately felt the need to explain to him that his vegetarian lifestyle was not rubbing off on me. I just desired to eat something at least halfway healthy instead of something like the heart-clogging fare Oma offered at home.
“Hey, you.” Lucas grinned at me as he started to unbutton his coat in the seat across from me. “I was worried when you didn’t return my texts last night.”
“I slept from the time I got home until the sun came up this morning,” I said simply.
There was no need to provide details that were unimportant in the grand scheme of things. The grand scheme being whatever it was going on between Lucas and myself.
“Did I wear you out that much?” He grinned wickedly, yet somehow still shyly as he slid his coat off. “Maybe you need to do more cardio?”
“Maybe.”
“I’m glad you asked me to come have breakfast.” He smiled widely. “I didn’t really have anything to do this morning.”
“Not working at the hardware store? High school doesn’t need your skills either?”
He chuckled. “I usually have Mondays and Tuesdays off—if I have days off. They’re the least busy days at grandpa’s store…though you’d think some teachers would’ve called in today, right?”
“Look,” I didn’t want to banter, “Lucas, I wanted to talk to you about this weekend and…I don’t know what to say really…I just know that we need to talk about it.”
“I had a good time.” His smile practically split his face.
Staring into his eyes, the color of gilded jade, from across the table, I didn’t know if I had the heart to have this conversation with Lucas. I didn’t know if I had the heart to talk to anyone about anything. Except maybe Oma and Andrew since it was easy to talk when I’m angry. Lucas hadn’t really done anything to draw my ire. Sure, he hadn’t told me he was gay—but that hadn’t really been my business, and I hadn’t asked anyway. Of course, he hadn’t told me he knew that werewolves were real and Oma was allegedly a witch. Then again, if he had told me before I had seen it with my own eyes, would I have believed him? No. I wouldn’t have. I would have called him crazy and avoided him in the future.
“Um, yeah, I mean, I had fun, too.” I nodded, trying to gather my thoughts.
Lucas started to reach across the table for my hand that held my coffee mug, realized where we were, then slid his hand back into his lap. But his smile didn’t falter. Which scared me more than anything—even more than his thought to grab my hand to hold.
“Are you busy tonight?” He asked. “We could go into Toledo and see a movie. Maybe have dinner first? There’s a really good vege—”
“I’m not dating you.” I interrupted him.
Lucas stopped abruptly and I got to witness the heartbreakingly slow transition of smiling to frowning on his face.
“I—jeez—I didn’t want to, I don’t know, hurt you or anything.” I shook my head. “But I wanted to make it clear that what we…did…doesn’t mean that suddenly we’re…boyfriends.”
“Boyfriends?” He frowned.
“Yeah.” I nodded warily. “A couple. Partners. Whatever you want to call it. Obviously, I haven’t dated in forever and I don’t even know what to call two guys who are in a relationship. So, that should tell you that I’m not a guy you want to partner up with anyway.”
“I see.”
“And I wanted to get it out there before it became imprudent to bring it up again,” I said. “So, there it is.”
“Well, thank you for being prudent.”
His tone was just this side of snarky.
I rolled my eyes softly.
“I know,” I said. “I shouldn’t have slept with you if I didn’t know how I felt about…us…but…”
“What’s wrong with you?” Lucas sat back in his seat. “Seriously, Rob. What is your major issue? Because I haven’t been able to figure that out.”
“I’m sorry?” I blinked at him.
“You have some serious boundaries and barriers.” He said, frowning at me. “I mean, you have some issues with relationships of all kinds.”
I couldn’t stop myself.
“The weirdo vegetarian who couldn’t even look me in the eyes or hold a conversation the first handful of times we saw each other in person is telling me that I have issues?” I snorted. “The guy who has lusted after a stranger since high school thinks I have issues? Really, Lucas?”
“Ouch.”
Clearing my throat, I sat back, realizing that I was being snarkier than the conversation required. Lucas wasn’t my enemy. He didn’t have to point out my faults, but he wasn’t my enemy. I didn’t have to come back at him with snarky remarks like I would Oma.
“I’m sorry.”
“Forgiven.” He nodded.
“Just like that?”
“Yes. That easy.”
“I’m not that easy.” I realized what I said and couldn’t help but grin evilly. “Usually.”
He smiled back.
“I didn’t ask for your hand in marriage, Rob.” He said. “I just asked if you wanted to continue this with dinner and a movie. See where it leads. That’s all.”
“I don’t know who I am, Lucas.”
And there it was. The truth fell out of my mouth without me even willing it or realizing that I had it cued up to fall out of my mouth. Lucas frowned more deeply as he watched me from across the tabletop. Unsure of how long we just stared at each other, Jill showed up with our plates and set them down in front of us before we spoke again. We both thanked her for our food and she wandered off again. Lucas broke eye contact first as he unraveled his napkin wrapped silverware.
“What does that mean?” He asked simply.
Unwrapping my own silverware with trembling hands, I refused to let my eyes wander away from Lucas. I wouldn’t look insecure or vulnerable. I had seen this man’s penis after all.
A very nice penis.
Shut up, brain.
“Who the hell am I, Lucas?” I said, grabbing ahold of my fork. “Who was Rob Wagner before I went off and became Jacob Michaels? Who was Jacob Michaels? Who is Rob Wagner if he’s not Jacob Michaels?”
Lucas stared at me, wide-eyed.
“I’ve spent a decade pretending I’m someone I’m not to the point that I have no idea who I really am.” I looked around surreptitiously and leaned in. “I didn’t even know werewolves were real and that my Oma…there are a lot of things I don’t know about…anything…because I’ve been too busy being Jacob Michaels and denying I was Rob Wagner. Now, I’m back here, and my intention was just to be whoever it is that Rob Wagner is…and I don’t even know who that is. And werewolves are real. Happy Monday.”
Lucas chuckled and cut into his omelet.
“I need to ask you a question,” I asked tentatively as I skewered a piece of honeydew melon from my fruit cup. “Is that okay?”
“Of course.” Lucas popped the bite of omelet into his mouth.
His beautiful, sexy, delicious mouth.
Stop. Stop. Stop.
“Who are you?”
“I’m sorry?” He smiled crookedly.
Popping the piece of fruit into my mouth, I kept my eyes on his. Those gilded jade eyes that were just a little too beautiful. Lucas had beautiful eyes. Lips that were just too kissable. Skin that was just too perfectly tanned and smooth. He was so appealing in every way.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “That came out wrong. What are you?”
Lucas set his fork on his plate and sat back in his seat.
“What do you mean?” He chewed at his lip.
“Andrew is a werewolf.” I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant as I chewed and skewered another piece of melon. “Oma is a witch, I guess. What are you, Lucas? Did I have sex with a leprechaun the other night?”
“And twice the next morning?”
His grin was too appealing.
It was my turn to frown.
“Please answer me.”
“I’m just…me, Rob.”
“Human?”
“Mrs. Wagner is human.” He said. “So is Andrew. Being a witch doesn’t take away your humanity, Rob. And werewolves only lose their humanity in wolf form.”
I’d hit a sore spot, clearly.
“Are you human or is there a hyphen, Lucas.” I was sorry for having phrased my question the way I had, but I needed answers. “Is there an additional descriptor for ‘Lucas’ besides ‘human’?”
“Would you believe me if I said I was just a human?”
“Maybe.”
“What if I told you that I was, indeed, a leprechaun?”
“Harder to believe.”
“Because werewolves don’t exist, right?” He teased.
Watching him for a few moments, I tried to not get distracted by his perfect…everything. I tried to not let my brain tell me how much I wanted to ask him if we could go back to his house.
“What are you?”
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“I don’t think so. No.”
“I’m human.”
“And nothing else?”
He shrugged.
“What does that mean?” I was completely frustrated. “All you have to tell me is if you’re something in addition to being human.”
“I don’t know.” He was shrugging again.
“How can you not know?”
“Everyone around here has some crazy family history.” He said, grabbing his fork and attacking his omelet once again. “Well, maybe not everyone, but quite a few people have this or that in their bloodline. How should I know if there’s a leprechaun in the woodpile?”
“Poorly executed, Lucas.”
He blushed as he shoved more omelet into his mouth.
“I’ve never grown hair at the full moon or had lasers shoot out of my fingers or granted wishes, or anything.” He replied, chewing his food. “If that helps any.”
“Then why didn’t you just say that you’re human and that’s all?”
“Because I didn’t want to lie inadvertently.” He shrugged, shoving more omelet in his mouth.
He was eating faster by the second, which made me nervous. Was he trying to finish this meal so that he could leave and avoid my questions about his genetics?
“It’s not lying if you think you’re telling the truth, Lucas.”
“Okay.” He said. “I think I’m telling the truth. Eat your food.”
“What’s the rush?” I cut at my omelet with the side of my fork.
Lucas shoved the last bite of his omelet in his mouth, chewed it just a few times and swallowed it in a way that looked painful. He leaned in as I brought the bite of my omelet to my lips.
“The rush is to get your food finished because we need to leave.” Lucas’ voice was thick as he stared at me. “Because I need to have sex with you again. Maybe a couple times.”
I swallowed the bite of omelet, nearly choking.
“Eat your food, Rob,” Lucas said firmly. “Then we’re going to my house.”
My brain told my mouth to tell Lucas that he couldn’t just order me around and command me to hurry up and eat then have sex with him. That’s not what came out of my mouth.
“Okay,” I said to Lucas, my fork digging into the omelet again.