Andrew

At exactly four and a half minutes before five in the morning he coasted to a halt at the foot of the drive up to her property. His eyes glanced at the property boundary. Should he go on up, or wait for her down here? The question bounced around in his head over and over, but ultimately the decision was taken away from him as he heard the door open.

A minute later Karri came jogging down the driveway, coming to a halt as she saw him standing there.

“I honestly did not think you’d be here,” she admitted.

“Good morning to you too,” he teased.

“You know what,” she mused, looking around at the sky. “I think I’m going to have to agree with you. It is a good morning, isn’t it?”

“So far,” he said, declining to elaborate at her questioning glance. There was no need for her to know how long he’d been up for, or that he’d purposefully worn himself out so that when they went jogging today he would be able to appear more winded than might normally be the case. It hadn’t been hard to pick up on her frustration about that the first time they’d gone jogging. He didn’t wish for her to grow frustrated with him, so he’d taken steps to prevent it.

“I hope so,” he said.

Karri regarded him silently for a few moments. “Thank you for the flowers.”

He smiled. “You got them then?”

“Yes,” she said with a nod. “They were very lovely.”

“Good. I felt terrible that I couldn’t make it myself,” he said, meaning every word.

“Where were you?” she asked.

Andrew thought he heard some pain in her voice, but it was so faint that he couldn’t be certain. Had she been more interested in him showing up than he’d thought? Andrew had intended to be there, as he wished to spend more time with her, but he hadn’t realized she would be as hurt by his absence as she’d been.

“I was regrettably detained,” he said, not wanting to explain to her what was going on.

She didn’t need to know that.

“Oh.” Her noncommittal response made no attempt to hide the fact that she wasn’t happy about it, but Andrew didn’t relent.

“I hope you realize that I sent the flowers to show that I truly wished I could be there. And that me being here today shows that it wasn’t some stupid reason that I didn’t make it, like sleeping in or something.”

Karri smiled. “The thought never crossed my mind.”

They both knew it was a lie, but it was one he was willing to accept, since it seemed like she was going to allow him to join her.

“Shall we?” she asked, gesturing down the sidewalk.

“We shall,” he agreed with a smile, not bothering to keep the smile from his face as they fell in step, moving off down the sidewalk onto whatever course Karri chose for them. Andrew didn’t care where they went, as long as he was by her side.

***

“Are you sure you have time for this?” he asked.

Karri glanced up at him. “Did you want to bail or something?”

“What? No,” he said hastily. “I just know that you said you go to work after your jog, so I didn’t want you to be late or anything on my behalf.”

“That’s nice of you,” she said, smiling and tilting her head in appreciation as he held the door for her. “But I’m a big girl. I know what I’m doing, despite my exterior appearances.”

It took him a moment to get that she was making a short joke.

“So the boss won’t yell at you?” He followed her in to the coffee shop.

“Oh, she probably will. She’s a real bitch after all,” Karri replied, chuckling.

“Sorry to hear that.” Andrew was kind of at a loss as to what to say. Why was it so funny?

Finally Karri took pity on him as they waited in line. “I’m the boss, Andrew,” she said. “Mostly at least. Enough that I can make my own schedule fit a coffee run.”

“Ah,” he said. “Now I understand your earlier comment about the boss being rude. And I agree,” he added with a grin to show he was joking.

“Careful. She doesn’t take being stood up too well.”

He slapped a hand over his heart. “Ah, you got me,” he said, giddiness flooding him as she laughed. “Not even with flowers to make up for it?”

Karri pretended to think about it. “That might help. But you’d have to go a long way. I think a minimum of five bouquets would be a good start. Don’t you?” she asked.

Before he could respond the line moved and she headed up to the counter. He was still standing there shaking his head when she waved him on up. “What do you want?”

“Hmm? Oh no, I can grab it,” he said, shaking his head at her offer to pay.

“Like I said Andrew, I’m a big girl. I can pay for my own coffee date.” Her mouth clamped closed after the last word, the double meaning of the word obvious to both of them.

Not wanting to upset the balance, he ordered the first drink he saw on the lighted menu behind the counter and a donut.

“A pumpkin spice latte?” Karri asked as she paid for the order.

“What about it?” He was still trying to accept letting her spend her money on him. It wasn’t easy. From a very young age he’d had it ingrained upon him that as a man he was supposed to take care of all those issues for any woman he cared for. That was…just the way it was.

Yet that didn’t take into account the dangerous glint he’d seen in Karri’s eyes when he’d tried to take over and pay. She wasn’t going to stand for that sort of behavior…not when she’d already made the offer at least. I’m going to have to keep that in mind. She’s the boss, used to being in charge and is strong-willed enough to move her way up the ladder at her company. That has to account for something.

He was going to have to treat her differently. Respect was going to be key. Not that he didn’t respect women generally, but he would have to hammer it into his head that she was used to being independent and didn’t struggle for money. Lavishing her with money might actually work against him, he realized. Interesting.

That almost made it easier though. He wouldn’t have to worry about her being interested in him because of his money—not that she knew he would be considered extraordinarily wealthy by her standards. Standard gryphon longevity meant his parents, and their parents, etcetera, had managed to accumulate a large sum of wealth over their lifespan, and with access to human inventions such as banking and interest, Andrew had managed to turn that large sum into a good-sized fortune. He still didn’t know the specifics, but the person he hired to handle it for him was good, so he didn’t complain.

They were served their drinks and donut—she’d gotten a muffin—and found an empty table. Karri was still looking at him as he lifted the lid from the cup uncertainly.

“Have you ever had a drink like this?” she asked.

He thought about lying, about playing it off so that he didn’t come off as inexperienced, but then decided against it. She could clearly see through him, and lying would only hurt the chances of her coming to trust him. So he took a gamble and showed weakness for a moment.

“No,” he admitted, sniffing tentatively at the drink. “I’ve had donuts before…but they’ve always been brought to the embassy. I’ve never gotten one. I kind of panicked at the register and ordered the first thing I saw.”

Karri’s jaw fell open, but she quickly covered it, laughing into her arm.

“What’s so funny?” he asked snarkily.

“Oh nothing,” she said, eyeing the cup in front of him. “Nothing at all. Go on, try it.”

Lifting the cup he took a sip, ignoring something that sounded awfully like the word “basic” coming from Karri as he let some of the liquid slip over his tongue.

“Yech!” he said, practically spitting the drink all over the table. “What the hell are they trying to do? Poison me?”

Karri was losing her composure in the seat next to him. Tears were practically streaming down her face as she held her stomach, unable to do much more than just stay in her chair.

Setting the unholy combination of fluids down in front of him, Andrew tried to ignore the awkward stares being directed in their direction. It was tough, but seeing Karri so delighted made it more than bearable. Eventually she calmed down and the other patrons turned back to their drinks.

“So,” he said, giving her a level look. “Any suggestions on what I should try instead?”

Shoulders still shaking gently, Karri pushed her drink to him. “Try this.”

Cautiously he lifted it and took a sip. Immediately his eyes widened. “Heyyy, that’s not bad. What is that?”

“We call it a triple-triple,” she explained, looking at him sidelong. “You’ve never had coffee before?”

He shook his head.

“What do you drink?”

“Water. Beer. Occasionally a carbonated beverage or something.”

“Water and beer,” she said. “I should have known.”

“What more do I need?”

She smiled.

“So, you’re the boss at work, are you?”

“Pretty much.” She took her drink back and had a sip, then pressed it back into the middle between them, indicating she was okay if he had some more.

He obliged, though he didn’t take much of it. It was her drink after all.

“My dad owns it,” she explained when he gestured for her to continue. “I’m in line to take over whenever he decides to retire.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks. I’ve worked hard to ensure that I’ll be ready, and that I can continue to do a good job at it like he has.”

Andrew nodded. He wanted to pry some more, asking her why her face had tightened when she talked about her dad doing a good job. Or the look of doubt that had flickered through her eyes when she’d said she was going to take over. Whatever it was though, he sensed that right then and there wasn’t the time for it.

***

“I don’t mean to drink and dash on you, but I need to get going now,” she told him, glancing at her phone.

Eying the clock on the wall he noted that twenty minutes had passed. He nodded, surprised that they’d even sat down inside. She’d mentioned grabbing a coffee, but he hadn’t expected it to be more than a simple extension of their jog, not a sit down and chat session.

“Well, thank you for introducing me to the wonderful world of triple-triples,” he said, rising with her.

“Always glad to help,” she laughed.

“I’m missing something about what I ordered, aren’t I?”

“A little bit. But it’s okay, it’s just a pop-culture sort of thing. Nothing serious,” she said, brushing it off.

They stood outside awkwardly for a moment. He took in the way her jogging pants and top conformed to her body. Although he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, there was something about her that pulled him in. She was unlike the women he normally went for, and maybe that was exactly what it was that he was so interested in. The lack of curves might normally have been appealing, but on Karri it worked. She held herself with such poise and grace that he found himself being drawn in after it, like she had some sort of vortex around her.

“Thanks again for the flowers,” she said, and then headed off down the street to her house, leaving him there to contemplate the entire morning in far too much detail, analyzing her every word to see if it meant more than she’d intended.

Like thanking him for the flowers before leaving. Why bring that up? Was it just a thank you? Or perhaps she’d been trying to be more cryptic. Like “Thanks for the flowers, they were nice, but I don’t want them again, because I want you to come running with me every morning.”

Could that have been what she meant?

“You are thinking this over way too much,” he told his brain, uttering the words out loud so he could be sure it would hear him. Sometimes his mind liked to pretend it couldn’t hear what he was saying.

The truth was, he doubted things were going to be simple with Karri. She was a human, and she didn’t benefit from the instinctual knowledge that his gryphon could tell him about her. He sensed the way it paced back and forth, like a caged bird waiting for its chance to fly free, just like it wanted him to break free and go after Karri.

All in good time. But she has to come to be interested in me first.

And that meant he had to put in more effort than his animal might understand was necessary.

Good thing it was a morning beast.

***

Over the course of the next week and a half, he showed up to her door every morning. The first time she was once again surprised to see him, but by the next week’s end, his presence at the end of her driveway was becoming expected. She never invited him to come up to her house, and he never did. But each time they ran, he felt his spirits lift, bringing him to a happy place that he had never really known existed.

Although he didn’t ask Karri if she felt the same, the look on her face when she saw him in the morning gradually transformed from a small smile of greeting into a happy grin. The bounce in her step as she came down the asphalt to meet him became so evident she seemed to be skipping. There was no doubt in his mind that she looked forward to their morning ritual. They stopped for coffee several times, chatting about the weather, local events, and the like, though rarely did it delve into personal details. He found out she’d gone to college on the coast, and that she had a younger brother, but that was about it. In return, he told her a little about life in Cadia, though he focused on the happy and interesting bits, glossing over the less appealing parts.

While his heart may have been opening up to her, his gryphon was going wild. It began to shriek at him, telling him to make a move, to proceed with the mating already. Its calls began to overwhelm his restraint, and on more than one occasion he almost succumbed to its temptations. So it was with a bit of mild relief that he greeted her news on Sunday morning after their jog.

“Hey, I can’t make our next few mornings,” she’d explained, telling him about her business trip to Corbin Bay. Apparently one of their suppliers was trying to play hardball, and she was being sent in to bring them to heel. He’d grinned at that, by now being more familiar with her, to the point that he felt bad for whoever was tasked to try and negotiate with her.

Andrew had wished her well, and was planning to take off to the mountains for a day to let his gryphon free. Shifters being in animal form was highly illegal within the city limits, and it had been some time since he’d stretched his wings and rode the thermal winds of the Quicksilver Mountain range. He didn’t want to go three days without seeing Karri, but if he had to, this was as good a time as any. It would give him some time to tire his animal out, and also to see if he missed her.

Or if she missed him.