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“I don’t drink coffee,” he said, pulling two orange juices from the door and throwing him one.
He caught it in his hand as he made his way back to the living room.
“So, you practiced a kiss and it rocked your world?” he said, cracking open his juice.
“I knew it would cause…things, we both did. We discussed everything and planned to just ride whatever it was and decide to remain unaffected.”
“Ah,” Ace said, slowly bringing his juice to his mouth. “It’s like a drug,” he said, taking a swig. “Takes your ability to think straight.”
Tension uncoiled in his muscles at hearing he understood. “I can think of nothing else now.” He sat again, rotating his bottle on his knee. “Now I’m the first King required to figure out everything I haven’t afuckingclue about,” he muttered, pissed again while opening his drink.
“Well…what’s your plan with her? Dick in or dick out?”
He glared at him. “Did I not just tell you I’mclueless?”
Ace leaned back in the chair. “Despite whatyouwant, she needs to want it. So…you need to figure that out first.”
“She wants to be a teacher. Emphatically.”
“You let her know there were other options?”
“No, because I didn’t think there were, not until this.”
“So now you know. Tell her.”
“And have her agree to be with me for the purpose of saving the world? Do it all for the greater good, never mind what you personally want? Your Maggie already scratched that option off the list.”
He stared between them before eyeing him. “How did the kiss affecther?”
“Like it affected me.”
“Then she wants more.”
“Yes, but not at the expense of her teaching dreams.”
He eyed him with a crooked gaze. “That don’t sound right.”
“Doesn’t it? She’s back to the drawing board with us making our friendship work to unlock whatever the fancy fuck is imprisoned in my head and all I can think about is how to convince her we need to practicekissingagain. And she’sflirtingwith me. I can’t help but flirt back,” he said, setting his untouched drink on the table.
“Don’t play with that fire,” Ace warned. “Take it from somebody who has fresh burns.”
“Oh, she’s making itso...very...hard. And yes,” he nodded. “I mean thatliterally.”
Ace held an unreadable gaze on him for many seconds. “I think you’re right not to tell her about this new shit. Maybe just…court her and let things happen naturally. Let her know she’s the only one for you somehow.”
“Somehow? Like…give her a direct note?”
“No, actions. And maybe a decorated commitment of some kind.”
“Awhat?” Rukem strained. “What in the godless name is a decoratedcommitment? God, Ace, I needactualanswers.”
“Just not obvious shit. Let her lead. You follow. If she flirts, let her. Take every drop she gives but don’t’ return without a clear directive from her.”
“I want to do things I don’t even knowhowto do,” he confessed, getting to the rest of his problems. “I want to learn every single thing I can, and I keep telling myself it’s to better navigate this mess but that’s aroyallie. I want to learn it so I candoit. I want to do it with a perfection.”
“Wow,” he muttered. “I know you don’t wanna hear it, but Sophie wants italland now I’m terrified just thinking about touching her again.”
Rukem sat fully back, shaking his head in mild awe. “Once upon a time just thirty minutes ago, your words would have lit a short fuse and now…” He gave a shrug. “Kissing. That’s all I have. She told me she was going take a bath,” he muttered. “You have any idea what happened in my brain when she said that?”
