Page 9 of Angel of Thursdays

May nodded, moving on. “Dress code?”

“Smart casual,” Cassiel answered. He had almost said ‘business.’

“Nice, like an intern at a tech startup.”

Cassiel blinked at him slowly. May flicked at a button on his flannel and carried on. “How much do you guys talk in Korean?”

“My sister and I speak English. My dad will speak English. My mom will accommodate because you’re there, but she might forget and start talking past you in Korean.”

“I can probably handle that,” May said. “I’ve watched a lot of K-dramas.”

Cassiel looked at him.

“What? That’s not realistic?” May grinned.

“Korean from K-dramas is not going to help you.”

“Don’t count me out before you’ve seen my one-man show, Variations on Ottoke.”

Cassiel’s ring clicked once. He took a sip of his latte to occupy his mouth, which was threatening to smile.

“Quick question,” May said, leaning forward. “Is your family expecting someone Korean? Is a random Chinese guy showing up going to be a thing?”

“My mother will be so pleased I showed up with another human being that any other details will be secondary.”

May’s laugh erupted out of him, showing the gap in his teeth again.

“Okay,” he said, nodding sharply. “Okay. That’s helpful intelligence.”

They moved through the remaining logistics. Duration had been stated by the form. Food restrictions: none on May’s end, which was fortunate because Cassiel’s mother did not believe in them. The rate: May named the number, and Cassiel agreed because negotiating a person’s hourly value was something he wanted no involvement with.

Then May set his cup down and the cup was empty.

“Okay, all that’s settled,” May said. “I guess let’s not beat around the bush. What am I, exactly, at the dinner?”

“A companion,” Cassiel replied.

“Right, but that’s like… what old rich people have when they’re lonely. A companion could be a cat. I’m going as your date, right?”

Cassiel’s thumb stilled on his ring. He nodded.

“Cool. Is this a coming-out situation? Because if it is, not an issue, just⁠—”

“I’m out,” Cassiel interrupted, a touch irritated, but mostly at himself for not specifying earlier. He was good at specifics and this one was obvious. It was necessary information. “Like I said. Secondary.”

May’s eyebrows lifted as he thought, then he clicked his tongue against his front teeth. The sound should have irritated Cassiel. He merely heard it.

“Not to tell you that you shouldn’t give me money, but I’m not seeing the big picture here. What’s the scam? You don’t look like you’d need to hire a fake date.”

The assessment was reductive. It assumed the problem was what Cassiel looked like rather than what Cassiel was like. The difference between those two things was the entire reason he was sitting in this café paying someone to be here. He was well aware of what he looked like.

“My mother always asks if I’m bringing somebody,” he said. “The answer has been no for a long time. A friend told me about the app, and hiring someone seemed simpler than trying to find a real date.”

May leaned back and gave him a lopsided grin.

“…Yeah, the apps are a nightmare, I get you. Okay. Fake date rules. We need to be on the same page about how we met. What’s believable? If your sister’s like mine it’ll need to pass the smell test.”

“I don’t go anywhere.”