“Tell me why you’re out here tripping and talking to yourself.”
I blushed at his question. Gods, this was fucking embarrassing. His eyes stared intently at me as if he already knew this was a ploy to talk to him.
“I was trying to find an excuse to get you to notice me.” I decided to be honest. He cocked his head to the side, watching me.
“You’ve seen me before?” he asked.
“Yes, but you haven’t noticed me." My voice was barely audible.
He frowned slightly.
“I don’t know how I could have missed you.”
His words hit low in my gut—warm and sharp. He was flirting with me. Gods, I didn’t know what to say to him. He glanced at his home before looking back at me, hesitating for a moment.
“I was going to grab something up the street. Do you want to come?"
I looked around us before staring at him.
“Unless you actually hurt yourself falling like that,” he said with a grin.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Let’s go.” I turned and started walking but stopped when I didn’t hear him following behind me. He was biting his lip to stop smiling. I swallowed hard at how cute he looked.
“This way.” He tilted his head in the opposite direction I was going. Heat crept up my neck again. But I lifted my chin in defiance and walked past him. He was quick to move next to me.
“This was a pleasant surprise,” he said with a smile. “I thought today was going to be boring.”
I chuckled softly.
“Well, it certainly took me by surprise.” I looked over at him as he stared at me intently. I thought today was going to be a regular day. I didn’t expect that my mate and I would finally talk. We walked in silence for a moment, and there was nothing awkward about it.
“Are you always so quiet?” he asked.
“Only when I am nervous.”
“Do I make you nervous?”
“Yes.” I peeked up at him, then quickly looked away toward the vendors lining the path. We walked past quite a few of them, and he hadn’t even glanced in their direction. Maybe he was looking for something specific.
“So, what are you looking for?” I asked as the end of the vendor carts drew closer. He glanced over at the carts before looking back at me, rubbing the back of his neck and chuckling softly.
“I didn’t actually need anything. I just wanted an excuse for you to stay a little longer.”
“Oh.” My face was on fire. I did not know how to respond to him.
We awkwardly turned back around and started for his home. He kept looking at me—watching me like he was trying to figure me out. When our eyes met, I gave him a small, shy smile.
“I was just about to eat dinner; do you want to join me?”
“Really?” I gawked. “You don’t know me.”
He paused for a moment as if he were thinking of something.
“I don't understand why that phrase seems so wrong, but I feel like I’ve known you for my entire life.” Gods, I was not expecting him to be so forward with me. He always seemed so timid when I watched him from afar. Maybe his mating bond was making him brave. “You don’t have to stay if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“No, I would love to,” I said too quickly.
