Chapter 8
I was in a terrible mood all day.
My best friend tried to comfort me very carefully.
“Maybe he just didn’t know H was you,” she said. “Maybe he was clearing out unrelated contacts to prepare for future romance.”
I smiled at her.
“What romance?”
She choked.
“In the future. Maybe.”
I kept smiling.
“What future?”
She stopped talking and went to reply to someone else instead.
That afternoon, the city courier delivered my box of talismans, which only made me more annoyed.
That pig-brained man.
My best friend, on the other hand, was baffled.
“Why do you even need so many talismans?”
I looked up and noticed she was dressed to go out.
After a moment, I said, “Try not to go to the shopping district for a while. Especially that Western restaurant.”
She frowned.
“Why?”
I answered casually, “The ingredients don’t feel fresh.”
She made a face.
“That’s weird. My boyfriend said the same thing. He told me not to go back there either.”
I let out a cold laugh.
“So the weasel spirit can tell spoiled meat too.”
She glared.
“Yeah, yeah. The one you like is the handsome one.”
I stared at her for a few seconds, then sighed.
Forget it.
At least he was technically a minor deity.
That evening, my best friend went on another date.
I went to the animal hospital.
The puppy clearly remembered me.
The moment it saw me, it started making soft little humming sounds and pressed itself into my hand until my heart nearly melted.
“Want to feed it?”
A voice came from behind me.
Then a hand appeared over my shoulder holding out a tiny bottle of puppy formula.
I turned.
The idiot himself.
He looked nervous.
I took the bottle without expression and fed the puppy.
For a while, the room was filled only with the sound of tiny gulps.
When the bottle was empty, I stood.
“Summer,” he finally said, flustered. “I can take you back.”
I shook my head.
“No need. I have a ride.”
His eyes changed.
“Your date?”
I looked at him like he was stupid.
“My rideshare driver.”
He stiffened, then hurried after me.
“I can drive too. I can sign up for rideshare. I can—”
I ignored him and kept walking.
Just as I reached the door, he finally reached out and grabbed my sleeve very lightly.
His voice turned soft.
“Can you tell me why you wouldn’t add me?”
I stopped.
Then I turned and looked straight at him.
“Wouldn’t add you?”
He swallowed.
“Yes.”
My anger came back in a wave.
“That wasn’t me refusing to add you. That was you blocking me, you absolute mountain donkey.”
He stared.
I kept walking.
At the curb, I remembered the box in my bag and shoved it hard into his arms.
“Here. Take it. I don’t want it anymore. Go exorcise things by yourself.”
He fumbled to catch it, looked down at the box of talismans, then looked back up sharply.
“You’re—”
I got into the car before he could finish.
There was no reason to stick around and let stupidity become contagious.
By the time I got back to school, my phone was full of friend requests.
All from H.
I was wrong, Wynne Summers. All my fault. Please forgive me. Add me back. I’ll show you the puppy. Puppy says sorry. Puppy is rolling over. Puppy begs.
I stared.
Could a puppy that tiny really beg?
Curiosity won.
I tapped in.
The photo appeared on-screen.
He was holding the puppy’s front paws up in both hands and lifting it beside his face.
One man.
One dog.
Two pairs of wet, pleading eyes staring straight into the camera.
I looked for two seconds and then slammed my phone face-down on the desk.
That was too cute.
I had to pace around the dorm for a while before my heartbeat settled.
When I finally opened the chat again, another message had come through.
Don’t be mad anymore, okay?
Then, before I could answer, a new photo dropped into the chat.
This time the puppy was peeking out from inside his loose sweatshirt collar, nose first, looking curiously at the camera.
Below that—
Just barely—
The outline of chest and abs.
I sucked in a breath so sharply my nose went hot.
I want to be that dog, I thought.
Then I put my phone down again.
With great dignity.