Chapter 16

16

TANNER

It’s a particularly humid morning when I wake up. There’s more light than I’m used to, and my sheets feel itchy. Wait, this isn’t my blanket . Visions of last night come back to me, and I roll over. Kovi has his arm draped around me, and when I shift, he barely stirs. I take in the dark muscles of his body as the sun shines on him. He’s a beautiful monster, and I’m the lucky human who got to sleep with him.

Best first date ever.

When he blinks open his eyes and rolls back, I act like I just woke up too. “Morning,” he says through a yawn.

“Morning, you.” I stroke his cheek and he beams.

“Mmm, how’d you sleep?” He stretches and I take in his broad chest. He is a sight to behold.

“I slept awesome.” I lean onto my left and stroke his abs just because I can. “Hope you had fun?”

“I was gonna ask you,” he says. “Were you…did you enjoy last night? Or is that a lame question?”

I grin. “No, it’s not. It’s sweet and endearing.” My smile lowers. “I had a great first date with you.”

“I did, too.”

I want to live in this bed, in this moment, with this gorgeous monster boy, for the rest of my days. “So, I need to get going and get dressed for my shift at Mummy Mocha.”

“Of course.” Kovi moves and the sheet goes down. Before he can completely sit up, I gently push him back down.

“Uh uh uh,” I say in a faux-chastising tone. “I don’t have to leave quite yet.”

He grins at me in excited interest. “Oh?”

“I believe we both have—” I pull back the sheet to reveal our cocks— “Morning wood I can take care of.”

I bounce my eyebrows at him, and his smile broadens. I reach for his dick and give it one nice stroke. I’m realizing that I didn’t get to handle his manhood last night, and I want to make up for lost time.

Kovi’s eyes roll back and he reaches for me as well. My plans are thwarted when he sits up and gently pushes me over. He has horny intent in his eyes as he bats my hand away. He wants to service me on this lovely morning. I gotta love this twenty-one-year-old refractory period.

I sigh as he plays with my hard-on. “Kovi… ooh …can I…?” I reach for him, but he keeps his cock out of my reach.

“No. Don’t worry about me.” His grin is wicked, and he picks up the pace. He strokes firmly, but not too tight, and the friction is exquisite. Hot damn, it’s like he’s known my cock his whole life. “You just enjoy, big boy.”

“Ooh… ooohh …” My eyes clamp shut and I’m not even embarrassed by my needy, breathy noises. When Kovi leans in to lick my sack, I hiss. “Damn.”

“Shoot for me, Tanner,” he purrs.

“Kovi…” My voice rises and my hips thrust. He picks up the pace and whiny sounds escape my lips.

When he reaches up to tweak one nipple, I lose my mind. My orgasm ignites and I’m shooting all over my torso. The waves don’t subside for almost a minute; you would think I didn’t have an orgasm eight hours ago.

My breathing normalizes and I sigh an almost-laugh. I’m so damn thankful Kovi and I ended up this way. When I blink open my eyes, he’s curled up close to me. “Thank you,” I say with a groggy morning voice.

“No need to thank me, babe.” His term of endearment has me dizzy, but I like it. “I’ll do that for you whenever you’d like, because it was my pleasure.”

I grin at him. “Speaking of pleasure…” I reach for his hard dick, but he pulls away. Before I can ask, we’re interrupted by three knocks on the door.

“Hey, uh, Kove?” Seth’s voice is unmistakable.

My date and I grunt in frustration, and I lie back. Kovi gets up, and I watch his firm ass as he picks up our littered clothes from last night. He wipes his hand on his undershirt—do mummies have super smell? I need to ask Professor Fan—and yanks on his boxers.

He opens the door a crack and I pull the sheet over me. “What?” Kovi hisses.

“Look, I would never interrupt you, but—”

“Already did,” Kovi mutters.

“As I was saying,” Seth says with a louder voice. “I’m going to open up Mummy Mocha. I hope Tanner makes it in time, wherever he may be!” Seth can’t see me from this angle, but I appreciate the not-so-subtle reminder.

“I’ll let him know,” Kovi says.

“Good. Later,” Seth replies. The door shuts, and I reluctantly get up.

Kovi approaches me with an almost apologetic grin. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t you dare apologize.” I wipe my groin and close the distance between us, giving him a chaste kiss. “I regret nothing.”

“Glad.” He pecks me again and grins. “But you need to get to work.”

I sigh. “You sure I can’t jerk you off first?” I touch his cock and he giggles, batting my hand away.

“Later. Save it for the next date.”

My heart flutters as I hike up my boxers and pants. “Next date? So I earned myself another one?”

“I was gonna ask you the same question, babe.”

We share a laugh and I put my hands on his hips. “Let’s skip miscommunication. I, Tanner McGregor, would love to go out with you again, Kovi Sampath. And I like when you call me babe.”

He smiles brilliantly, and I know I said the right answer. “Next weekend?”

I kiss him again and say, “It’s a date, babe.”

The next day, after Intro to Monsterkind class, Shonda all but strong-arms me into a dinner date. I’ve been texting Kovi on and off, but I’ve been dodging Shonda’s messages. Now, I have to repay her in gossip. She plops her tray down dramatically at our table, making my Ghosta Cola ripple.

“Alright, I’ve got my food, so spill,” Shonda says with a grin.

“Yeah, I wanna hear about it, too,” Rachel remarks. “A date with a monster boy!”

I shrug and look down at my salad and side of french frights. “Ladies, I don’t kiss and tell.”

“Oh, come on!” Shonda says.

“Yes, please, respect the man’s privacy,” Owen remarks. He looks thoroughly unimpressed by my date, even though I’m pretty sure he’s gay too. I can tell he doesn’t want to gossip, but the four of us have become a little crew of human friends. Admittedly, I’m flattered the girls are so interested in my love life, and I’m enjoying our hang-outs. If nine-year-old me coming home from the hospital could see me now, he’d freak out. I’m dating my first kiss, a monster, and I have actual friends.

“There’s not much to say,” I say with a knowing smirk.

“Oh bullshit,” Shonda says, and we all laugh.

I shrug. “Kovi and I went out. Dinner…the museum. We had a good time.”

“How was the planetarium?” Owen asks.

“Forget about that,” Shonda says, waving her hands. “What happened at the end of the night?”

I grin and feel my cheeks blazing up. I’m overwhelmed with images of Kovi, with his dark eyes and loving lips, servicing me.

“Ah, I know what that means,” Rachel coos. The girls gush and Owen rolls his eyes.

“Some things are…best left private,” I say.

“Thank you,” Owen mutters.

“How are your other classes, Shonda?” I ask.

“Ugh, you won’t believe the project they have us doing.” She shudders and plays with her food, and with that, the subject has shifted. We each talk about our class woes as dinner winds down. I laugh hard at Owen and Shonda’s banter, and I can’t help but be grateful that this is my life now.

The next day, the evening shift at Mummy Mocha is much more relaxed than the morning rush. With midterms well underway, the dean wants us open for later hours to fuel the studious monsters in the heart of the library. I don’t mind too much; the zombie doesn’t take tips, so more hours means more earnings for me. I need cash if I want to continue impressing Kovi on dates.

I finish an order for two trolls, then smile when they place a few bucks in the tip jar. I do so love this job. What I don’t care for, however, is my boss-slash-friend grinning from ear-to-ear. We’ve been busy enough that I dodged all his post-date probing yesterday morning, but I knew this was coming for me. Kovi and I both spend a lot of time with Seth, after all, and he’s not exactly the shy type. Work is winding down, and I don’t want to be grilled again. I got enough of that yesterday from my human friends.

“So, anything fun happen to you these past few days?” He smiles coyly and leans on the counter as I clean out the tumblers.

I snigger and avoid Seth’s gaze. “Uh, I got an A on the environmental sci midterm?”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh, anything else?” he asks with all the patience of a hungry dog. “Any big news?”

“Nothing of note.” I clear my throat and look around; the café is pristine. It seems the zombie busboy has the place cleaned, and the last of the patrons are leaving. No distractions, wonderful.

“Nothing at all?” Seth moves to the cash register and begins the closing count. “Come on, McGregor. Give me something.”

I snicker. “How many times do I have tell people I don’t kiss and tell?”

“You’re no fun,” he grumbles. I can hear the pout in his voice.

I begin closing all of the ingredient containers. “Don’t you live with Kovi?”

“Yeah, but he’s all over the place, and I’m always working.” He moves to the back office, then, moments later, walks back out. “I thought my good human friend Tanner would give me some sweet, sweet gossip.”

I put away the glasses and snort. “You’d think there was no one else dating on this campus,” I mutter.

“Actually, on the contrary; I know there are plenty of romances going on. These humans… man, you would not believe the stories I’ve heard. This incubus I met, he started…well…” Seth is interrupted when the zombie moves past us with the mop and bucket. “Goodnight, zombie!”

With a grunt, the bus boy disappears. I have no idea where he goes off to between shifts. All I know is Mummy Mocha is closing for the night, and I can’t keep avoiding the conversation with Seth.

“So what are you up to now, Tan?” he asks after I clock out.

“It’s late, but I have no morning classes.” Kovi and I have been flirting via text, but we agreed to a date this weekend. Refraining from begging him to have lunch with me has been a subtle torture. But I don’t want to move too fast. I already miss Kovi, and if Seth knew, he’d never let me live it down. “Why?”

“Want to watch some trash TV with me and my suitemates?”

I nod and we walk out the lobby together. My heart beats faster knowing that includes Kovi. I try to school back my eagerness and purse my lips. I nod at the night sky and slowly say, “Uh, if you don’t mind, I guess I could come by…”

Seth snickers and rolls his eyes. He’s been smirking at me all week, but I can’t be too mad. I have Kovi’s best friend’s blessing on my side, and that’s more than enough.

Ten minutes later, we barge into his upperclassman suite in Karloff. “Surprise!” Seth announces.

“Why are you so loud, fucker?” a familiar voice asks behind the door.

“Because…” I can hear Seth’s grin, and trail behind him. “Look who I found!”

I step behind Seth to see Kovi and their other suitemate. “Tanner?!” The guy I’m dating yelps and darts up like I’m the dean.

“Oh uh, hey.” I scratch the back of my neck and my cheeks burn. I knew Seth wanted to surprise Kovi, but I didn’t realize how exposed I would feel. I’m wearing a plain black t-shirt and my old denim jacket. Meanwhile, Kovi’s only in a loose, wrinkled tank top and boxers. He glances down and nervously tries to straighten out his outfit, but I can’t get over how good he looks. His lithe legs are just as shapely as I remember from several days ago. I’ll never say no to staring at all that delicious dark skin.

“I…didn’t expect to see you like this.” His voice is strained and he continues to play with his clothes. The other two, meanwhile, glance at the two of us with manic grins.

“It was kind of last minute,” I mutter, trying to give a reassuring smile.

“We need to chill out for midterms. Plus, we had a long evening at the coffee shop.” Seth leans in and places his head on Kovi’s shoulder. “You don’t mind me inviting him here to unwind, right Kovi?”

Kovi slaps him in the crotch and the other dude giggles when Seth falls back onto the couch. He seems to really be stressing out. Maybe I should have texted first?

“I’m sorry if this is too weird. I can go…”

“No, don’t!” Kovi yelps. Then he clears his throat and looks away. “I just didn’t anticipate…uh, I don’t usually dress like this at home.”

“Yes, you do. That’s all you wear during TV night,” Blake remarks. Kovi glares at him, and I snicker.

“The important thing is you feel comfortable,” I say.

“I look like a forest fire,” he mumbles. He frowns and pulls at his white shirt. “I’m gonna go put on something decent.”

“I think you look more than decent, Kovi,” I reply with a smile.

“Now you’re trying to butter me up.” Kovi scratches his arm and begins to walk to his room.

I snicker. “No, it’s true! I’d be saying that even if you weren’t my boyfriend.”

He freezes mid-step and I gulp. Did I seriously just let that slip? I turn to the dudes on the couch, who eye me in shock. None of us are breathing, and all I can hear is the ambient noise of commercials on TV. When I look at Kovi again, his face is in utter disbelief. “Wha…what?”

I ought to pull the fire alarm because my face is burning. “Uh…uh…” My throat is dry and I want to curl up in Seth’s mummy tomb and hide from the world.

“Did you say…b-boyfriend?” Kovi asks.

I toy with my thumbs. “Well…yeah…we’re dating, so…” I shake my head and raise my hands in surrender. “But we never talked about, like labels or exclusivity. And I’m really new at dating…totally inexperienced, and I enjoy hanging out with you, and…and…” I stutter and stare at the ceiling. “Why am I still talking?”

“Tanner.” Kovi puts his hands on my shoulders and gives me a calm smile. His brown eyes pool with warmth. Like always, this boy makes me feel like I’m right where I belong. “I’m so down with us being boyfriends.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He shrugs then bites his lip as he looks down. “It’s pretty new, so we’ll have to keep going on dates and get to know one another. That’s the deal.”

My heart feels like it won the lottery. “I’ll take that deal, Kovi.” I put my hands on his hips and pull him in. “Boyfriends it is.” I move forward and kiss him gently. He’s sweet and gentle on my mouth, just like all the other times. Right here, in his suite, while he wears very little clothing, I declare my intentions to be with Kovi Sampath.

“Aw,” his suitemates coo. We turn to see them staring at us. Where I expected jeers or laughter, instead, I see faces of adoration. I’m glad his bros are happy for us, too.

Kovi snickers and says, “So, I’ll get dressed, then…TV night?”

“Sure,” I reply.

“Definitely,” Seth says from the couch. He grins with mischief in his eyes. “But first, can we? Just one time?”

Kovi rolls his eyes. “Go ahead.”

Seth turns to Blake, and they nod. Then they howl, “Boyfriends! Ooooh! ” They shift in and out of their monster forms while cackling and pointing at us. I don’t even mind, cracking up at their antics.

Ten minutes later, Kovi comes back fully dressed in jeans and a fresh tank top. The lagoon monster Blake, remarks, “You never wear clothes for TV night.” I laugh, and Kovi elbows him slightly. With Seth on the loveseat and Blake way on the far right of the couch, Kovi settles next to me, putting his arms on the back of the couch.

Five minutes into the game show, his hand reaches my shoulder. We each take turns shouting the letters we think the contestants on the screen should guess. After a beat, his arm ends up around me, and I cuddle into Kovi. I once again notice how well I fit with him, both physically and with his crew. His friends don’t say a word, and we continue to laugh and play along with the game shows, goofing off, and generally having a good time.

I’m at a good school, I have a job, new monster friends, and a caring boyfriend. This is everything Aunt Hannah said she wanted for me, and all I’ve yearned for as well. In this moment, I’m thankful for it all, and I never want to let it go.