Chapter Thirty

Compromise

Vince

Five minutes later, Crossbody and I walked in silence into David’s Diner. It hadn’t been open long and was mostly empty, just a few truckers sitting at the counter and sipping coffee.

This wasn’t a place run by supernaturals, but I could see that the waitress behind the counter was another ghoul under her human skin. She gave me a brief nod when our eyes met as I led Crossbody over to a booth.

When I sat down on one side, he hesitated for a second before sliding in on the other, his long legs bumping mine.

I noticed him looking around almost in fascination, so I curiously asked, “Have you never been to a diner before?”

He’d been living here six years. Surely he had.

He shook his head. His expression grew a little daunted when I handed him one of the big, laminated menus, which should not have been endearing. But it was. For fuck’s sake.

“There are a lot of options,” he commented huskily after a few seconds of staring at it.

My mouth twitched. “Yeah. But it’ll all be good. Places like this always have the best food.”

“Do they?” he asked as if I’d just revealed a well-guarded secret.

“Yeah. Well, I mean, I think so.” I looked down, picking at the bent corner of my menu. “Probably won’t be the stuff you’re used to.”

I wondered what he usually ate. If he ever did go out for dinner, it was probably to fancy restaurants and stuff. Who were his friends outside of work?

Did he date a lot?

As if he’d heard my thoughts, he quietly admitted, “I don’t go out to dinner much.”

I looked up in time to see him blush and bend his head further over the menu, studying it intently.

He didn’t? But… surely he had people clamouring to date him. To take him out to nice places. His attitude could be a little crappy, but he was jaw-droppingly beautiful.

I parted my lips and almost offered to show him some places in the city, then snapped my mouth shut when I realised what I was about to do. What the fuck? I didn’t want to spend my free time with Crossbody. We weren’t friends. Or more.

No way.

The ghoul waitress approached and turned over the cups on the table to fill them with coffee, which Crossbody looked a little surprised about. My mouth twitched again.

“Ready to order?” she asked with attempted cheerfulness, but she sounded as tired as we both felt. I shot her a tiny grin.

“I think so.” I looked at Crossbody, and he gave me an uncertain smile before hurriedly scanning the menu again.

“I’ll have French toast with strawberries, please,” he told her politely.

“And I’ll have the egg scramble with biscuits and gravy,” I added. “Thanks.”

She nodded and walked off, leaving us in silence. Weirdly, it wasn’t as awkward as it should’ve been. We were both too tired, too relaxed and sated from a night of intense fucking to really harbour any tension right now.

And Crossbody looked like it. My mouth twitched as I took in his wild hair, the faint flush still in his cheeks, the slightly too small sweater. He was almost ludicrously stunning in his fae form, but he was beautiful in his human form too, his skin peachy and his eyes still hooded, but now a soft golden brown.

He noticed me watching him and flushed, reaching for his coffee cup and pulling it closer. I did the same, grabbing the sugar and pouring some in, then gulping half the cup down while he delicately sipped his and looked around again.

“So, uh… what do you want to do about these stupid sessions with Corey?” I asked awkwardly, spinning my cup on the table.

Crossbody licked his lips and neatly set his down. “I think it would be easier if we just get through it without arguing with him.”

I huffed in amusement as his mouth tilted into a tiny smile. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

After a pause, I heard him inhale sharply to speak.

“How will we… be after this? At work?” He looked at me uncertainly, letting me decide, which felt like a fucking terrifying decision to make, for some reason. Then some of the light dimmed in his eyes as he asked, “The same as before?”

I licked my lips nervously. “I don’t… know.”

We lapsed into silence. I restlessly spun my cup faster and faster, until coffee splashed over the side and onto my hand and the table. Wordlessly, Crossbody reached for the napkins and passed me several.

“Thanks.” Keeping my gaze focused on the table as I mopped up the spill, I cleared my throat. “I mean, we could just try… not bitching at each other all the time.”

“Yes.” Crossbody paused for a moment, then almost timidly added, “Or ignoring each other.”

My heart thudded hard. Pushing the wet napkins away, I looked up and found him already watching me. Something twisted in my chest. He looked almost fragile in this moment, tired and quiet and out of his depth.

Wearing my sweater.

With a faint mark on his neck from my mouth.

“Okay,” I croaked in a small voice. “We can try.”

The waitress arrived with our food, and Crossbody looked a little stunned again that it had come out so quickly. He thanked her as she refilled our coffees, then picked up his knife and fork while I was already shovelling eggs into my mouth.

“What’s food like in Otherworld?” I asked curiously around my mouthful.

“Oh.” Crossbody hunched a little, like the question made him uncomfortable. “Very nice. Fresh, lots of vegetables and game, but… obviously, I didn’t eat the same as most fae who live there. My mother is very… particular about her meals. And what’s allowed in the palace.”

“Right.” I washed down my mouthful with coffee. “So she was pretty strict when you were growing up?”

He pursed his lips. “Not so much strict as… overbearing. Very overbearing.”

“Like a pageant mom?” I asked with a tiny smile. When his brows twitched, I clarified, “Like super invested in her children to the point of being overcontrolling.”

“Oh.” His shoulders stiffened, and he kept his gaze on his plate as he speared a strawberry with his fork. “No. Not like that. Overcontrolling, yes. But not invested in us as people.”

“Oh. Right.” I shifted uncomfortably, realising I’d hit a nerve.

Was Crossbody’s mom not very nice?

Was that why he’d left?

Why did I suddenly care so much?

“‘Us?’” I asked instead, because it felt safer. “Do you have siblings?”

“Yes. Two brothers. I’m the middle child.” He looked up at me and popped the strawberry into his mouth. “You?”

“Only child.” I didn’t want to talk about my parents either, so I concentrated on my breakfast.

We didn’t talk anymore as we ate, but surprisingly, it wasn’t uncomfortable. When the waitress came to clear our plates, Crossbody pulled out his wallet and hurriedly scooted to the end of the booth.

“I’ll get it,” I said automatically, but he shook his head as he stood.

“No. Please, let me.” His voice was a little husky, and a delicate flush rose in his cheeks. “You paid for the… motel. The room. Both times.”

“Okay.” I offered him a tiny smile. “Thanks.”

I drained my coffee and stood as he paid at the counter. When he walked back over, he left a large tip—probably more than our meals had cost—on the table before we headed for the door.

That sense of dread was creeping back in as we silently walked to our cars, parked side by side in the mostly empty lot. We’d agreed to try and get along better at work, but… this was it. I knew I’d thought that the last time, but this seemed more final. Almost like we’d come to a truce.

So why did I kind of feel like shit?

Crossbody cleared his throat when we reached our cars, pulling his keys out of his pocket. I did the same, suddenly feeling low as the exhaustion hit me in a wave despite how much coffee I’d just drunk.

“I’ll see you at work,” he said huskily.

“Yeah.” I didn’t move. Neither did he at first, until he finally turned and reached for his car door.

Before I could do the same, he was turning back around and grabbing my arm, then tugging me close. His mouth crashed into mine as he reached up to cradle the back of my head.

I kissed him back immediately, my hands settling on his waist before I slipped them under the sweater to feel his warm, smooth skin. His lips parted, tongue meeting mine, the kiss growing hotter and almost desperate.

I heard myself groan, tilting my head to get deeper. Crossbody’s breath caught, his tongue gliding feverishly against mine. I stepped closer until I was pressed against him, trailing my fingers up his spine and making him shiver.

I wanted to take him straight back to the motel and fuck him again. Just one more time.

When we finally broke the kiss, we were both breathing faster. I felt a little dazed, almost flustered, and I shoved back my hair as I took a step away from him. I noticed a trucker sitting in the cab of his truck a short distance away, staring at us in shock with a half-eaten pastry hanging out of his mouth.

When I looked at Crossbody, his eyes were flickering between golden brown and their natural purple. He exhaled shakily and smoothed down his sweater, trying to compose himself.

“Bye, Vince,” he said, voice throaty.

“Bye,” I croaked, watching as he got in his car and drove away.

—

“Jesus Christ, dude, did you fight a raccoon or something?”

Sitting at my vanity, I looked up at the mirror and saw the reflection of Dan sauntering into my dressing room. I’d been so lost in my thoughts I hadn’t even heard him open the door.

“Huh?” I finally stood and reached for my tank top, but Dan stopped me by placing his hands on my shoulders and spinning me around to face away from him. He burst out laughing.

“Good night, huh?” he asked slyly, and it took me a few seconds to realise what he was referring to.

The nail marks Crossbody had left all over my back—long lines still discolouring my pale skin. My gut swooped, skin prickling as memories of last night flashed in my head again. Which they’d been doing all morning. Ever since I’d left the diner.

“Who was it?” Dan asked with a chuckle, releasing me. I quickly reached for my top and pulled it on, wanting to cover the marks. They felt almost… private. Something between just me and Crossbody.

“Just…” I waved a hand. “Some guy.”

“The guy from the arena?” he asked with a smirk.

“Uh, yeah.” Technically, that wasn’t a lie.

“You’ve seen him a few times now, huh?” Dan raised a brow at me. “Is the monogamy bug catching?”

I squawked out a slightly too loud laugh. “No. He’s just… a good fuck.”

“Must be.” Thankfully, Dan didn’t push the subject any further. “You coming out? Holt’ll be by soon with the line-up.”

“Yep.”

I’d hidden in my dressing room since arriving at work. Which wasn’t like me. It wasn’t like I was scared to see Crossbody. I was just feeling wildly unsettled.

Mainly because of that kiss he’d given me before we parted ways.

That had been a goodbye kiss. An ending. Because we’d agreed on one more time, and we’d managed to come to a tenuous truce, so that was that. Time to move on. In our own fucked-up, completely inappropriate way, we had managed to repair the damaged relationship between us. So that was… something.

I was sure Corey was still going to take all the credit, though.

I followed Dan out of my dressing room and into the main backstage area in silence, my pulse jumping when I saw Crossbody standing at the sink and filling his sports bottle with water.

He was wearing shorts and a tight, moisture-wicking T-shirt. My gaze travelled down his long legs, stomach dropping with something almost like despondence. I’d never gotten the chance to kiss every inch of those legs in the end.

His golden hair was tied up in a high ponytail that brushed against his nape, and a shiver ran up my spine as I remembered nuzzling him there while my cock moved inside him.

He turned and froze when he saw me staring at him from across the room. My tongue darted out to wet my lips, which made his gaze snap down to my mouth and his eyes flare. He jumped a little when Heidi suddenly approached, reaching for the sink.

Clearing his throat, he shifted out of the way. “Sorry.”

“You’re fine,” she said cheerfully, rinsing out her beaker.

Our eyes met again, and after a second he offered me a tiny smile that made my throat close up, for some fucking ridiculous reason. It was just a smile. It shouldn’t have affected me.

I managed a small one back, my face a little warm. This was fucking weird. Not bad , but still weird.

I sat down on the couch beside Dan, who was laughing about something with Gabe. To my surprise, Crossbody perched carefully on the other end of the huge sectional and fell into conversation with Carl, who’d been tiredly sucking on a blood bag through a straw.

Gradually, more people sat down as we waited for Holt to arrive with the line-up. It was still a little odd having new people in the room. John-o’-the-Wisp already seemed right at home, completely at ease as he leaned back on the couch with a protein shake and talked to Val. The Beast—who had still yet to say a word in front of any of us—was silently lifting weights in the gym area, his ever-present mask on and the hood of his sweatshirt pulled over his head.

The Ghastly Boys stayed in their dressing room a lot. They were extremely quiet and rarely spoke, and when they did, their voices were faint and whispery. La Dame Blanche was friendly and warm with everyone. Kind of charming. She and Crossbody seemed to get on fairly well. Wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

I glanced at him again. He was still talking casually with Carl, but I noticed that none of the others made any effort to draw him into their conversations. Even when Biff leaned forward to say something to Carl, interrupting them, he didn’t try to include Crossbody.

It was kind of pissing me off.

Was this why he just tended to stay on the treadmill while he was in here? Because no one really talked to him?

I tried to remind myself that it was probably his arrogant attitude that caused the other wrestlers to keep him at arm’s length, and one morning of sitting with the rest of us instead of isolating himself wasn’t enough to change that, but it was still making me weirdly angry. And making my chest get tight.

Then La Dame Blanche perched on the very edge of the couch, right beside Crossbody, and said something to him in French with a warm smile. That just kind of made me angrier.

No, it wasn’t anger—it was something else. Something uglier.

Which was stupid. So fucking stupid.

But I still had to look away.