Welcome to the club, Stan.
It took too long for them to finish whatever they were finishing — likely a long, awkward exit like old married people do — and then suddenly I was inches away from her. Inches away from my mate. Close enough to feel the heat rising off her skin. Close enough to hear the minute hitch in her voice when she breathed.
My thumb found the back of her hand and I started doing circles, the motion second nature: calming, small, and intimate. I watched her take in the world as if she’d been told it might burn her. Her eyes were wide, fight-or-flight flashing in them. She looked like someone poised to bolt, and for a moment the hunter in me wanted to yawn and take off on my own. But I kept my face neutral and kept my mind quiet.
“Hey,” I said. My voice came out softer t
