Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 129584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Ravi sent a prayer up for the poor sap, whoever they might be.
“And you?” Sora didn’t sound like he was teasing. “Do you think you can complete someone?”
Ravi answered in a light, teasing tone. “I’m not sure about completing anyone. One hundred percent sure I can drive them bat-shit crazy, though.”
Sora chuckled again, the sound rolling through the car. “You’ve not driven me crazy at all.”
“Yeah, about that, are you that desperate for entertainment? Because you’ve seriously been rolling with my jokes. I love it, absolutely not complaining, but this is not standard operating procedure, you know? I mean, I never in a million years expected you to baldly ask Hoheit to his face if you could lick me.”
“It was too tempting,” Sora admitted. “I kept trying to imagine his reaction, and in the end, mischief seized me.”
“I’m glad it did. Cameron’s still laughing about it.”
It didn’t really answer Ravi’s question, though. Was Sora simply indulging him? Because they were dating? He had so little experience in dating like this, seriously dating, that he didn’t know how to read the situation.
“I’m glad you’re amused. In truth…” Sora paused, as if deciding how to phrase the words before speaking. He did that often. “I’m not good at improv. I’m not good at starting a joke or thinking of something off the cuff. But if someone else starts, I find I can easily roll with it.”
“Ahhhh.” Now, that made more sense to Ravi and eased his concerns. “That’s why, when I’ve started something, you follow suit.”
“Precisely. I enjoy doing so, as it makes me feel like I’m in on the joke. But so many people mistake me for being too serious, and they don’t try to joke around with me.”
It made him a little sad, that was clear. Ravi could hear it in his voice. And that was wrong, that’s what it was. To make that assumption and basically cut Sora out of the fun. Ravi would figure out later who was stupid enough to do that and then have many, many words with them.
“It’s part of why I wanted to date you,” Sora admitted after a moment. “Because you’ve never done that. You always start a joke and then give me a grin like you’re inviting me to come and play. I feel more included because of it, and life’s become vastly more fun. Do you do that intentionally, to make me welcome?”
“No? I mean, great if that’s how it’s working, but it’s more habit on my part.” Ravi slowed the car to make the next curve, as they were traveling through a steep section of the mountain. “Ever since I was knee-high, I’ve tried to make the clan laugh. They were so depressed after the war, and Hoheit in so much pain, they all needed to laugh. I’ve been cracking jokes for hundreds of years. I don’t always get a good response, but I try.”
“Ah. It makes sense to me, that your nature is so. Wind dragons are notorious pranksters at heart.”
Ravi blinked at this. “Are we really?”
“Oh, yes. We have many wind dragons in the clan. They’re all like you in some way. Quick-tongued pranksters with a tendency to be impulsive. They’re also incredibly light of foot like you are. You didn’t know?”
“Not one bit.”
Ravi thought about the implications of being able to meet a wind dragon. There was a lot that he didn’t know, that he’d figured out on his own. How his wind ability worked, for instance. He turned wistful at the idea of having an hour to ask the many, many questions he harbored.
“You think I can maybe meet a wind dragon from your clan?”
“I’ll make sure it happens.”
“Every time you make me a sweet promise, it makes me want to do naughty things to you.”
“Sounds like incentive to me.” Sora ducked in closer to steal a kiss as Ravi stopped at a crossroad. “I like doing things for you.”
Seriously, this man. Ravi would ask the cosmos what to do with him, but actually, he had too many ideas as it was. He kissed him back quickly before continuing to drive.
“I want to do things for you, too. So far, you’ve been helping me and my clan, and I haven’t been able to do anything in return.”
“Well, the situation rather called for it.”
“I mean, not arguing, but not my point, either.”
“You’re already helping me tremendously by pulling my clan out of hiding.”
Ravi gave a bzzt, like a game show host when a contestant gave the wrong answer. “Try again. Something more personal.”
“Take me flying?”
That wasn’t at all the question Ravi had expected. He blinked a few times, processing that.
“Sure? I mean, I love to fly, I’m all for it if you want to go on a trip with me.”
“It’s not often the dragons of my clan will take one of us flying, unless it’s their mate or there’s some task that requires it.” Sora’s voice turned soft and wistful, a little nostalgic. “But the few times I’ve been up, it was glorious. So liberating, as if gravity’s hold on me had fallen away completely. I loved every second of it.”