Page 17 of Something Real with the Sea Monster

Some of her defensiveness falls away and her eyes widen. “Really?”

“Really. Like, a long time ago.”

“How long ago?”

Now I’m starting to feel uncomfortable all over again, but in a new and fun way. “Well, when I was about twenty.”

She blinks. “How old are you now?”

“Thirty.”

“Ten years! Jack, are you telling me you went ten years with no sex?”

I laugh too loudly, hoping she doesn’t push this. “Well, no, not ten years. No.”

There’s a pause. “How long?”

I clear my throat. “Technically, I’ve never had sex.”

She blinks. “Never?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re a virgin? You’ve never had sex?”

I wish she would stop saying it like that. I have my reasons.

“OK, alright. My brothers already give me enough shit for not having a girlfriend. If they knew... I’m not a complete loser, I’m just waiting.”

“For marriage?” She gapes at me. “No. Wait. You’re a kraken. What is it called again?”

“Well it’s more or less the same thing, but with kraken there’s something even more serious than marriage.” I watch her face carefully as I say the next part. “We have fated mates.”

“Oh shit. That’s right. Mia told me. So you’re waiting to find your fated mate?”

“Something like that,” I mumble.

“Oh, well why didn’t you say? That changes everything.”

“It does?” Maybe I made a mistake not just telling her last night.

“Of course it does. Aww, Jack. That’s adorable. God if I wasn’t in this shitty town to clear my head and detox from guys, I’d be feeling a lot more jealous of whoever that is.”

I open my mouth to tell her she doesn’t need to be jealous, but then the rest of her statement sinks in. She’s detoxing from guys? Well now I’m confused. “Uh, but last night—?”

She chuckles. “Last night I was very drunk and horny.” She winces. “Which is kind of on trend for me. Listen, I’m really sorry. That probably made you really uncomfortable and was all kinds of inappropriate. I get that.”

I don’t want to tell her it did in case it makes her feel worse. Her words make me wonder, though. “Do you often drink that much?”

“It’s not that much,” she says quickly. There’s a long pause. She twists her mouth into a grimace. “Well, anyway, I’m detoxing. Starting today.”

I’m quiet for a moment. “Is that what you want to do??”

“Yeah, just for a month or so. It’ll be over before I know it.”

“Want company?”

Her pained expression clears. “You mean you’ll give up drinking with me?”