Page 17 of First Kiss with a Mothman

After clearing my throat, I change the subject. “So, you’re pretty good at violin. First chair, that’s something.”

Arie beams at me and pushes up his glasses. “Thanks. It’s a fun pastime. How about you? Do you like playing the cello?”

“It’s alright.” I shrug. “I don’t have that much of a passion for it. I’m more into audio-visual production for films than anything.”

“That’s awesome,” he replies with sincere cheerfulness.

“Yeah. But orchestra class isn’t so bad. Professor Fan is cool.”

“He seems cool. And hot.”

I shoot him a curious look, and he can feel my inquisitive gaze. “I mean to say…” Arie waves his hands and continues, “I can tell from the vibes who’s good-looking, or who is attractive to me. I’m not about to have a crush on a professor or anything.”

“Right.”

“He knows a lot about music, is all. And he supports me.”

I try to ignore that sting of jealousy. Arie thinks some professor dude is hot, but what about me? I tap my thighs and say, “By my understanding, he’s a phantom who’s perpetually the same age. He wears a white mask all the time, something about his monster form.”

“What does your monster form look like?”

I open my mouth, but words don’t come out. It’s always so obvious, I’ve never had to explain what I was to anyone. Everyone can see my antennae, and I whip out my wings all the time. “Um…”

“Is that rude? I’ve barely spoken to monsters, and none of them my own age.”

“It’s alright. Is that why you chose the famous Creepin U?” I shoot him a facetious grin and add, “Lots of humans low-key have a thing for hooking up with monsters.”

I snicker, but he shakes his head with a smile. “No. You’re all the same to me. No one seems creepy when you can’t, well, see anyone.” He leans back, and my smile falls. “If anything, I’m the freak.”

“What?”

Arie shrugs and says, “People don’t know how to treat me. They handle me with kid gloves. I can’t say I particularly blame them. My life is complicated; I act like I’ve got everything under control, but I needed you to do the friggin’ laundry.” We both laugh, but my heart aches for him. Who would alienate Arie? Like all of my interactions with him, on some level I want him to feel better.

“People think it’s weird that I’m half-bug.”

“Oh, right. Mothman.” He makes a butterfly motion with his hands, and it’s so adorable I bite back another laugh.

“But yeah. There aren’t many of us. Even to the monster community, I’m an oddity. One of the only ones in America. I’m not gonna act like it’s the same thing as being blind, but…”

“We can be oddities together.” He puts out his fist, and after a long pause, I bump it. After that, we relax, listening to the sounds of laundry and dryer machines buzzing in the next room.

“Maybe next time I should bring my own laundry. It’s impossible for me to get the solitude to clean my clothes in peace at my place.”

“Which dorm?”

“I live off campus in a frat house.”

“No way!” He laughs and grins at me. “A frat, that’s so cool.”

“Not really. It’s just an organized way to live in the attic of a house on a cheap lease.”

“But think of the parties!”

“That’s a terrible stereotype.”

“You’re telling me you don’t throw ragers?”

“I…I…” Waving my hands, I add, “I don’t participate in them.”