I missed the first part, but I think he was talking about his designation.

“…best thing to be.”

I nodded slowly. I was confused and was starting to suspect Jules might be talking crazy. He stepped up onto one of the seating logs. He lifted his shirt at his sternum the same way he’d done the previous night. He flapped it gently and when he did, he seemed to fan his scent in my direction. It drifted in my direction in a thick purple haze. It was heavy. It seemed to sink to the ground, pool for a while, and then flow directly toward me. It wound its way up my legs, massaging my calves and then my thighs.

Jules leapt from one log to another. It was a long jump and for a second, I thought he wouldn’t make it, but as usual he did. Sparks flew when he landed. Real sparks. Sparks I could see as clearly as I’d have seen if I was watching metal grind against metal. They were no normal sparks, though. As soon as they ignited, they lifted up into the air and took off into the woods, darting like fireflies.

I held my breath as Jules leapt again. Sparks were still flying when he started to speak.

“. . . glad it’s you,” he said.

“Huh?” I don’t mind admitting, I was struggling to keep up.

“I said, I’m glad it’s you.”

“Glad it’s me what?”

He shook his head and blew a puff of air out of his nose. “I’m glad it’s you. I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you’re the one I get to go through all this shit with.”

I couldn’t believe what he was saying. I wanted to believe it. I wanted to believe it badly, but I couldn’t tell if he meant it, or if it was his heat speaking.

“Jules,” I whispered, as if I thought whispering would help me get around Jules-in-heat and somehow give me direct access to my first and best friend. “Jules, are you talking crazy?”

Jules-in-heat dropped his jaw slightly and smiled slowly at me. He flapped his shirt again, and then started to unbutton it. He handled each button with care. His movements were considered. Leisurely. He pulled his shirt open, exposing his chest and his taut, knotted abs. I slumped back in my seat. The purple haze his action released wound around my chest. It almost overwhelmed me.

“Jules,” I whispered again. “Are you trying to seduce me?”

He laughed at that. Short, hard bursts of laughter bubbled out of his chest. “Oh, Sully,” he said. “If I was trying to seduce you, you'd know all about it.”

“Oh,” I said dumbly.