Page 81 of Spider Demon's Kiss

Startled, I quickly wiped my face and escaped the car.

“I wasn’t crying.”

Joining me as we walked to the elevator, Dante stared at me concerned.

“Did what happen freak you out?”

“What?”

“The head thing and dinner.”

I looked at him laughed.

“You’re dumb but you’re cute.”

He stopped.

“Look, Kuroi, I love you. I’ve told you that I love you. And I will do anything to protect you. But you gotta meet me half way. You can’t just break out crying and not tell me what’s going on. How do you think that makes me feel?”

I stopped and looked back frustrated.

“I said I wasn’t crying.”

“Then what was it, allergies?” he asked sarcastically. “Was robot fluid leaking from your face? I hate to tell you this but you’re not a robot. You feel things even if you can’t admit that you do.”

“Listen to me, Dante, I wasn’t crying!” I insisted.

“And what about the other night?”

I froze.

“What other night?”

“The night when… we did that thing and you… you know… lost it?”

“That wasn’t me.”

“Well, I sure hope it was you. We just got married. It’s too soon to be inviting another man into our bed,” he joked.

“Dante,” I said overwhelmed.

He grabbed me by the shoulders and stared down into my eyes.

“You don’t have to do this. I know I’m not that great at communicating. I mean, why the fuck would I be. But I know it’s important so I’m trying here. If I hurt you, you gotta tell me. That’s what the safe word is for, right? So I don’t hurt you. You can’t let me keep doing things that hurt you.”

“You haven’t done anything to hurt me,” I insisted.

“Then why were you crying?”

“Because my life is fucked up, Dante. I don’t know if you know this about me, but everyone calls me the spider demon. And they deserve to.”

“No one deserves to talk to you like that.”

“Yes they do. Because I am the spider demon. I will kill you, Dante. I don’t want to. And I won’t even know I’m doing it. But one day I’m going to wake up and find you lying next to me dead. I can’t take that, Dante. I don’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you. I love you.”

“Wait, you love me?”

“Yeah… Or, I don’t know. How the fuck is someone like me supposed to know what love is?”

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