Page 35 of A Song of Death and Desire

“Can I have a look? I’d love to learn more about your work.” He nods and allows me to sit close to him, looking at his screen while he shows me how he creates his designs. I’m enraptured listening to him and I’m not sure I’ve heard him speak so passionately about something. I can tell he gets a lot of enjoyment out of his work, and I’m thrilled for him that he has been allowed a second chance.

Chapter 36

The next few days seem to pass in a blur. It continues to surprise me how well Kairi and I get along and share space. Tom was right when he said I generally don’t like to live with anyone. I didn’t hate living with Kelly, but I still found that she often pushed me to do things that I was reluctant to do. I didn’t feel like I could completely relax around her. Other than Kelly, I haven’t lived long-term with anyone else since living with my parents.

Something that I’ve noticed with Kairi is she is more than willing to go with the flow. This might be because she’s new to being human in general, but she rarely has strong opinions about how something should be done. She also seems happy to go along with my choices. It’s because of this that I find myself paying more attention to what she likes and dislikes and making decisions with these things in mind. She doesn’t demandthings from me which makes me more willing to give them. It’s some kind of fucked up logic but it means that our dynamic is completely different to what mine was with Kelly.

I also really enjoy spending time with her. She makes me laugh and I find her enthusiasm for mundane things contagious.

We haven’t done anything sexual since our talk the other night, much to the disappointment of my chronically hard cock, but her face is far too easy to read, and I can tell that she is struggling to determine how to interact with me.

I’ve thrown myself back into work and have sent a few designs to Tom for approval. He’s told me he is pleased with what I have done and is happy for me to continue working from home. He doesn’t want to overload me with work too quickly, which is understandable. But I am also eager to help out, given that I know how completely inundated with work Tom is at the moment. I’ll be patient, though, and succeed at the work he gives me.

Kairi has also found a real love for retail. I was shocked when she told me about the job, and I didn’t lie when I told her that I had my doubts about her abilities. But once again, she surprised me and I’m learning that she is a lot more capable than I have given her credit for. I can also see that it’s improving her overall confidence in the human world.

She’s gone into the boutique every day this week. She told me that Kelsey didn’t actually need her every day, but Kairi was so eager that she pushed Kelsey to agree to extra shifts. It’s been nice to have the apartment to myself for a few hours each day. It allows me time to work without distraction and gives me the opportunity to think about my next steps.

We have also seen a lot of Sienna this week. She’s keeping busy during the days but will often come over for dinner. I get the impression that something isn’t quite right with her. If you didn’t know her as well as I do you probably wouldn’t notice, butI see the way her smile drops when she thinks neither of us are looking at her. I haven’t had the chance to ask her yet, but I know I need to make it a priority. She’s been here for two weeks now, and I know she will have to go back any day, but she still hasn’t mentioned when she has to return.

As the afternoon drags on, I take a break and decide to make a short trip into town. It feels like deja vu when I walk out the door of the apartment building only to come face to face with that journalist guy again. The nervous looking one with the disheveled hair. What was his name?

“Mr. Reynolds can I please have a moment of your time? It really is important.” Jeez this guy cannot take a hint.

“As I told you before, I’m not interested. Please leave me alone.”

“When the boat crashed did you see anything in the ocean? Anything that you couldn’t explain perhaps? Or did you hear anything unusual?”

I immediately go cold, and my heart begins to race. “I told you I don’t remember anything,” I respond, perhaps too quickly. “I’ve asked you to leave me alone. If you continue to come onto my property I’m going to have to get the authorities involved.”

Once again, I have to be the one who walks away from the conversation. This time, I’m entirely filled with dread. Why was he asking those questions? What does he know? Is Kairi in danger? My thoughts automatically go to Kairi and the urge to protect her. This journalist might be a problem. We need to keep an eye on him.

Later I decide that it might do us all good to have a night out. I doubt Kairi has even experienced going to a bar and I’ll invite Sienna and maybe even Tom and Lacey. Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. It can be a celebration of Kairi’s new job and my return to work.

I send text messages to Sienna and Tom and get replies back almost instantly saying that they’re in. Apart from the small stop at the bar with Tom recently, I don’t even remember the last time I had a night out. I definitely can’t remember the last time Iwantedto go out. Now I just have to wait until Kairi gets home to let her know.

Kairi is just as excited as I had anticipated when I tell her that we are going out and I get the pleasure of witnessing her crazy dance moves once more. I love the way she has no inhibitions and isn’t afraid to be herself. She even lets out her signature squeal when I let her know that Tom and Lacey will also be there.

“Oh, my goddess, what if they don’t like me?” she asks, running strands of hair through her fingers.

“Don’t worry, Tom and Lacey like everyone,” I respond.

We are interrupted by a knock on the door, and I open it to find Sienna.

“Hey Enna, what are you doing here? I thought we were going to meet at the bar.”

“I thought Kairi might appreciate someone to get ready with.” The scream that comes from behind me suggests that Kairi would indeed like that. I wordlessly gesture to Sienna, inviting her inside and she walks straight past me to Kairi.

“It’s great to see you too, Enna,” I call out as she and Kairi shut themselves in her room. She just laughs in response.

After what feels like a long time later, I’m ready to go and am trying to hurry up the girls. “Come on,” I groan. “What could you possibly be doing in there that is taking so long?”

“You can’t rush perfection,” Sienna yells out in reply.

The sound of the bedroom door opening draws my attention, and all the breath suddenly leaves my lungs. Kairi stands before me. I thought she looked like a goddess before, but now,now,I wonder if there is any being that tops a goddess in beauty. Her long sunset hair, while usually mostly straight with a slight wave, now falls to her waist in soft curls. Her emerald eyes that capture me in her spell are dusted with a dark shimmer on the eyelids, her eyelashes impossibly long. And her lips, fuck her lips, red and glossy and all I can think about is seeing that lipstick smudged on my cock. It takes me a long moment before I’m even able to look away from her face but when I do, the sight has me wanting to fall to my knees to worship at her altar.

Kairi is wearing a form-fitting, very short, black, silky dress. It’s so tight to her body that it’s positively indecent and leaves nothing to the imagination. A deep v neckline shows the swells of her breasts and I think I can see a shimmer to the skin of her cleavage.

I am completely and utterly lost for words. She is every daydream and fantasy I have ever had, wrapped up in a black silk package. I want to devour her.Consume her. How the hell does she expect me to walk out the door with her looking like this? I want her all to myself. The idea of anyone evenlookingat her in this outfit has a growl building in my throat.

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