Page 25 of A Night of Indulgence and Sloth
I stroke her hair, talking in a low, soothing tone about absolutely nothing, yet to her, it’s something. To her it’s everything. She relaxes as I continue to comfort her.
“What’s the difference between a rabbit and a plum?” I ask her.
“What?” she asks, confusion lining her voice.
“They’re both purple, except for the rabbit.”
A laugh bubbles up from her throat, and my heart soars, so I tell her another one as the plane shakes again.
“What’s red and bad for your teeth?”
“A brick,” she answers through a chuckle.
“Damn, how’d you know? Shit, you didn’t eat bricks as a kid, did you? Are those even your real teeth?”
She slaps my chest playfully but doesn’t pull away.
“Okay, one more. You ready?” She bobs her head against me. “What do you call a magical dog?”
“Umm, I don’t know. What?”
“A labracadabrador.”
“Those are all terrible,” she says through fits of laughter.
“Maybe,” I reply, not offended in the least. As terrible as the jokes may be, they were the perfect distraction.
A short while later, there’s a soft ding that accompanies the seatbelt sign turning off.
“Is it over?” she whispers against my chest.
“It’s over.”
She pulls back, her eyes no longer holding the fear from before, and I sigh a breath of relief. “Thank you. Sorry for all that.” She pulls her hand from mine and gestures to my chest.
“You have nothing to apologize for. Now, if you hadn’t laughed at my jokes… we might have a problem.”
This woman is a goddamn miracle.
After only one meeting with Anita, not only did Lily convince her to open a branch in our building, but she also made plans for her visit to NYC.
How the hell did Aiden and I function without her on the team? It truly baffles me, and I say as much to her over dinner.
“You’ve been in an almost constant state of growth since you opened seven years ago, Kaleb. I’d say you definitely functioned without me.” She smiles at me, then turns her gaze to the sunset skyline.
We eat dinner at KOST, one of the restaurants housed on the forty-fourth floor of the Bisha Hotel. The views from here are absolutely stunning. It’s not yet dark enough for the lights on the CN Tower to turn on, but I hope for Lily’s sake that we’ll be out here long enough to see it.
“You don’t take compliments well, do you? Either way, I’d like to toast today’s success. May there be much more to comewith you by our side.” I raise my glass, and she follows suit, putting it directly in front of her face as if to hide from my praise.
The view from up here pales in comparison to her beauty. Sure, the skyline may be glowing as the day wanes, but nothing could shine brighter than her. Not for me. Fuck. I can’t imagine what Aiden must be feeling. I’d be positively green with envy if our roles were reversed. And I know someday, they will be.
The rest of the meal passes in a mix of companionable silence, shop talk, and hearty laughter. Once the bill is paid, I take a deep breath and offer my hand to Lily.
“Come with me. I want to show you something.”
She hesitates but eventually places her hand in mine, and I pull her toward the glass railing on the edge of the building. Darkness has descended around us, and any minute now, the CN Tower will be ablaze with the multicolored lights that even I can admit are a gem to behold.
“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” she whispers after looking down.
