Page 54 of Yearning For Her

He understood then. It was there in her gaze, in her small, shy smile, in her slight hesitation before closing the door.

She’d kissed him like she cared about him—not about what he could do for her, not what he could provide, but him. More than ever, he longed to go to her, to take her in his arms, to kiss her, to hold her. But he couldn’t do any of that.

Kian shifted the car into drive. Pulling away was the most difficult thing he’d ever done, and he succeeded only because one thought, strong and certain, repeated in his mind.

She is mine.

Fifteen

The man grasped the top of the wrapper in both hands and tugged. When the plastic didn’t tear, he scowled.

Kian watched from his seat on the low wall of the plaza’s central fountain. The human male’s desire had caught Kian’s attention. This mortal harbored great anticipation for the packaged snack cake, more than Kian might’ve thought possible.

The man pulled on the wrapper again, arms trembling and face reddening with the exertion. A flare of frustration leapt up alongside his want, the two emotions blending to strengthen one another. He huffed and relaxed, shifting his hold to the wrapper’s corner.

The plastic tore effortlessly.

With a grunt, the man removed the snack from the wrapper. His anticipation again swelled to the forefront. It was, in its way, a sort of pleasure—or rather, a whisper of pleasure to come. Holding the cake almost reverently in one hand, he used the other to drop the wrapper in the trash can beside him.

But the plastic clung to him. He flicked his hand, managing only to shift the wrapper enough for it to stick to the backs of his fingers.

Muttering to himself, the man shook his hand with increasing force, each failed attempt to dislodge the offending wrapper further fueling his annoyance.

Kian leaned forward and braced his elbows on his thighs. The whole display was oddly fascinating.

The man let out an angry growl and swung his arm down hard. His fingers struck the metal rim of the can with a heavy clang. He reeled, swearing in surprise and pain, and hooked one arm over the other to clutch his hand to his chest.

The plastic wrapper fell. It floated and twirled on the gentle breeze, drifting close enough to the trash can opening to brush the rim before continuing to the ground.

Undoubtedly fueled by pain, the man’s frustration soared to new heights. He bent down, snatched the wrapper up, and crumpled it in his hand with excessive aggression before throwing it into the can. It didn’t stick to him this time.

Shoulders heaving, he glared down at the trash, shaking his wounded hand and stretching his fingers, which sported angry red welts across their knuckles. When he finally looked up, he started. Several other humans were standing nearby, staring at him questioningly. His face reddened again, this time with embarrassment.

“Yes,” Kian whispered to himself, “you are in the middle of a busy plaza.”

After offering a hesitant, awkward wave to the bystanders, the man turned and hurried away. His embarrassment endured, wavering only when he lifted the cake and took a big, hurried bite.

Despite his other, stronger emotions, a little burst of pleasure flowed from the man.

To have experienced such powerful feelings because of a snack, something so minor, so insignificant…

The more Kian watched these mortals, the less he understood them. He sat back, bracing his hands on the stone to either side, and swept his gaze slowly across the plaza.

This place, Silverpine Plaza, was one of many outdoor shopping areas that had become so popular in Memoree in recent years. Most such places were almost indistinguishable from one another. Nice shops and restaurants, neatly manicured landscaping, walkways paved with stylized cobbles. People always flocked to spots like this, but clear skies and warm sunshine had brought them out in droves today.

It was the perfect sort of place for Kian to linger while he waited for Willow to finish her work.

So many humans, so many emotions, and all of them so different from what he saw and sensed at his usual hunting grounds. There had to be a lesson in this. There had to be some insight to draw, some key to greater understanding that he was missing.

Such extreme emotions over a snack cake… Why? It shouldn’t have been important. What did a few seconds of time matter? The snack would’ve tasted no less sweet because of the brief delay.

Perhaps…

Kian frowned as his eyes settled on a woman pushing a stroller with a baby strapped inside. For a being who could outlast time itself, a single moment was irrelevant. Days passed in the blink of an eye, years in the space between breaths. But humans were born, lived, and died in a matter of decades.

Was that the lesson? These mortals burned bright and fast. Every moment, every concern, every sorrow and joy, was amplified for them. They viewed the world differently because they would be in it for only a short while.

Or, rather than some profound wisdom regarding the human condition, I simply witnessed a man having an embarrassing but ultimately trivial experience.

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