“Yup.” I mouthed the countdown from three and pressed record.
He opened the oven and took out the thick, round Chicagoan invention. The scent of tomato sauce and basil filled the kitchen.
“Here’s the finished product,” I said behind the camera. “I wish you could smell the pizza—absolutely divine.” I did a closeup of the crust, then stepped back. “And here is the man who has been giving us culinary miracles this week. A huge shout-out to Spiro!” The zoom out showed Spiro holding the pizza in his two lower tentacles while the two upper ones waved to the camera. His smile was a tad nervous, but when he looked at me, he beamed. I stopped the video and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Now you’ll have to taste some of this and tell me if you like it.”
“Oh no. What a chore!” I rolled my eyes. “I’ll post about it too.”
“We should let the pizza cool down while we get ready to eat.”
“Yes, Chef.” I loved the sparkle in his eyes whenever I said that, so I made a note to use it more. “I’ll finalize the video with the last shot and post it now. How about you go clean up and I’ll set the table? Is orange juice okay for you?”
“Perfect, thanks.” He placed a soft kiss on my lips and wiggled to the bathroom.
We sat at the large dinner table opposite each other, but at the shorter end. I hated sitting far away from Spiro, and it made for awkward conversation. Like this, he could reach me with his tentacles and caress my legs. It would be the best part of having a meal with him if the food weren’t so goddamn amazing.
I took a short video of the thick triangle slice on my plate and set the phone down.
“Now, the moment of truth.” Spiro intertwined his fingers and propped his chin on them, watching me.
I took a forkful from the tip of the pizza and chewed. “Oh yes.” I closed my eyes and moaned.
“Is it the food or is your hand under the table?”
I snickered. “Don’t make me choke. It’s so fucking good, Spiro. You’re brilliant.”
“I have so much more to learn—”
“Just take the compliment.” I shoved another bite into my mouth.
“Thank you, Kaos.”
The meal passed in sharing anecdotes from our lives, as we have over the past week. It let me get to know Spiro more, but we rarely delved into serious topics.
Once we made it to the couch, we turned the TV on for weather updates.
“Our meteorologists say that the storm should leave completely by tomorrow. Some of you have been tentatively going outside for the last day or two, but soon, we can be certain that we are absolutely safe. The roads are being cleared—”
“We can leave the house.” I whispered, not sure if I should celebrate or mourn that now Spiro won’t be stuck with me.
“Good thing you’re not moving out, though.” Spiro tightened his tentacles around me.
I snuggled into him, wiggling my bum on his lap. “I’m too comfortable here.”
“I can go and shop for more ingredients.”
“And I can see Chicago.” I pointed to the half-completed puzzle we'd had to restart twice thanks to my clumsy tail. “After looking at those buildings up close in tiny pieces, I’m ready to see them out there.” I gave him my best wide-eyed Puss-in-Boots look. “Will you go with me?”
“Of course. Do you want to begin your epic sightseeing with The Magnificent Mile, or maybe John Hancock Building to view the city from above?”
I gave him a smug smile. “I read about this in a guide I got at the airport, and it’s called 875 North Michigan Avenue now. Since then, I’ve made a list of things I want to visit.” I opened the sightseeing plan on my phone, but instead of looking, he kissed my cheek and nibbled on my jaw.
“I’ll go anywhere you want.” His tone bore so much weight, I imagined he’d meant it to apply to forever, not only a trip to the city.
“People pleaser.” I buried my hand in his hair as he continued nuzzling my neck. His tentacles floated around him, and I caught one to play with. I touched a sucker that was big enough to catch my fingertip in a cup-like move.
“Is that a bad thing?” He pulled my hoodie up and placed a kiss on my navel.
