“It’s very nice to meet you, Isla. I’ll be on my way so you two can talk.” I wrap an arm around Bel’s shoulder to kiss the side of her head before walking out the front door. I can’t go far, but I could probably get away with sitting in the stairwell. I have nointentionof listening in on their conversation, but Idoneed to know when Isla leaves so I can go back inside. If I overhear something in the meantime, I cannot be held at fault for that.
“Holy shit, where did you find him and where can I get one?! No wonder you weren’t answering my texts. I wouldn’t have answered either. I’m so sorry I interrupted you guys. I really had no idea. I just know how you get when you work so I wanted to pop in and make sure you stopped to eat.” Good. She deserves a friend who will look after her and give her the same love she seems to give everyone else.
“It’s a long story, I… met him through work,” I laugh at that, even if technically it is true, “and it’s still very new. That was the first time we’ve kissed.”
“You haven’t fucked him yet?”They all really use that language so comfortably now.I decide then that my first order of business will be to read more of her books so I can blend in with the colloquial language here.
“No, not even close.”
“Dude, are you crazy? He’s so hot. Does he have a brother? A sister? A distant cousin?”
“I’m not totally sure. It’s like I said, it’s brand new.”That’s an understatement.
“You both looked ready to get down right there against the wall so it must have been good.”
“Yeah, it was a good kiss. Areallygood kiss,” I can hear the smile in her voice all the way from here.
Isla gives her a happy little squeal and says, “Fuck yeah. That’s awesome. You deserve it. Get laid. Have some fun. Keep him around for a while. Or don’t.”I’m not going anywhere.“Just do it for yourself and not him. Promise?”
“Promise.”
After a few more minutes of chatting and Isla mentioning that she brought Bel some dinner, they say their goodbyes. Isla walks into the elevator, hits a few buttons, and it whooshes away.
“Caspian?” Bel sticks her head out into the hallway, whisper-shouting, looking around for me.
I exit the stairwell, and her eyes light up when they land on me. She opens her mouth to apologize, as she does so often, but I stop her with my finger tapping once on her nose, “Do not apologize. Unless it’s for distracting me to the point I could not even sense another person in your domain. Little minx, you are.”
She rolls her eyes and drags me inside, “Isla brought a ton of food so have some of whatever looks good.”You look delicious.Before I can respond, she sputters, “No. Not me. Food.”
While of course, I’d much prefer to finish what we started against the door, the memory her sweet sigh and ravenous mouth sending shivers down my spine, she’s in need of sustenance and her needs come first. I’ll taste her gorgeous mouth again later.
I grin at her and settle in to have a mortal meal with my Bel. We spend the rest of the evening talking and eating before she excuses herself to bed. We have only a few days here together before we begin our search in earnest. Somehow, I have to show her that even once we find what we’re looking for, I’ll not be leaving, and show her that it’s what she wants too.
Vegas, Baby
Bel
Lunch with Isla always goes one of two ways. One of us cries, or we spend way too much fucking money on shit we don’t need. Today was one of thosevery rareoccasions that we got to do both. We usually make it a point not to get together for lunch because it’s a guarantee neither of us will get anything else accomplished for the day. But when her parents get to their meddling bullshit, all bets are off.
After a long lunch and several frilly little mocktails, we find ourselves meandering through town. We float in and out of shops, and I can’t help but remember doing pretty much the same things yesterday with Caspian.
Isla keeps looking behind her, peeking around corners, and all around acting super weird. I ignore it the first few times, chalking it up to paranoia because of her asshole parents. But after a little while, I have to ask her what has her so jumpy.
“Oh. I’m not sure. I just keep getting this weird feeling like we’re being followed.”Shit.“You don’t feel that?” she asks.
Lying to her feels terrible, but I can’t exactly explain that Caspian has to trail us all day to make sure no more hunters show up. He’s brought along the compass, keeping an eye on it and coming closer whenever it stops spinning like crazy. Obviously, we don’t know if they can find us without it, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
“No, I don’t feel anything,” It feels like fucking sandpaper in my mouth, but she doesn’t need to be dragged into this, “Maybe hearing from your parents is making you a little paranoid? It wouldn’t be a huge stretch since they managed to find you even after changing your email address and phone number again.”
As soon as I say it, I spot him again. His sly little smirk as he stares at us from the shadow of the closest building. He points at the wristwatch he got… somewhere yesterday as if he’s telling me it’s getting late. He can’t read the thing yet, but he liked it all the same, and who am I to stop him from being the most extra demon he can be?
“Yeah, I guess you’re probably right,” she pulls my attention back to her. Then she sighs, “It’s getting late and I need to work on a few things tonight before I get to bed. I’ll order an Uber andyoucan order for your new man to come pick you up for a nightcap.”
After a quick wink, she pulls out her phone and gets to work. I pull out my own and pretend to text Caspian, knowing full well he’s been listening and that it’ll take him no time at all to get over here.
“Speaking of shitty parents,” Isla interrupts my secret gawking, “How’s your mom?”
I scoff, “She’s not shitty. She’s just…” I can’t think of a better descriptor, but fortunately, Isla has several.
