You kissed him.
“On the hand.”
A kiss is a kiss.
“There are different kisses for different reasons.”
Yes, and there is a reason for this kiss. It's a certain type of kiss. And you know why you did it.
“This can't happen.”
Why?
“I never thought this through. I was only thinking of buying something to help Malin settle down. Kirion wasn't for me.”
Why does that matter now?
“Because now I have had time to think about it. It's wrong. I mean… can an owned person consent?”
Owned or not, Kirion has his own mind.
“But there's a power inequality. I can't fix that.”
I don't understand. If you let him have free choice how can that be wrong?
“I don't know. I'm overthinking this, aren't I?”
I think maybe you are.
“Legally, on paper, he's owned. That's a legal public fact.”
I don't care about things like that. He's ours. It's obvious.
“The question is does that ownership and inequality that's public enter into private space?”
Consenting adults.
“I have to think about it.”
You want him. We want him.
“I know.”
I stepped out of the shower and quickly toweled dry. Thoughts were buzzing around my head. I took my time picking out clean clothes to wear to dinner. I had no idea what I would do when I saw him again. Pretend it never happened? Bring it up over wine and dessert?
I was always sure of myself in business but not in my private affairs. What a disaster I was.
I went downstairs early, before the candles were lit. The place settings were still missing water glasses and salad plates.
I moved away from the dining table and to the French doors, looking out at the backyard where the wind blew faster and harder over the garden. The sun had already set though it wasstill light out with the sky turning bright orange beyond a cloudy horizon.
The wind made a low sound as if sad. Beyond the garden, the trees were bending, and what leaves were left were swirling away in spots of red and gold.
Quickly, it grew dark.
There was a fluttering in my stomach. I didn't know what to do with my hands. All I could think was that I had somehow done something wrong. Very wrong.
That doesn't make sense.
