When she told me that her heart had stopped working once and she had to be brought back from the dead, I couldn’t believe my ears. I’d only met Kayla a short time ago, but already I couldn’t imagine my life without her in it.
I spent restless nights pondering if her heart would cease its beating again. I would give her my own, if it were possible.
Her weakened body made it difficult for her to do even the simplest of tasks that required physical movement, which was why she needed the mobility device I was making for her. Once I gave it to her, she’d no longer have to walk long distances outside of the mountain. She would be able to save her strength forhaving fun instead of wasting it on traveling by foot.
“Now is a great time. Come on in!” I ushered her inside.
“You said you needed another measurement.” She sounded doubtful, and I hated how she had lost hope in my ability to finish this project for her.
“Actually,” I raked a hand through my hair. “I think I’ve got your measurements correct.”
I turned around and picked up the finished chair, complete with a cousin on the back and the seat.
“Wow,” Kayla’s eyes lit up and my heart swelled seeing her joy.
“Come sit.” I put the chair down on a bench and motioned for her to sit.
Kayla hesitated. I had put her in countless poorly proportioned chairs, so I understood her weariness.
“This one is correct,” I promised.
She slowly sat down and visibly relaxed into the cushions.
“Drovo,” Kayla closed her eyes as she sat back even further and for a brief moment, I imagined it was me bringing her pleasure and not the chair I’d made.
“This is incredible,” she sighed.
“I’m glad you like it. I told you, you can’t rush perfection.”
Kayla’s eyes popped open, and she leveled me with a glare.
“If it took you a month to finish the chair, should I expect it to take three months for you to finish the rest of it?”
Her words were harsh but well deserved.
I swallowed hard. “No. I’ve, uh, I’ve been working on the rest of it while finishing up the chair. It shouldn’t be too much longer before the entire thing is complete.”
My tail thumped the floor, and I quickly grabbed it and placed a fake smile on my face. I was lying. I’d already finished the rest of it, but I couldn’t just tell her that. Then she’d know I’d been deceiving her about the chair taking so long and our already fractured relationship would only get worse.
No, I’d take a few more days pretending to finish the rest of the device and then I’d give it to her. I couldn’t wait to see the joy on her face when I presented her with the finished project. I secretly hoped it would help me get back into Kayla’s good graces. I wanted that more than anything.
“Do you need me for anything else?” She asked as she got up from the chair.
“Nope, that’s all.”
“Okay, well, thanks again.” Kayla waved as she left my workshop and I watched as braided hair swished behind her.
Turning back to my workbench, I willed the vines that had been covering the moving chair to lift away.
A sturdy wooden platform with eight small wheels along the bottom stood proudly in the corner. I’d spent the past few weeks etching designs along the edges. If I was going to make Kayla wait for her moving chair, I wanted the wait to be worth it.
I picked up my bone knife and took a seat in front of the wooden structure. Just a few more days. I’ll give this to Kayla in a few more days.
Chapter 3
Kayla
Hai and I sat outside on the ridge that was dubbed lover’s lane, sewing and patching our clothes. I’d never seen them so happy before. Ashley had been delighted to use her hair cutting skills to cut Hai’s hair with the bone knife Brexl lent to us. Now they couldn’t stop running their fingers through the short tendrils on top of their head.
