“No, if you stay, I stay.”
“Okay then. Let’s go in tomorrow and see how it is. Maybe nothing will change. Maybe we won’t see them, we never saw Mr. Trowlen.”
I know it’s unlikely that he won’t see his parents or cousin. I do think that I’m beneath their notice though, or at least I hope I am. Especially after Asher beat up his cousin. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
I makemy way into my apartment later that day still dressed in Asher’s clothes. I trashed the gold dress, never wanting to see it again. Reverie is eating a marshmallow in the kitchen when I walk by; the little miscreant stuffs her cheeks full in a guilty attempt to hide her thievery.
“Where did you even get that from?” I ask, dismayed at my friend’s resourcefulness. To my knowledge, we haven’t had marshmallows in the apartment in years.
Reverie gulps until her cheeks aren’t bulging anymore, then shoots me a wicked smile.
“Why do you look like you were railed to within an inch of your life?”
“What?! I do no?—”
“Ooooooh, yousodo.” Zuri saunters into the kitchen in time for the two of them to gang up on me. She tosses a marshmallow into her mouth with a smirk. “Spill it.”
“Fine. Maybe I was.” I can’t help but grin at the memory.
Best sex of my life.
Zuri’s eyes turn wary as she narrows them, eyeing me up and down like she’ll find evidence of a crime or something.
“What?”
“I…” Zuri starts, then pauses when she sees the warning daggers I’m shooting her way. “Be careful.”
I roll my eyes as Reverie scoffs.
“You gotta relax, Z. Raya’s fine! If you ask me, she knows how to pick ‘em.” Reverie turns to me as she continues to run her mouth. “Soooooo, was it the best you’ve ever had?”
My face flames, and Reverie cackles. She leaps from the counter with a flurry of wings, sending glittery dust flying as she shoots straight at me and comes to a halt in midair, hovering inches from my nose. My eyes go a little cross-eyed trying to look at her.
“It. Totally. Was.” Reverie claps her hands together with each word and flicks her wings excitedly. “Tell me everything. I want all the details.”
Reverie snags some of my hair and tugs on it, trying to pull me into the bedroom and away from Zuri’s pursed lips.
“How big is he? What did it feel like? Did you go multiple rounds?”
The questions pour out of her, and I wonder if such tiny creatures don’t need to breathe, because she doesn’t seem to be stopping for air.
“Reverie,” I sigh, “I know you want the details, but I’m not ready to share them. This is… different.”
Reverie flutters down to my shoulder as I close mybedroom door behind us.
“Different how?”
“I mean, I really care about him. I think I might be falling for him. It feels too special to gossip about like it doesn’t matter, I guess.”
Reverie runs her hands through my hair in a soothing gesture.
“I think I get it. I wasn’t trying to say it didn’t matter.”
She hops from my shoulder to one of the fuzzy pillows on my bed.
“I guess I just want to know what it’s like.” Reverie turns away from me, breaking eye contact as she watches her hands sweep back and forth on the pillow. “I don’t know if I’ll ever have anything like that.”
“Oh, Rev.” I crouch down next to her and cup her in my hands, bringing her up to my cheek for our version of a nuzzle-hug. “I’m so sorry. I wish we knew more about your kind, if there are others like you, or more about where you came from so we could look.”
