“Within reason?What the hell does that even mean, Micah?”
He set the clipboard down.When she called him by his name, it somehow turned on a different part of his brain.He loved it when she spoke with him and used his given name, creating an intimacy between them where he felt...safe.
“‘Within reason’ means I can show you, guide you, teach you a few things, but we can only go so far,” he said.“Your purity is a gift for your wedding night.I have no rights to it, and really no rights to your body in any form; however, if you make a request of me, and I am able to give it to you, within reason, I shall.”
“Fine.I want a Vespa for when we go to Uni,” she said.
“There are times when you vex me, Alita,” he said, laughing.
He picked up the clipboard and went back to counting dead bugs.They ran twelve experiments with twelve different protocols, leaving only three to be effectively working.This meant the afternoon would be spent picking more bugs to run an overnight test before their departure to Argentina on Wednesday where they would be staying through until Monday.
“Boss,” she said, pulling him back to the official relationship between them.“You seem to be tight this morning.Is there anything on your mind?”
He shrugged.“I got a call from Abuelo about the weekend.”
“Anything out of the ordinary we need to prepare for?”
“Raj van Dijk of Suriname will be present with his daughter Zoë,” Micah said.“She has just turned 18 and is unmatched, so I have to contend with that.”
“Okay, what else?”
“Juan Benitez, the cousin of Irena Villareal, is bringing his daughter, Rosa, who lost weight, a lot of weight, to be presented to my grandfather as a possible match and pairing for me,” Micah said.
“Did she lose the weight so she could be paired with you?”
“No, she lost the weight so she could get paired with whoever will take her,” Micah said.“I truly hate the entire process.It is demeaning for the young women and misogynistic for the men, but to preserve our way of life and to strengthen partnerships, it is how it is done.”
Alita sighed.“You didn't mention Uruguay.”
“Oh, trust and believe that Martín Rossi and his daughter Sofia will be there,” he said.“Yuñior told me that the Rossi's had her specifically as a pairing for me.When they found out my mother had a third son, Sofia’s parents actually conceived another child for me to marry.I'm certain she has been educated in all things Micah Luciano Delgado Fernandez.The sadness in my chest is tightening around my heart.”
Alita moved quickly to stand in front of him.“Look at me.Count.2, 3, 5, 8, 13.”
“Those numbers aren't sequential,” he said.
“Twenty-one, thirty-four, fifty-five, eighty-nine, 144, 233,” Alita continued.
“Ah, the Fibonacci sequence,” he said, looking at her.“You are very smart.I like that.Will you be open to us learning how to kiss?We can try it on each other.”
“Micah,” she said, lowering her gaze from his face, her cheeks warming, “are you saying you're willing to put your mouth on me?”
“Lady, the levels in which you vex me should be studied,” Micah said, giving a wry smile and stepping away.“We need more bugs.”
****
IT WAS A QUARTER AFTEReleven when Alita entered the back hall of the home.She knew Micah was awake.Their phones were synchronized as well as his smartwatch.Around nine, he'd fallen over in a comatose like sleep, and most evenings he'd sleep through the night.The past few days, his sleeping habits were erratic, which at some point in the very near future meant his behavior would become that way as well.He was headed for a meltdown she could feel in her bones.Couple the stress of women auditioning to be his wife and bear his children, along with not having the regular physical release of a paramour, the man was wound pretty tight.
She tapped at the door, waiting for him to bid her entrance.He sat on the couch in the bedroom, playing a game on his phone.Her presence in his sleeping quarters didn't seem to interest him very much.
“I'm here for our first kissing lesson,” she said.
“Okay,” he replied, still toying with his phone.She stood waiting for him to grant her access to sit next him or to finish the level he was playing.The way his mind worked, he couldn't go from one matter to the other without finishing what he was currently working on.Therefore, she waited for him to close out the phone and look up.“Hey.”
“Hey,” she replied walking towards him.She took a seat on the couch and removed two hard candies from her pocket.Alita gave one to him.
“Is my breath tart?”
“I don't know; I haven't gotten that close yet,” she told him.
