Z Day -4,689

  [Are you really reading these date thingies? -Rhiannon]

  JAMES

  “Keep this on, and don’t take it off,” Shae said, tying the red leather strip to my arm.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “It’s…a symbol of my house.”

  “Your house?” I frowned.

  “Yes, and it says you belong to my house, so no one is allowed to bother you,” Shae said.

  I hesitated. “Uh, I don’t know about this.”

  “Oh, come on, you promised.” Shae persuaded. “I went to your game; you said you’d come to mine.”

  I’d never been to a vampire live action role-playing (LARP) game before. I’d always avoided them because they were odd and the people that went to them even stranger. But she was right. She’d come to my park and offered to bring me to hers. I didn’t even know how to say no to her, so here I was, standing in the parking lot of the Barton Creek Greenbelt.

  The greenbelt was just a shallow valley that wandered through the Southwest part of town. There was a creek down there, but it was dry nine months out of the year as it was now. The trees were thick, and I couldn’t see the bottom of the valley, just the small path that wound down into the ravine.

  It had been a few weeks since our ‘date night’ at Drakes, and I hadn’t seen Shae until she showed up unannounced at the boffer park. She played for a while and then told me she wanted to take me to her park. She played a vampire LARP at her park, which was, in her words, “cool.”

  Despite the feelings of rejection I always seemed to have with her disappearing acts, I could never turn her down. In truth, I was ecstatic to see her; she could have asked me to jump off the bridge over Barton Creek, and I would have done so happily.

  She’d brought me some “garb” from days past but with modern touches: high necks, billowy sleeves, and lots of buttons and straps. Shae had to help me into the costume. At first, I felt silly, but I must admit that the clothes fit well, and I thought I looked pretty good.

  Shae led me down into the forest and reviewed the rules on the way. “There’s no actual combat like at your park. When a conflict arises, we play rock, paper, scissors to determine the outcome.”

  “Rock, paper, scissors? The hand game?” I asked.

  “Yep, that is, if you can’t talk your way around it. That’s part of the fun, seeing what you can talk other people into,” she grinned.

  “One, two, three, go. That rock, paper, scissors?” I mimicked my hand, striking my fist, still in disbelief.

  “Yes. I didn’t make it up; deal with it. Oh, and I’m a…Duchess here, so be careful how you talk to me,” she said smartly.

  “Duchess?” I managed.

  “Yes, and you…you’re my…tap boy.” She seemed to falter with the sentence.

  “Tap boy?” I asked.

  “Yeah, you know, the guy that goes to the bar, turns the tap on the barrel, and wine comes out. Tap boy,” she recovered.

  “So, I’m your servant? Doesn’t sound like much fun for me,” I frowned.

  She stopped and turned, a “silly boy” smile on her face. “Trust me, you’ll like this.” She kissed me. It was short but deep and left me breathless. “I promise I’ll make it worth your while.” The mischievous grin widened as she took a step back and opened her coat.

  It had been chilly for Austin, and she was wearing a light, full-length coat. What was underneath the simple black coat were leather boots that ran up to her knees. Her black, almost spandex-like pants left nothing to the imagination. As I worked my way up, she was wearing some sort of black bodice with green embroidery work that made me have to adjust my trousers. A black lace choker and long-sleeved gloves finished off the outfit.

  “Close your mouth, dear,” she grinned as she closed the coat. “Now come on, or we’ll be late.” She spun on her heel and continued down the path into the descending night.

  It had been a bit of a hike to get to where the summit, as Shae called it, was. I wondered what I’d gotten myself into when we finally entered a clearing where the others were gathered. As I glanced around at all the leather and skin showing, I now knew why this gathering was so far from the public eye. Anyone stumbling onto this would think they’d walked into an S&M party.

  Unfortunately, not everyone there pulled it off as well as Shae did. Several people looked as if they’d stepped out of a magazine shoot. Others wore too much makeup and should never be in the same room as spandex. Most of the men here were much older than me and held an intimidation factor I didn’t understand. A handful of teenagers were talking in a small circle off by themselves.

  Shae told me she was a ‘visiting dignitary’ in this game. She represented another region and was here to discuss diplomatic relations with the local clan.

  “I’ll be back in a minute.” With a squeeze of my arm, she left me and stepped up into what appeared to be the head honcho’s circle of flunkies. I still didn’t see the point as they were standing around talking when someone barged in, talking loudly and gesturing wildly about some decision they’d made, apparently against him. It became intense but seemed to fizzle as they talked him down.

  (∞*0)?(0*∞)

  SHAE

  I glanced back at James as I left him. I felt bad about leaving him alone, but if I didn’t check in right away, it would be a breach of etiquette. I couldn’t bring him with me to the high circle for the same reason. I hoped this didn’t take long and that I could get back to him quickly.

  I waited just outside the circle until Pagoda acknowledged me. He was an oily man who always made my skin crawl. He was clever, though; I had to give him that. He’d been climbing the power ladder quickly and could now lay sole claim to the Austin area. I knew he was overconfident in himself, though, and I secretly hoped someone would finally smack him down. I wasn’t 100% sure if these were my feelings or my master’s bleeding through. It was probably both.

  I made the traditional platitudes before being dismissed to join the others of the high circle. Nodding to each of the other couriers and guests present, I made my way to the only person I trusted here.

  Shelby made room for me as I joined her.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here tonight,” I said quietly to her.

  “Yeah, I wasn’t expecting it either.” Shelby frowned. “But it seems the glorious leader here wanted all the prominent figures of the area to make an appearance tonight. Who knew I was considered prominent?”

  I slowly smiled at Shelby’s annoyance. She had a way of going unnoticed in the communities she stopped in; she frequently flaunted the fact.

  “What happened to your ‘under the radar’ system of hiding?” I teased.

  “What indeed.” Shelby frowned in annoyance.

  Just then, one of the local minor celebrities burst into the circle, making a fuss about how someone had slighted him. It was more posturing. I knew the house, and there had been no slight. All of this was just a show to try and earn a boon.

  I rolled my eyes and started to say something when Shelby cut me off.

  “Is that him?” She was glancing over her shoulder.

  I looked and saw she was staring at James.

  “Yes,” I sighed.

  “Oh, he is cute.” Shelby grinned. “And just the right type. I gotta say, you do know how to pick them.”

  I knew the tone of her voice. She was eyeing James up like he was a piece of meat to devour. Her mouth was practically watering.

  “Keep your paws to yourself, you hussy.” I teased her.

  “What?” Shelby said with mock innocence.

  “Don’t ‘what’ me. I know you,” I said.

  Shelby turned back to me with a smile. “Yes, and you know I wouldn’t dream of interrupting your tryst.”

  “Oh yes you would.” I shot back.

  “True, but I wouldn’t DO anything about it.” Shelby chuckled.

  I glanced back at the goings on of the high circle and saw there was still nothing of importance being said.

  “How long is this going to be? They’re not doing anything.” Shelby glanced at where I was looking.

  “Yeah, Pagoda has a thing about the proprieties.” I sighed.

  “Pagoda needs to get over himself,” Shelby muttered.

  I agreed with Shelby’s assessment but kept it to myself.

  “I’m going to go get in line to deliver my messages,” I said.

  “I still have no idea why you like this sort of thing,” Shelby said.

  “It’s an important job, Shelby,” I said defensively.

  “I’m not saying it isn’t, I’m just saying it seems like a crap job if you have to put up with attending these things all the time.”

  “They’re not all bad,” I said. “Some are actually quite nice.”

  “And this one?” Shelby asked.

  “Oh, this one is all kinds of boring. Now let me go do my job so I can get out of here.” I grinned.

  “Why? Big plans after?” Shelby leered.

  “Oh, stop it.” I frowned. Shelby enjoyed teasing me, more so since I met James.

  “Oh!” Shelby exclaimed, causing me to hesitate.

  “What?” I turned to see what was going on.

  “He found Malik.” Shelby purred, a mischievous grin curling across her face.

  I looked and saw James approaching Shelby’s tap boy, Malik. I knew Malik. He was a good guy, but he shared Shelby’s…appetites. I needed to hurry and get my job done in case James needed rescuing.

  (∞*0)?(0*∞)

  JAMES

  Looking around, I found other leather arm bands like mine. Most of them were young like I was and didn’t want to talk until I came across Malik.

  “Malik,” he said in the introduction, holding out his hand. He was in his late 20s, and from the smell, he’d already had a few beers. I hadn’t seen any alcohol, so I figured Malik had tanked up in the parking lot before the event.

  “James,” I said nervously.

  “First time?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” was all I managed.

  “Relax. I don’t know what you’ve been told, but no one here bites,” he smiled, giving me a subtle once-over, “unless you ask nicely, that is.”

  “Uh…” I said intelligently in response to his not-so-subtle advance. I hadn’t been with a woman yet, let alone a man. I didn’t think I was ready for that sort of thing yet.

  “Relax!” Malik laughed loudly and reached over to slap me on the shoulder but stopped just short of touching me. “I’m just teasing you. Lighten up!”

  I couldn’t help it; his lightheartedness was infectious and made me smile as I relaxed.

  “There you go,” he bowed slightly, “my job here is done.”

  I caught one of the other arm-banded men rolling his eyes at Malik’s theatrics.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “God, I hate these big council summits,” Malik said. “They’re so slow and booooooring!” he drew the word out, his voice slightly louder than it need be.

  I caught two other tap boys shaking their heads at each other.

  “Normally, we’d have hunts and chases and backstabbing and such. But tonight…” he shook his head. “I don’t even think anyone’s been drinking!” he stressed the last word and looked about in disgust. “At least the drinking livens things up!”

  “Uh—” was all I got out before he continued.

  “I’m just hoping this ends early so I can spend some quality time with my mistress,” he leered at me while waggling his eyebrows, “right?”

  I was pretty sure I knew what he meant but didn’t get a chance to say anything as Malik suddenly straightened up and looked away from me. When I tried to say something, Malik cut me off with a wave of his hand and whispered, “Herk’s coming.”

  Before I could ask who Herk was, I found out.

  A way too tall man approached us, walking with a slow, strange stride. Herk was thin to the point of being gaunt; his skin was pulled taunt across his sharp cheekbones. He wore a black leather trench coat buttoned all the way up, and his skin was so white he had to be wearing makeup. Herk stretched out a bony hand towards us.

  “Chaaaaaaaz,” Herk drew the name out in a throaty sound. “It has been too long. You have been missed. How fairs your mistress?”

  “She’s well,” Malik managed through clenched teeth.

  Herk leaned in close. “Why, Malik, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you weren’t happy to see me.” He patted Malik on the cheek, causing my skin to crawl. “Didn’t we used to have such wonderful times together?”

  The whole scene was starting to creep me out, and I turned to look for Shae when I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder.

  “And who is this?” Herk started, his grip like iron and kept me from moving.

  “James,” I managed. Herk’s pale face was too close; it was almost overwhelming. I could feel the man’s cold hands radiating through my clothes. I couldn’t identify what his breath smelt like, but it caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up.

  “And who do you serve?” Herk’s voice was smooth but made the remnant lizard part of my brain wonder if I could find my way back to the car without Shae.

  Malik thankfully rescued me when I couldn’t find my voice, “He serves Her Grace Shae.”

  “Ah yes,” Herk removed his hand and rubbed his fingers together as if touching me had soiled him. “Our…ambassador.” He glanced at me once more before taking a step back. “Gentlemen,” and Herk was gone.

  “What the hell was that about?” I exploded. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath at the end.

  “That’s Herk. He’s…well, he’s a bit old-fashioned,” Malik said.

  “You used to hang out with that guy?” I asked incredulously.

  “It was…he was…oh, I don’t know. I was younger and didn’t know any better. I’m just glad we’re not together anymore,” Malik said.

  “Oh,” I said dumbly. My whole life, I’d lived in Austin. Unlike most people, I didn’t care what you did with whom. I hung out with plenty of “alternate-lifestyle” friends at our BBS parties because they seemed more “normal” than straight people. But I had never been witness to what looked to be some sort of same-sex domestic spat before. “Glad to hear it?” I offered.

  Malik laughed, “Just be glad you’re with Shae. Otherwise, he’d try to recruit you.”

  I instantly resented how casually he used her name. The wave of jealousy came from nowhere.

  “Don’t get your dander up. Shae and I have known each other a while, and no, not like that. I’m not her…type. But it appears you are,” his smile defused my hostility immediately and left me feeling foolish.

  We spoke for quite a while. Malik ran a small drive-up photo booth in the parking lot of one of the larger strip malls. It was one of those open 24-hour deals offering photo developing within the hour. He was telling me of some of the more ‘interesting’ photos he’d been asked to develop when Shae appeared.

  “Malik, keep your claws out of my tap boy if you please,” Shae scolded.

  “Oh please, I’m not one for robbing the cradle, unlike some I know,” Malik teased.

  “You’re shameless,” Shae grinned.

  “And you’re lovely,” Malik wooed.

  “Charmer,” Shae smiled warmly at him.

  He bowed, accepting a graceful defeat.

  She turned to me, “Alright, let’s get you out of here; this is not what I expected tonight. Malik, I’d make an excuse and get Shelby out of here; I don’t like the looks of what’s coming.”

  “Trouble?” Malik perked up at the thought of some excitement.

  “Not the fun kind,” Shae scowled.

  I had no idea what they were talking about and searched their faces for clues.

  “Come on,” Shae grabbed my hand and led me off before I could say goodbye.

  Once we were well away, she spoke, “I’m sorry. Normally, there’s more entertainment and less politics. This was a bad idea,” she seemed genuinely disappointed.

  “No, it was…nice,” I said with a weak grin.

  She looked back over her shoulder at me. “I’m glad you’re a terrible liar.”

  I started to say something but shut my mouth before my foot fell into it. “What now, your Grace?” I managed, heavily emphasizing the latter and bowing as best I knew how.

  She smirked at me. “Please, don’t ever do that again.” A smile broke across her visage, “Now, let’s get out of here and find something more interesting to do. I was thinking the overlook?”

  My heart caught in my throat.

  When they’d built the new highway around the city, they’d cut through the surrounding hill country. One particular stretch gave a great view of the city’s skyline, which was beautiful at night. Not that anyone actually looked at the scenery. It was a dark part of the highway where most went to make out. Even though it was right on the side of the road and regularly patrolled by the police, it didn’t stop people from their midnight rendezvous.

  The windows steamed up in Shae’s car in no time. At first, I wasn’t sure what she was doing, but when she pushed my passenger seat all the way back and knelt in front of me, things almost ended right there. She was gentle and patient and made it last much longer than I thought it could. I could have sworn we were there for hours. Whenever I was with her, time didn’t seem to work right.

  We cuddled in the lush back seat for quite a while before she took me home.

  I was starving when I got back and quietly raided the fridge to avoid waking my mom. On the way to my room, I stopped to use the bathroom and noticed some blood on my thigh. It wasn’t a lot, just enough to cause a small dot on my shorts. There was a small red line on my thigh, but it looked more like an old scratch. Shae’s half-moon earrings came to mind, and I thought maybe one of them had scratched me. A goofy smile curled across my face, thinking about it as I made my way to my room. I quickly drifted off, a myriad of dirty thoughts filling my mind.

  The next morning, I was sick again, even though I didn’t recall drinking anything the night before. Once again, I had to stay home, fighting off the sudden flu bug I’d somehow picked up.

  (∞*0)?(0*∞)

  [Bet you don’t know what these are either. -Rhiannon]

  SHAE

  I had trouble getting to sleep that night. Politics were easy for me. I may not always enjoy them, but I know how to maneuver the channels and predict outcomes. Tonight, I saw the seeds of bad things on the horizon. Little changes always precede big moves. With tonight's talks, I needed to warn my master of my suspicions.

  The time I spent with James somehow pushed everything else aside and gave me time to enjoy myself in a way I hadn’t known before. Remembering the look on his face sent a mischievous thrill through me, even now. Normally, I didn’t consider myself adventurous when it came to relations. But introducing James to the wonders of a physical relationship, which I was only beginning to discover myself, was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. Perhaps it was that terrified part of my brain that awoke the old nightmare.

  The nightmare was the same as ever, the memory of that awful time before my master. The memory could disappear for years at a time only to resurface when I least expected it. This time, it was as if it had sensed my happiness and came to make sure I never forgot my past.

  The cabin stank with the smell of sweat and mildew. The room pitched back and forth as the ocean tossed the galleon about. I pulled the shambles of my clothes tighter about me as the tattered blanket did little to fight back the chill of the night.

  The door creaked open, its frame filled by the hulking

  shadow. The eyes, two spots darker than the rest of the silhouette, stared at me with hunger. It came for me, all sharp knives and pain. My mouth opened, and my chest heaved, but the scream refused to come out.

  Its hand reached for me again and I shrank from it. *No, not again!* my mind cried out as my voice had abandoned me. In vain, I lashed out with hands and feet, but everywhere I struck felt like cold, unyielding iron.

  The ship lurched, and I lunged. The door was still open, and I was through it in four strides.

  The remains of my clothes fell away in my frantic bid for freedom. I shivered beneath the night sky and tried to focus on the dark deck around me. No torch or lantern lit the night, and thick clouds hid the moon’s light. I shuddered, but not because of the cold sea air.

  The deck creaked, and suddenly, there was someone before me. This wasn’t my captor, my tormentor, but still someone familiar.

  “Mr. Jacobs?” I called to my former first mate, hoping I was right. I couldn’t control my terror or desperation as both laced my voice. I didn’t care if he heard it; pride was something I could no longer afford.

  All my life, I’d had to be better than the men. It was a lesson my Dá had drilled into me until it stuck. Keeping the men’s respect aboard a working ship had been hard, but I managed it. They kept me in command because I kept them in bounty. Contrary to popular myth, a pirate captain was elected. Fear could only keep men in line for so long. Keeping them in riches lasted much longer. But my last order had been a mistake. It ended my career and condemned my crew to perpetual servitude.

  The fat galleon had not been filled with merchant riches. Instead, it carried death. The ship hadn’t given us much of a fight, surrendering almost immediately. But as soon as my men were aboard, they fell to the deck. It was as if crossing the gunwale had robbed them of their spirits. Then, they stood up, able as ever, but now they only listened to his orders. The only thing dead about my former crew were their eyes.

  Dead eyes stared down at me now as I looked up into the face of my former first mate.

  “Help me!” I pleaded, but the thing that had once been Mr. Jacobs stood mute. The black pools that had once been his eyes seemed to swallow me, filling me with a coldness that did not come from the night air.

  Hearing footsteps behind me, I pushed past the silent man in panic. I pleaded with a deck hand I came to next. His name was Aengus; I’d known his wife and child. He stood silent, his cold stare watching me as I went from one man to another in my flight across the deck. Before I knew it, I was out on the prow and had nowhere to go.

  Turning back, I saw him slowly approaching. His eyes seemed to darken as his mouth came closer. I feared the silver blade in his hand; I was intimately familiar with it. But not this night; he would not have me. No, not again.

  I climbed awkwardly around the rigging, something I’d once been nimble as a cat with, and jumped.

  Eyes closed, I waited for the sea's cold embrace, knowing its freezing waters would welcome me. But that welcoming darkness never came. When my eyes opened, I was back in the cabin, and the door was opening once more.

  This time, my scream woke me, escaping the never-ending nightmare. I shook myself fully awake, trying to clear my mind of the horrid memories. They didn’t go easily, churning over and again as those long years of captivity refused to release me.

  The door flew open as Shelby came running in, “Shae? Are you OK?”

  Malik appeared a few moments later, standing in the doorway. They were both still in night clothes. Shelby’s were much finer than Malik’s plain boxers.

  “I’m OK,” I said as I sat up and turned on the lights, banishing the remaining darkness. I was soaked in sweat and tears while my bedsheets were a tangle. I knew I wouldn’t be getting back to sleep again tonight.

  “Was it?” Shelby asked. When I nodded, she turned to Malik, “It's OK now, Malik, go back to bed.”

  “You sure?” Malik yawned.

  Shelby nodded and turned back to me.

  I waited for Malik to leave and the sound of their bedroom door closing before taking a deep breath. “I need to get out of this room,” I said, noticing my hands were trembling. The room reminded me too much of that stinking cabin.

  “Come on,” Shelby said, pulling me to my feet. She quietly led me outside and sat me in one of the reclining chairs before disappearing inside.

  I stared up at the night sky as the sounds of crickets were my only companion. The sky was ablaze with stars; I guessed it was close to 1 a.m. I watched the vast darkness above me, wondering for the umpteenth time what was out there and hoping I’d be around long enough to find out.

  I jerked in surprise as Shelby pushed a warm mug into my hand. This time, it was a Hard Rock Café Sydney. I’d never had the same mug twice in all my visits here. It was always a Hard Rock Café mug, but always a different location. I automatically took a sip.

  “How long has it been?” Shelby said quietly as she wormed her way into my chair and lay beside me. It was a little uncomfortable, but I welcomed her warmth on the chilly night.

  “A couple of years now, at least,” I said, taking another sip.

  “I thought Doreen had banished that nightmare.”

  “So did I,” I said quietly.

  “Guess your master’s not as all-powerful as you thought,” Shelby nudged me playfully.

  With our natural night vision, I knew she could see my eye roll from behind my mug.

  “From the state of your bed, I figured it’s still as bad, but is it still the same nightmare? Or has it changed at all?” Shelby pulled a blanket from a bin next to the chair and draped it over us.

  “Same as ever. Always the same,” I sighed.

  “I’m sorry, sweetie,” Shelby said, awkwardly wrapping an arm around me.

  “Me too.” I moved so I could rest my head against her, snuggling into her arms. I kept sipping from my mug in silence.

  This was far from the first time Shelby had to console me after this nightmare haunted me. It had been more traumatic for Shelby than me the first time. We’d been asleep in the same bed, and my flailing had left her with bruises.

  “Oh girl,” Shelby sighed and pulled me tight. “What are we going to do with you?”

  We were quiet for a while, staring out into the dark countryside. Occasionally, a shooting star would streak across the sky, interrupting the serenity. Then, Shelby shattered the silence in her usual out-of-left-field fashion.

  “You know, I’m still mad at you,” she said with so much false injury I couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “Oh? Why this time?”

  “You told Malik to pull me out of that summit,” Shelby said.

  I looked up at her in confusion. “Yeah, so?”

  “Well, he was drunk.”

  “Still not seeing the problem, Malik is usually drunk at those things.” I put my head back down on her shoulder.

  “Yeah, so you should know that when he’s drunk, he’s kinda forgetful. He didn’t come and get me for over an hour!”

  “He didn’t?” I asked.

  “No! I had to sit there and listen to Pagoda drone on and on about local policy for another hour before Malik came stumbling over.”

  “Poor thing,” I chuckled again.

  “It's not funny!” Shelby said. “First, you tap that boy and don’t bother to come to tell me about it; then you leave me at Pagoda’s mercy. I swear, it’s like you’re not even my friend anymore.”

  I smiled. “If you wanted to know, all you had to do was ask. Not all of this…” I motioned at her with my hand. “Whatever this is.”

  “This,” Shelby said stubbornly, “is my righteous indignation as your friend. And I am hurt by your unfriend-like and selfish attitude.”

  We locked eyes for a moment before the laughter took us.

  “Fine. As your friend,” I stressed the word, “if it will ease your pain, I’ll tell you,” I said, stifling my laughter.

  “It might. Depends on your details. I’ll let you know,” Shelby said shortly.

  “You’re such a perv.” I sighed before telling her everything that happened up and through tonight.

  “I’m a perv?” Shelby finally said. “You know, you don’t have to do all those other things after you tap him. You could always just give him the memory of it.”

  “I…like the other things,” I said, biting my lip, embarrassed.

  “Good! I just wanted to make sure. It's about time,” Shelby nudged me again. “Let me know if you need some pointers,” She smiled and kissed the top of my head.

  We sat in silence for a few minutes, the crisp chill of the early morning breeze teasing my exposed flesh.

  “I think I’ve figured it out,” Shelby said.

  “What’s that?” The warmth of my beverage was causing my body to relax more with every sip.

  “Why you’re enjoying this boy so much.”

  The way she said it caused me to pause, “Oh? Do tell.”

  “This is James’s first real relationship, right?” Shelby asked.

  I nodded.

  “And, for all practical purposes, this is your first as well?” Shelby said with a touch of hesitation.

  “Well, there is—”

  “That doesn’t count Shae, and you know it,” Shelby chastised. “Honesty please,” she said in her best schoolmarm voice.

  “Yes,” I said simply.

  “There you go. You’re learning together. You can both take your time figuring this out. If you make a mistake, neither of you know any better,” Shelby chuckled softly. “I wish I could watch; I bet it's adorable.”

  “You want to watch?” I looked sideways at her.

  Shelby sighed. “Not like that,” she nudged me.

  Another quiet few minutes passed before I spoke again.

  “I’m actually eating food just to be with him, Shelby,” I sighed.

  “Oh honey,” Shelby wrapped a warm arm around me. “I know how you feel about eating. That’s a pretty serious commitment for you. I…hope he appreciates it.”

  I chuckled and snuggled closer into her. “It’s funny,” I started.

  “What is?”

  “He talks about the most mundane things you could imagine,” I said.

  “So?” Shelby looked down at me.

  “I can’t stop listening. It's fascinating!” I said, head still on her chest.

  “Mundane things are fascinating?” Shelby asked.

  “Yes! He talks about his family and his daily life. All the things I don’t have…things I’ve never had. I listen to him talk and imagine me doing those things.”

  “Sounds…kinda boring actually,” Shelby said. “You mean like doing dishes and cleaning the house?”

  “Yeah, I guess it could be boring from a certain perspective,” I admitted. “But, listening to him talk about them…did you know, they have this new electric broom?”

  “You mean a vacuum cleaner? Yeah, everybody knows about those. You can’t be that out of touch,” Shelby said.

  “Yes, but did you know it could suck up water too? Water, dirt, it can clean up anything!” I said.

  “OK, I didn’t know about the water thing. But still, I think I need to put you to work around the house here. See if I can ground you in reality a bit. Besides, Malik could use the help,” Shelby grinned.

  “I’m not cleaning your house,” I said stubbornly.

  “Oh, but you’d be cute in a maid outfit!” Shelby complained.

  “You’re incorrigible.”