• CHAPTER 158 - AFTERWORDS

    Cuddling...who'd have thought it would be such a joy during the times you're supposed to be sad?

    For a long moment, Kai and I continued to lie on the bed and snuggle. We would take turns kissing each others noses and nuzzling each other. The wound from my neck was still bleeding a little, but it never bothered me; Kai would lick up the stray blood every now and then. I felt as though my body were plastered to his; we could never be apart. We were officially lovers, probably not at the best time, and we would vow never to part. We were vowing the impossible; his plan was still to send me across the world eventually. The last place I wanted to go was away from him; I’d be willing to die in his arms if it meant I could stay with him.

    Kai kissed me, running his hands from my hair down to my hips, “Shall we wash off?”

    I stared at him and blushed, still exhausted, “S-sure…” even though we were in the shower just before.

    At that, Kai sat up, scooped me in his arms, and climbed off of the bed, carrying me bridal-style into the bathroom. Unfortunately, the door was still locked from when I was in there earlier so I shut my eyes and we teleported. Kai set me on my feet and walked over to the bath tub to start it. I grabbed a towel from the pantry and wrapped myself in it; I was still a little embarrassed to be naked in front of Kai. My legs weakened a little more and I seated myself on the ground, coughing a little.

    Kai looked over at me, “Are you feeling okay?”

    I shrugged, “I feel a little weak. And I think I might be getting sick.”

    Kai sighed, “That’s what we deserve for not drying you off first,” he chuckled.

    I smiled, blushing, “It’s worth it,”

    Kai scooped me into his arms again, causing me to drop my towel to the ground. He stepped slowly into the bubble water and dipped down with me in his arms. As soon as we seated ourselves, I released all tension in my muscles, leaned back against Kai, sighed, and closed my eyes. I was exhausted; our two-and-a-half-hour event was starting to catch up to me. The pain was mostly in my legs, especially in the inside of my legs.

    "Perhaps you'll be up for a massage later?" Kai whispered to me.

    I smiled lightly, "After I sleep; it's midnight."

    I could have sworn I was living in my own Nirvana, despite that the atmosphere was supposed to be grim. I couldn't have cared less about the contract at the moment; I just became Kai's official lover. Even though I wasn't his first, he was mine and I wouldn't change a thing about it. I felt so much more mature now that I was no longer a carefree virgin. I felt...loved.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    That night was probably the best--yet most uncomfortable--sleep I ever had. My mentality was so uppity and euphoric that I never noticed the discomfort in my joints until I had woken up. When I woke up to the sun's rays in my eyes, I could have sworn that I was merely dreaming last night. It seemed too good to be true. It was when I tried to sit up that I groaned from the severe soreness in my limbs, especially in my legs, and coughed a few times. As though that wasn't proof enough, I had slept in the buff.

    I looked over to my left--the side Kai would normally be sleeping on--and noticed it was empty. At least, it was empty in the way that Kai wasn't there. But there was a note with a single pink rose lying atop of it. And, of course, its thorns had been severed off, probably on the off-chance that I would end up cutting my finger open. The rose was fully blossomed and large from feeding off of the direct sunlight. I reached over for the note and noticed Kai's familiar, elegant handwriting in a short, sweet, simple sentence.

    You're beautiful, even with bedhead hair.

    Love Eternally,

    Kai. . .

    I blushed the same color as the rose I held in my hand and I held it up to my nose, inhaling its incense. I looked at the mirror on the dresser perpendicular to the bed and freaked out; my bedhead hair was at a new extreme. I surely wasn't dreaming; I really was in heaven. Near the note was a pile of Kai's clean clothes that he hadn't put away yet. I dug through the pile, picking out a large white collared shirt. I dressed myself in fresh lingerie and Kai's shirt and brushed my hair frantically.

    I peeked my head out of the bedroom and smiled lightly after seeing Kai preparing lunch with his back towards me. I tip-toed out of the bedroom and approached behind Kai in the kitchen. I went to wrap my arms around his torso but, as soon as I made skin contact on his bare torso, he flinched, dropping a perfectly prepared plate of steamed rice and omelets onto the ground. I jumped back, alarmed, as he spun around.

    "I'm sorry," I gasped. "Did I scare you?"

    Kai smiled faintly and nodded, "A bit," but I could tell he was lying; his eyes were fading back to red.

    I paused, "If it hurts you for me to touch you again...you can just let me know,"

    Kai stood up from cleaning his mess and he embraced me tightly, barely giving me any room to move, "I'm sorry,"

    I smiled weakly and embraced him around his chilled, bare torso, "It's okay. I should have warned you." I blushed. "Thank you, by the way."

    Kai gripped my hands gently and kissed my forehead, "You've made me happy again," he smiled with his lips still against my forehead. "Happier, I should say."

    I winced a little as his grip on my hands gradually tightened and became uncomfortable, "Ow, Kai..."

    "Sorry," he released my hands. He stepped back a little and chuckled. "You're wearing my shirt."

    I smiled, "I was too lazy to get my own clothes,"

    "It looks cute," he complimented me, patting my head. "Food is almost done."

    I seated myself at the breakfast bar after going back into the bedroom to snag the fully blossomed rose Kai had given me. I sniffed the rose again, captivated by its scent, "Where did you get the rose?"

    "I drove into town while you were asleep," he said, preparing the food again. "And this flower was purchased."

    I beamed at him, remembering about my iris I was growing in front of the house that was stolen, "Shut up,"

    "I'll admit..." Kai changed the subject, "despite it was your first time, and how prudent you've been, you're really not that horrible." Kai chuckled. "Have you done research?"

    My face turned red; how could he say such a thing with a near-straight face? I looked down, "No...I-I merely went with my instincts..."

    After Kai chuckled again, he continued to prepare our meals. My face cooled down after a few more minutes and I sighed, pressing my chin against the breakfast bar. The smell of our lunch was captivating; Kai was an amazing chef. He knew every spice and and flavoring known to man and knew which ones would make a meal absolutely perfect. Maybe it would be funner for him to become a chef eventually instead of a hospital worker.

    "I've given it thought," he handed me my plate in front of me and seated himself next to me. "I'm much more comfortable merely settling down with you."

    I smiled lightly; Kai was thinking long-term. That cheered me up greatly; he wasn't being so pessimistic. Timidly, as we were eating, I reached over for his hand again to hold but, again, he flinched and withdrew as soon as I made contact with him. I kicked myself internally; why was I constantly trying to touch Kai if I knew he would withdraw from me?

    "It seems as though...it disturbs me more when you make contact with me...but not when I touch you," he peeked over at me.

    I looked away, "I should stop trying,"

    "Never," Kai advised, running one of his hands through my hair. "Never stop trying anything."

    "So..." I blushed, "do you think we could...do it again?"

    Kai chuckled, "Anytime, mademoiselle,"

    I giggled at his use of French again; he hadn't used it in a while. How much would our relationship be impacted in the future, considering we finally made love? Would things ever feel awkward in between us again? And how would Kira react, knowing he couldn't make fun of me anymore?

    "How sore are you?" Kai asked me, snapping me out of my thinking.

    I shrugged, "Pretty sore. Kind of hurts to move."

    "I can care for that," Kai nodded and took a bite of his food.

    As soon as we finished, he took our plates and headed towards the dishwasher. I kneeled onto the ground to stroke Momo and then pick him up. I gasped and flinched as soon as I heard cracking and the shattering of plate remains on the floor. I looked over to see Kai staring blankly at his empty hands and he cursed himself under his breath. It seemed as though he broke almost anything he touched...that could have been me last night. How much danger was I really in with Kai, now that we've made love and the contract increases its possession on Kai daily? How much longer did I really have with Kai? Or even, if he were to hurt me again, how much more severe would it be?