Fourteen
Arien
An email from my boss has nerves rolling in my stomach, and I breathe a sigh of relief after seeing that he’s happy with Elias’s progress so far. He wants me to continue, but for two more months instead of what we originally agreed on. Elias is sleeping more and not having as many nightmares—I hate that he has them at all. I also hate how he continues to blame himself for everything that’s gone wrong in his life, being his own villain in every situation.
All that will hopefully lessen in time too. All I can do is be here to support him while he finds the best way to heal.
Going through the rest of my emails, I delete all the junk and spam before closing my laptop. This week has been so long but also wonderful—full of lazy mornings and afternoons with the man I can’t seem to get enough of. I hate how short every visit is, but true to his word Elias has triggered multiple episodes of cataplexy in between sleeping over the last few days by making himself orgasm and laugh from too many funny videos. I can’t wait to spend the whole weekend with him. Ian promised the coffee shop would be fine without him, but Elias can’t stop talking about closing it for two days.
He won’t, though. As much as he hates to admit it, he puts more trust in his employees than he lets on, and he recently hired two part-time baristas, which should let him take more days off. He works too much and knows it. I think taking more time to relax and take care of himself will help with his sleeping issues too.
I don’t know how much sleep we’ll get when he stays over with me, though. My heart soars when a new message waits for me on the Monster Match app.
I Am Sleeping: Hi, cutie.
Purple Lover: Hi.
My cheeks heat. I love all his nicknames for me. Cutie is my favorite though.
I Am Sleeping : Ready for me to come over?
Purple Lover: Yes. Counting down the minutes.
I Am Sleeping: I closed early today, so I could come a day early, so as long as you’re okay with it, I’ll be there in two hours.
Purple Lover: Of course it is. I can’t wait to see you and show you my home.
I Am Sleeping: Me either, baby. I get to hold you for almost three days straight. Don’t think I’ll be letting you out of my arms for too long while I’m there either.
Purple Lover: As long as you don’t plan on carrying me to the bathroom with you then I’m perfectly okay with it.
I Am Sleeping: I did consider it, and now that you’re putting the idea back in my head . . .
Purple Lover: Stop messaging me and get here already.
I Am Sleeping: I’m getting in an Uber now, so maybe less than two hours and more like one, as long as I don’t have any trouble getting on base.
Purple Lover: They’ve allowed worse in before. You’ll be fine.
I Am Sleeping: Very funny. See you soon.
Yes, yes he will, and I probably won’t be able to let him out of my arms for a long time afterwards either. At least the trial period is only two more months now, and hopefully when it’s over, I’ll get to see him whenever I want with no time limits.
***
I Am Sleeping: Made it on base. Better tell your other boyfriend to leave before I get there.
I laugh, feeling all giddy at him referring to himself as my boyfriend. What else would he mean by other boyfriend? Maybe he didn’t mean it the way it sounded . . . Pacing around my room, I stress-dust shelves that have already been dusted and sort my dishes by color. As I’m getting ready to alphabetize my DVDs, a knock comes to the door and Elias is holding a bag of takeout in his hands. “Hungry?”
“I can pretend to be, for you,” I say, stepping aside so he can enter. “I could nervously eat about now, though.”
A laugh bubbles out of him and it’s a gorgeous melody I can’t help but want to dance to. “Wow, this place is bigger than mine. With less furniture too.”
“Yeah, I’m not really home much and I like spending a lot of my free time outside or in the library.”
“Or the dollar theater?” His brown eyes flicker at me.
“That too.” I close in on him as he parks himself in front of the shelves holding my DVDs.
“Have you seen all these?” He yanks one out, reading the back.
“Not all. I forgot to mention I like thrift shops too. I grab a random movie each time I go.”
“You must go a lot,” he says between chuckles, putting the DVD back to take out another. Freeing one of his hands, I take the bag of food from him and set it down on my small kitchen table.
“Some were gifts from friends. Every time someone sees my collection, they’re eager to add to it, and I’m one of the very few people who watches DVDs.”
“I like them too.” He turns around, smiling softly. It’s taken me a while to get used to seeing him smile in real life. They come so effortlessly now, and it’s hard not to touch each curve of his lips with mine. “I would have more if I had the space. I don’t trust digital movies. They can disappear at any time, but DVDs . . .” He glances back at my shelf. “Those are forever.”
“That’s true. That’s exactly why one of my friends prefers paperbacks.”
“I used to only read paperbacks but then my brother bought me a Kindle. I still switch every now and again, but usually my physical copies come from the library.”
“So ,you like the library too?” I beam.
“I do.” Walking closer, he grabs my hands and leans down to press a kiss to my nose. “Shall we eat now?”
“Yes.” My stomach grumbles at the thought of what’s in the bag. “What did you bring?”
“Mexican food.”
Inhaling the air, I move toward the counter to open the bag and take out two white boxes. “Which one belongs to who?”
“You can choose. I picked two of my favorite dishes from them.”
Bouncing on my feet, I open both boxes and breathe in each one. The one with the most cheese is the obvious choice.
“Looks like I’m getting the birria tacos.” Unbothered, he lowers himself into one of the chairs and digs into his food.
“What’s this?” I pick up one of the hard shells.
“Tostadas. What’s your favorite food?”
“Probably pizza,” I say, crunching my teeth down on the shell with several toppings.
“Pizza’s good. I don’t eat it a whole lot. Usually only on lazy days.” He shoves his taco in his mouth, sauce dripping down his chin, and I resist the temptation to lick it up. Any food could be my favorite if Elias was covered in it.
“Pizza’s great for every meal. I prefer cheese. You do know I don’t have to eat, right?”
“I know, but you sure do love food anyway, and I’d feel bad bringing only something for me.”
“And I wouldn’t be too happy if you did.” A smile tugs at my lips. “I really love the taste. Never cared for most things seen as edible here in my world, but I love trying everything in yours at least once.”
“Everything, huh? You’ll soon learn the hard way that not everything’s worth trying.” He snickers, wiping his face with a napkin.
As soon as we’re done eating, we both clear the table and I show him the rest of my place in under ten minutes, ending the tour with my room.
“You have a bed,” he says with a little surprise in his voice.
“I do. I like reading in it or just lounging around.”
“It’s very big for someone as small as you.’
“Yeah, but it’ll be perfect for the two of us.” Linking my fingers with his, I drag him down to the edge of the mattress.
“Does that mean you plan on spending most of the weekend in it with me?” His tone deepens.
“I certainly wouldn’t mind. We do spend a lot of time in your bed, and now we can spend some in mine.” Scooting closer, I stroke his cheek, and he kisses my fingers.
“Something tells me I might enjoy being in yours a lot more,” he whispers against my lips.
“Why do you say that?” My breaths mingle with his.
“Because I get to touch you and whisper lots of sweet things in your ear as you’re coming from my cock.”
A shudder runs through me and when I try to hide my arousal under my hand, he slides it away, wearing a wicked grin. “Don’t do that. Let me see. I want everything I make you feel to be right on the surface.”
Slipping a hand up one leg opening of my romper, his face lights up when his skin meets mine. No panties today. For one, it’s laundry day, and another, I didn’t think they were necessary. With the way he’s staring at me and sliding his hand further between my thighs, I’m starting to think clothes aren’t either.
“You always feel so good.” His tongue slips between my lips, forcing its way further into my mouth, and I cling to it like a lifeline. My hips lift as he strokes my cock.
“I need this off.” Fingers wrapped tightly around the strap of my romper, he gives it a tug. “It’s getting in my way.” He licks at my lips, unbuttoning the front, and I laugh.
“Take it off me, then.”
Wasting no time, he strips us both of our clothes and drags me higher up the bed. Attacking my mouth with his, he rubs his erection over mine. Our hips sync together, matching one another’s thrusts. Hand on my waist, he uses the other to line his cock with mine, and a rush of pleasure explodes behind my eyes as his skin brushes over my sensitive nerves.
Unintelligible sounds slip from my lips as I’m pushed closer to the edge, skin slapping skin. He spits into his hand and we glide easier together, my cock throbbing from being rubbed by his hand and dick at the same time. Brain short circuiting, I come on a cry and kiss him when I need to be grounded from floating too high.
His hands slides up my body as he uses me to chase the rest of his orgasm, tensing up against me as cum splashes both our skin. “Look at you.” He shoves his thumb into my mouth, tugging on my bottom lip.
“So damn pretty and perfect. So wrecked from what I did to you.”
With his forehead pressing to mine, he steadies his breathing and drags his fingers through his release. My lips part as he shoves them into my mouth, rubbing them over my tongue. I suck on his skin, whimpering when he pulls away, but I’m not without for long. Scooping my release up next, he brings his fingers back to my mouth and adds it to my tongue with the remnants of his. We taste so good together.
I seal my lips over his so he can experience it too, and his tongue attacks mine in desperation. We’re breathless as we pull apart, sweat slicking our skin as he drags a blanket over us. His breaths are shallow first, falling into a steady rhythm, and I snuggle in closer, following right behind him.
***
Elias is missing from the bed when I wake up and I frown at the cold sheets that were once warm with his body. Footsteps approach my room, and I sit up against the headboard, my gaze turning to where they’re coming from. Elias appears with a smile, holding up his phone. “Hey, Mr. I Don’t Sleep. I got us tickets to see a movie playing tomorrow afternoon. Afterward, we can go out to this ice-cream parlor on the other side of base. You’ve probably been there but we haven’t been there together.”
Rubbing my face, I gawk at him. I fell asleep. How? I haven’t fallen asleep since I was a kid, and that was only because I was trying so hard to blend in with the human kids I heard about. I wanted dolls like them and to play on swing sets too. Sleep was one of those very few things that wasn’t unachievable.
We didn’t sleep or need to, but we could. I was certain I’d forgotten how. While living outside the gates, finding a safe place to rest hadn’t been easy, so I’d gotten used to being on guard most of my life. Now I couldn’t convince myself I was safe enough to doze, even after living on base for a year. Here, the screeching hasn’t stopped though. No gates can block the sounds this world creates.
“I was sleeping. How long?” Sitting up straighter, I run my hands through my hair.
“I don’t know. I guess as long as me?” His lips tilt. “The half-asleep look is working for you, though.” He crawls back into bed and tugs at my chin to bring my lips to his.
“Good, because if I’m falling asleep with you the first night we spend together, you may have to get used to it. I think you might produce your own sleeping dust.” I rub my nose over his, soaking up his warmth. Humans have so much of it and his is addicting.
My kind adapts to wherever they are and whoever’s around them. Elias is a campfire I want to be surrounded by, dancing in the heat and light he doesn’t realize he’s capable of until he’s been fed with what he needs to produce it.
“Weird, because I was about to say the same about you. I haven’t slept that long without interruption in months.” He drops beside me, dragging me into his lap. “I did, however, get more sleep when you started coming around, but then you’d leave . . . I’m sure that was a coincidence though.”
“I actually . . .” I let out a soft chuckle. “We have the ability to make your body more relaxed whenever we’re close enough. It’s how we keep humans under paralysis for longer. I didn’t even mean to do it. My being so relaxed must have brought it on.”
His lips twitch, curving into a crooked smile. “In that case, feel free to share a bed with me anytime you want.”
“Oh, if I did that, we’d probably never get out of it.”
He sucks in a breath, eyes darkening. “You already convinced me; you don’t have to oversell it.”
Laughter trickles out of me and he smashes his lips to mine. We kiss, cuddle, and kiss. When our breaths are both ragged and our lips are bruised, we take a break to eat lunch. Elias is sitting right next to me, his body spilling over into my chair, foot pressed to mine and hand on my leg. He really does love physical touch and I’m happy to volunteer as tribute.
“So, what movie are we watching tomorrow?” My fork makes a scratching sound against my plate. Yes, I know it’s weird for someone who doesn’t need to eat to have so much cookware and glassware, but without it my house would be so empty. It’s also nice to have on hand for when my human friends visit— acquaintances, is probably the more accurate term. They’re accepting of me but also see me as different.
It's all in the way they look at me and occasionally make me feel left out. Elias is different. In his eyes I’m not someone to study or figure out, there’s no hesitation, and if anything, he’s more comfortable with me in this form than he was when I was human.
The others make suggestions for how I could blend in, while Elias is perfectly okay with me standing out beside him. He wants to take me out somewhere and is so eager he’s surprised me with tickets. Going out with me in public was never a second-guess in his mind, and I really need to stop accidentally peeking, but my power is full force with him being so hyped up.
“It’s a surprise.” He drags his fingers across his lips as if to zip them shut.
Chuckling, I lift a forkful of chicken to my lips. Savory goodness dances on my tongue, and how does human food have a right to be this good?
“I don’t think I’ve been out to a theater with someone before. I usually go alone.”
His eyebrows dip. “What . . . why?”
I shrug my shoulders. “No one’s ever asked me. I get invited to people’s houses all the time but never anywhere outside them.”
He frowns. “That’s strange. And these are friends of yours?”
“Kinda,” I say, shoving more food into my mouth.
“They don’t sound like any friends I’d want.”
“They’re all I have here. I mean, I have some monster friends but there are some species who think they’re too good to socialize with mine. People see us all as schemers and tricksters without realizing I’m not that kind of demon.”
His brow furrows and he rests a hand on my thigh, kissing my ear. “I don’t see you as any of that. I think you’re wonderful.”
Sparks flash inside me and I lean into his lips. “You sure you aren’t worried I’ll steal your soul?”
A puff of air hits my cheek and he shakes his head. “No, but I’d probably gladly hand it over if you asked me to.”
I snort, pressing my lips to his, and it always feels so right. Like everything I could ever need. Pulling away, he goes back to eating his food and we talk about what else there is to do here. The skating rink, parks, swimming pools, and ponds.
“What about that lake you took me to . . . the one with all the weird-looking fish and turtles.”
I flash a smile, chasing down my food with some water before responding. “Yes, except we don’t call them lakes. They’re just bodies of fresh water. Some have salt as well and are filled with healing properties.”
His eyes widen, full of wonder. “Can we go to the one you took me to before? Like in person?”
My gaze drifts to the table and I fumble with a napkin. “We can, but I don’t know how safe it’ll be.” A thought comes to me and I look back at him. “I’ve never done this before but always wanted to try it. I think it’s possible if I have enough energy.”
“What is?” His eyes shine.
“You know how I can visit you from wherever I’m from?”
“Kinda, yeah.” Resting his chin on his closed fist, he leans closer. “Tell me about it.”
“Well . . .” I push my plate away, opening my legs as he slides his fingers down the inside of my thigh. “You see, I channel energy from a person who’s sleeping, usually close by unless I know exactly where they are like you. But a portal shows up when I do, and I jump through it. I was thinking I could feed off a smaller creature’s fear or worry while they’re in REM. It doesn’t have to be a human, but they are easier since they sleep more and carry heavier emotions.”
“So, you want to pull me through some portal created by a creature in monster world?” He arches a brow.
“Yeah.” I lower my head.
“That sounds pretty damn cool. I’m in.”
“You sure?” I bite back a moan when he brushes his fingertips along the top of my cock.
“Yeah. It’s been hard stepping foot near regular lakes, but I didn’t mind the one you took me to. Maybe because it was so different than the one . . .than the one . . .”
“You went to with your brother?” I cover my mouth as soon as I say the words. Darn that word vomit. I really need to learn to control it better.
Pain crosses his face, his eyes clouding over. “Yeah. How much do you know about . . . about the accident?”
“Everything available publicly and what you’ve shown me in your thoughts.”
He pinches between his brows. “That’s not all accurate. My thoughts I mean. A lot of it is me trying to put together pieces of a puzzle.”
“You can’t remember what happened?” I place a hand on his arm when his face distorts. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t . . . I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s okay, baby. Mi sueno hecho realidad. I think it’s time I talk about it, and you have this effect on me where I want to tell you everything about me. Not everything should be a guessing game.”
I listen closer, looking at him with focused eyes. “I’m always happy to listen and know more.”
“I know, and I think that’s what makes it so easy. You care to know. And not only to be nosy or figure things out for yourself, but because you want to know me.” He takes a breath, pausing. “I can’t remember the accident no matter how I try, so my brain has subconsciously created different scenarios, all haunting and so real feeling.”
“I’m sorry. That has to be hard. You and your brother were really close, huh?”
“Yeah. Me, him, and Brody.” His voice wavers.
“Brody?” I don’t know why I ask, because I’ve had enough clues to figure out who he is, but the question flies out of my mouth anyway.
“Yeah, Brody. He’s—he was . . .” he quickly corrects himself. “My boyfriend. We broke up months after the accident. Just drifted apart.”
“That’s . . . that’s really awful. Especially for it to have happened during the time you needed the extra support.”
“Yeah, but I don’t blame him,” he says, sounding unsure. “He did what he had to do, and I guess in the end it all worked out. He’s living the life he’s supposed to, and I’m right here, with the cutest purple demon I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
A giggle escapes me when he nibbles at my neck. “The only purple demon you’ve seen.”
“Hey, you don’t know my life.”
I laugh louder, lowering my face into his chest, and he presses a kiss into my hair.
“So, we’re going fishing after the movie tomorrow, then?” He sweeps a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Yeah. At least we’re going to try. All else fails, there are two ponds on base with fish from your world.”
“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to take a break from my world for a little longer. There are so many greater things to explore outside of it.” He lifts my head, capturing my lips again, and we make out some more before settling on the floor on a pile of blankets. He tells me stories he heard when he was a child, and I ask him to repeat all my favorite ones. After hours of lying wrapped up in one another, I take him out to my balcony to look up at the pitch-black sky. Whooshing sounds around us, along with high pitch squawking, and he asks me to describe what we would see if they weren’t hidden in the dark as I make myself comfortable in his lap.
He wants more of my world and I want more of him everywhere.