CHAPTER 1
My body hurts and my brain is fuzzy.
If I drank, I’d guess this was a hangover, but as I pull myself out of bed and slap at the sheets, trying to find the sharp buzzing sound, I know it’s exhaustion, not inebriation.
My apartment has been causing problems for weeks and it's finally gotten to be truly unbearable.
“Yeah?” The word is a moan more than a question.
There’s a pause, and then a worried, “Are you okay?”
“Am I…?” I look at the time and curse. “I am so sorry. My alarm didn’t go off.”
“It’s okay. You sound rough.”
“Yeah. I’ll tell you about it in like… ten minutes?”
“Sure thing. I’ll come to you instead of meeting you there.”
Eight minutes later, I feel a little more like a human being again as I step out into the hallway and meet her.
“Sorry.” I wrap my arm around her waist and lean on her shoulder. “The alarm kept going off last night and I thought I fixed it but It seems like I just turned it off completely instead? I’m starting to think my room’s tech package is haunted.”
Her lips twist in an Opodean scowl. “I thought you were going to get that fixed.”
I can’t even be mad that she’s totally scolding me. “I promise I will put in a request with maintenance. I just didn’t get around to it yet.”
“Well, food first and then I will sit with you until it’s done. You look dead and I don’t like it.”
“I don’t think I got more than fifty minutes of uninterrupted sleep last night.” I sigh and lean against her. “I probably won’t be great company.”
“You’re always good company. You’re my favorite person in the universe.”
I’m not sure I can say it back anymore, but the guilt of that is tempered by who’s waiting for us.
“Markoban?” I ask, looking up at her with both brows raised. “Really?”
“I know, I know.” She sighs. “But he’s not annoying when we fuck.”
I snort, trying not to laugh, and immediately apologize.
“Don’t,” she says, pinching my arm. “Laugh at me all you want. I know how ridiculous it is.”
“Hey, Annika,” Markoban says with a wide smile and waves hello with one of his tentacles. It’s a gesture Kita definitely taught him, Opodeans don’t normally do that.
He’s not particularly good at it yet, but I wave back. “Hi.”
He’s trying.
“Feeling better?”
I keep myself from looking at Kita, because why else would he ask. “Yeah, just slept poorly. I’ll feel better when I’ve eaten.”
He looks a little confused, but I ignore it. I don’t want to have to explain the debacle of my apartment’s programming to him.
When we sit down, Markoban chatters about a movie I’ve never heard of, that seems to only have a copious number of explosions to recommend itself. But, he continues to pitch the idea to Kita for a date after we’ve ordered, and I have to admit that it’s sweet, watching him try so hard.
By the time our food arrives, she’s given in and I pretend to ignore the fact they’re holding tentacles.
I’ll tease her about it later.
Her food is the last to be set down and when it passes me, I lean toward the delicious smell without a second thought.
The waiter leaves while she and Markoban are arguing about when the best time to go to the station theater is.
I barely hear them. My mouth is watering.
Inhaling deeply, I ask, “What is that? It’s heavenly.”
Kita stares at me for a moment and then looks at Markoban. “Can you go get some extra salain?”
“Sure I’ll flag down the waiter.”
“No…” she says it sharply and we both flinch a little. “Please go get it.”
He untwists his tentacle from hers, then looks back at me and, even though he’s still very clearly confused, he goes.
Kita scoops up a glob of her food on a spoon-like utensil and offers it to me. She’s never done that before, but I’m not going to complain.
Except, as soon as I lean toward it, she jerks it away. “What are you doing?”
“I thought you were offering me a bite?” I feel like I’m about to get whiplash.
“Absolutely not! This would poison you.”
“Then why did you offer it to me?”
“Holy mother of the void,” she whispers under her breath before she looks up at me, eyes narrowed. “What kind of protection are you using?”
The question is so absurd, I can’t stop the strangled laugh that escapes me. “What?”
“Is Phantom not giving you guys birth control?”
That clears any and all humor away. “What?”
Cursing, she wraps a tentacle around my wrist and squeezes. “You need to go see Phantom’s doctor.”
“Right now?” My mind spins and I wonder if I need to start a countdown clock.
She shakes her head. “Finish eating. Hi!”
Markoban hesitates before he sits. “Hey…”
He sets the shaker of salain down on the table and I know he wants to ask, but Kita immediately asks about the movie again and—he pays attention—I’m sure he knows when she doesn’t want to talk about something.
My lunch tastes funny… but that’s probably just a symptom of the idea Kita’s put in my head.
She’s probably wrong. Right?