Chapter 6 #2
“I need my things from last night,” she huffed out, hip cocked and sharp eyes right on him.
He’d changed out of his toga and into his own worn jeans and a black t-shirt that fit a touch too snuggly over those big arms and that delicious chest of his.
She pushed those thoughts deep down where she locked away all the other lustful imaginings she’d had in the brief time she’d known this guy and waited for his response.
He stared down at his own phone and said, “They’re on the kitchen table. ”
E stopped cold three steps there, which was honestly about halfway given the size of the open space in the apartment.
Her ID sat on top of a shiny new phone and laptop, nicer than anything she’d ever owned.
Hell, her current smartphone worked well, but it still had a headphone jack on it.
She kind of liked it, though, because it made her listening and tuning others out far more obvious than most wireless buds.
“No. No. Nu-uh.”
“Problem?” He cooed from the couch, now giving her his full attention.
“Yes. Big problem. This isn’t going to work.”
“The phone and laptop? They should be compatible with anything you have.”
“Not like that, and don’t be obtuse. I mean this whole thing isn’t going to work. Not if you just go about replacing all my things willy-nilly.”
“But yours were old and not as good as you could have.”
“They were what I have. What I’m used to, which is important when I have things to do.” She stomped over and snatched up the laptop, holding it out like it was a snake that’d bite her. “Does this thing even have my files on it?” Then the real horror hit her and she sagged. “Where’s my old laptop?”
When Plutus didn’t answer fast enough, she yelled the question, “Where is it!?!”
“Calm down-” he started but she cut him off with a look that could melt glass and a voice dripping with condemnation.
“Pro tip, your godliness: modern women don’t like to be told to ‘calm down.’ Particularly when they have a very fucking valid reason to not be calm.
Like when a god throws out a laptop that holds all the work you’ve done for the last two years. ”
“Do you not use the cloud?”
“Yes, but I need backups on backups, buddy. I need that laptop. Now.”
He held his hands up in a placating gesture she might call condescending if his face wasn’t the picture of contrition. “Apologies, E. I didn’t realize.”
“Of course you didn’t. Because you assumed what you wanted was best. But I’m sure you know what happens when you assume, hmm?”
He chuckled, and she didn’t see anything funny about the situation, but the soft sound made her stomach do an odd flip despite the anger still flowing fast in her veins.
With a flick of his wrist, her laptop appeared on top of the new machine, along with her old smartphone.
He stepped closer, too close, his heat burning into her like their clothes weren’t even there.
Anger lingered still, but so did the idea he was hers and she was his, absurd as it was. She barely knew the guy.
“E, I am truly sorry. From now on, we will discuss me replacing any of your things.”
“And you giving me things.” She wanted to push, partially so she could stop feeling so damn weird about him giving her things but so she could push him, see how far she could go with the god.
Another deep chuckle and she was well aware he didn’t confirm or deny her last point.
His hand jumped out in a flash, twisting a pink lock of hair around one perfectly sharp, golden claw.
He stared at it, rubbing it between two fingers, before looking at her pink-glossed lips and stepping away.
“Come,” he commanded. “We have places to go.”
They went to the pharmacy and the small grocery store next to it, picking up essentials for the week ahead.
They had two mini-fights at the cash registers, with E winning at the pharmacy because she started talking about bodily autonomy and the cashier, who E exchanged pleasantries with weekly, gave him the stink eye until he relented.
Plutus won at the grocery store because he’d thrown in extra things at the last minute and claimed he’d be eating at her apartment for the foreseeable future, so he should be allowed to chip in on food.
The same car and driver had taken them to and fro, and waited as she and Plutus carried the bags up to her apartment and put the cold things in her fridge as quickly as possible.
Once the car door shut them into their nice leather cocoon, she asked, “Where to now?”
“MOMA.”
She loved the Museum of Modern Art. Because she lived in the Village and it was closer, and because it had awesome views, she’d spent more time at the Whitney, but there was something special about MOMA.
She thought museums were a great way to spend a muggy June afternoon, so she didn’t question it and didn’t even fuss when he didn’t ask about tickets, or use her student ID for a discount.
Mainly because he’d purchased the tickets on his phone at some point and flashed the barcode to the employee before she could say anything about it.
They started at the top floor and Plutus gave her a little more than he needed to without them playing their question game. “It has been well over two decades since I’ve been here.”
Because he offered up information, she did the same. “I came here six months ago, but I would come once a week if I had the time and money. I love a good museum, whether it’s art or history.”
Plutus nodded; his now-human hands clasped behind his back in a casual stance.
They stopped in front of a Paul Cezanne piece titled Pines and Rocks.
The white streaks of light in the murky blue around the pines drew her eye and she risked a different, more personal question, without the confines of twenty questions. “Have you known many artists?”