Chapter Twelve
Kaos
During the week we’d been stuck in the house, the padded egg chair had become my favorite place to curl up when Spiro was cooking and couldn’t hold me on his lap.
At first, I’d sit on the counter and watch him cook, but some days he spent hours there and my ass hurt from the marble.
Eventually, I asked him to haul the chair into the kitchen so I could continue to observe his masterful skills in action while making videos of his hands and tentacles creating insane culinary marvels.
Now, Spiro was wearing boxers, and a black apron that was dusted with flour and sugar. Should I ask him to forgo underwear altogether? Yup, definitely.
“I can’t believe you’re comfortable in that chair. All I can see is your tail wrapped around you and your head peeking out.”
I stuck my foot out and wiggled my toes clad in flamingo-patterned socks. “I like tight spaces.”
“You’re showing off your ability to turn yourself into a near-liquid state.” Spiro chuckled.
“Nah, I’m just that flexible.” I made kissy lips at him, loving the reaction that had on him.
His eyes glowed soft red for a moment before he blinked and regained composure.
“I’m almost done editing the video of you making the pizza,” I added.
The man lived to cook, and well…fuck too.
And he was damn talented in both disciplines.
He’d given me orgasms three to five times a day in different places around the house.
We hadn’t made it to a bed yet, and unfortunately, his bedroom seemed to be off limits.
Not only had we never fucked in there, we'd also never actually slept together in a bed—mine included.
Every night, Spiro would kiss me gently on the lips, say good night, then leave to his own room.
Even when we nodded off together on the couch, he'd wake up and do the same thing. Every night, I would lie in my sheets rethinking the day and analyzing what I’d done wrong.
How had I fucked up again? What had I done to make Spiro not want to sleep with me?
“It’s not just any pizza.” Spiro’s voice brought me back from my musings. He waved his tentacles theatrically, then continued mixing the pavlova he’d started making right after putting the pizza in the oven.
“Yes, it’s Chicago deep dish.” I said with a flair to match his. “I mentioned that during all the closeups of you filling the crust with meat, sauce, and soy-based cheese. All I need now is a shot of the finished product.”
“Excellent.” He held the bowl in his hand as he opened and closed the cabinets with his tentacles until he found something he needed. This man added a whole new level to the expression ‘multi-tasking.’
I had trouble recording only the parts for a post and not every dance-like move he made around the kitchen.
“It will mark the tenth video about your food. They all gathered decent interest, but the most repeated comments are about showing what you look like. I think everyone is intrigued after seeing your tentacles in, ahem, action.”
Spiro chuckled. “I’ll pose with the pizza if you want.”
“Really? I thought you didn’t want to show your face.”
“Yeah, but I also have no reason to hide.” He paused his multi-tasking and pursed his lips.
“My eldest brother dealt with bullying online, so I was always apprehensive when it came to social media. But in the end, that video became a good memory for him, so I guess I shouldn’t care.
” He offered me a smile and resumed mixing. “Fuck it.”
“Only if you’re sure.”
Spiro leaned over and kissed me briefly. “I am.”
I licked my bottom lip as if I could catch the kiss and hold it. Which was insane, since Spiro was right there. He wouldn’t be forever, though, so I treated every moment like the priceless memory it would soon become.
I mulled over what he’d said. “What was Nereus bullied for?”
“A video of him playing keyboard and synths got a lot of negative attention and put him off creating music for a while.” He shook his head. “Awful cyber cryptid bullying.”
“Oh! I saw that one!” I twitched my ears in excitement. “It resurfaced last year. But all I saw in it was that he’d always been so talented, so it was such luck that he joined the band. He fits in perfectly.”
Spiro narrowed his eyes playfully. “You know more about Swimming With the Sharks than you let on.”
“I’ve been listening to them since their debut album dropped when I was fifteen.
” I swung my legs and my tail as I recalled doing homework to their music, playing it at house parties, and having their CD in my first beat-up car.
“And I’ve seen them live three times. Not since Ner joined them, though, but I will catch their show one day. ”
“Maybe we could—” Spiro cut himself off and looked at me with a panicked expression.
It had been on his face only for a second when a beeping noise filled the kitchen and stole his attention.
Spiro silenced the sound on the oven and began to clean up the counter.
“I put the timer on early to give myself a chance to wrap up the pavlova, so the pizza will be ready in three minutes.” He had his processes calculated to perfection. “How do you want me to pose?”
I wished he’d finished his thought. Would he invite me to a concert?
Would it be so bad to make him panic? I opened my video app and forced myself not to spiral.
“Take it out as you normally would. I’ll start with a closeup of the oven as you open it, then the pizza, and at the end your face, and do a zoom out for more of you. ”
Spiro nodded. “Okay. Should I take the apron off and put on a T-shirt or something?”
“Nah. You look perfect like that for the video.” I made a circular motion with my finger and he turned around, giving me a glimpse of his toned back and thighs with muscles flexing as he moved. Even his feet were shapely. Ugh, he was too gorgeous for words.
“But not perfect for you?”
“Nope.” I smirked, seeing Spiro’s mock-hurt expression. “I’d rather you didn’t have the boxers on.”
“That can be arranged after you finish recording.”
“Really?” I looked up from my phone, where I’d been saving my progress on the video.
“I would be naked all the time if it was socially appropriate.” He chuckled. “Me and my brothers always got into trouble as teens for prancing around without a stitch of clothing on.”
“I call for a new rule when we’re in the house. No clothes unless necessary. Like the apron, which is for safety, so it would be allowed.”
“Deal.” Spiro reached for a towel and nodded at my phone. “Ready?”
He’d agreed just like that. Spiro rolled with the punches when it came to my ideas, and kept surprising me at every turn.
“Yup.” I mouthed the countdown from three and pressed record.
He opened the oven and took out the thick, round Chicagoan invention. The scent of tomato sauce and basil filled the kitchen.
“Here’s the finished product,” I said behind the camera.
“I wish you could smell the pizza—absolutely divine.” I did a closeup of the crust, then stepped back.
“And here is the man who has been giving us culinary miracles this week. A huge shout-out to Spiro!” The zoom out showed Spiro holding the pizza in his two lower tentacles while the two upper ones waved to the camera.
His smile was a tad nervous, but when he looked at me, he beamed.
I stopped the video and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Now you’ll have to taste some of this and tell me if you like it.”
“Oh no. What a chore!” I rolled my eyes. “I’ll post about it too.”
“We should let the pizza cool down while we get ready to eat.”
“Yes, Chef.” I loved the sparkle in his eyes whenever I said that, so I made a note to use it more. “I’ll finalize the video with the last shot and post it now. How about you go clean up and I’ll set the table? Is orange juice okay for you?”
“Perfect, thanks.” He placed a soft kiss on my lips and wiggled to the bathroom.
We sat at the large dinner table opposite each other, but at the shorter end.
I hated sitting far away from Spiro, and it made for awkward conversation.
Like this, he could reach me with his tentacles and caress my legs.
It would be the best part of having a meal with him if the food weren’t so goddamn amazing.
I took a short video of the thick triangle slice on my plate and set the phone down.
“Now, the moment of truth.” Spiro intertwined his fingers and propped his chin on them, watching me.
I took a forkful from the tip of the pizza and chewed. “Oh yes.” I closed my eyes and moaned.
“Is it the food or is your hand under the table?”
I snickered. “Don’t make me choke. It’s so fucking good, Spiro. You’re brilliant.”
“I have so much more to learn—”
“Just take the compliment.” I shoved another bite into my mouth.
“Thank you, Kaos.”
The meal passed in sharing anecdotes from our lives, as we have over the past week. It let me get to know Spiro more, but we rarely delved into serious topics.
Once we made it to the couch, we turned the TV on for weather updates.
“Our meteorologists say that the storm should leave completely by tomorrow. Some of you have been tentatively going outside for the last day or two, but soon, we can be certain that we are absolutely safe. The roads are being cleared—”
“We can leave the house.” I whispered, not sure if I should celebrate or mourn that now Spiro won’t be stuck with me.
“Good thing you’re not moving out, though.” Spiro tightened his tentacles around me.
I snuggled into him, wiggling my bum on his lap. “I’m too comfortable here.”
“I can go and shop for more ingredients.”
“And I can see Chicago.” I pointed to the half-completed puzzle we'd had to restart twice thanks to my clumsy tail. “After looking at those buildings up close in tiny pieces, I’m ready to see them out there.” I gave him my best wide-eyed Puss-in-Boots look. “Will you go with me?”
“Of course. Do you want to begin your epic sightseeing with The Magnificent Mile, or maybe John Hancock Building to view the city from above?”
I gave him a smug smile. “I read about this in a guide I got at the airport, and it’s called 875 North Michigan Avenue now. Since then, I’ve made a list of things I want to visit.” I opened the sightseeing plan on my phone, but instead of looking, he kissed my cheek and nibbled on my jaw.
“I’ll go anywhere you want.” His tone bore so much weight, I imagined he’d meant it to apply to forever, not only a trip to the city.
“People pleaser.” I buried my hand in his hair as he continued nuzzling my neck. His tentacles floated around him, and I caught one to play with. I touched a sucker that was big enough to catch my fingertip in a cup-like move.
“Is that a bad thing?” He pulled my hoodie up and placed a kiss on my navel.
“Not to me.”
My phone vibrated, but I ignored it. I was busy. Or rather, I was enjoying Spiro being busy with me. But someone was persistent.