Chapter Fifteen
Kaos
Iwas mourning the loss of direct contact with Spiro’s tentacles, but my new coat kicked ass. It was soft and comfortable, and I knew it was ethically made.
Holding Kaos’s hand seemed simple in theory, but in reality felt monumental.
Here we were, two guys who’d met a mere week ago, walking around the city like a proper couple.
The day we’d spent outside didn’t feel like the dates I used to go on before.
I’d be stressed and worried I’d fuck everything up, keep most opinions to myself, and make sure my ears and tail stayed hidden.
Not with Spiro.
I was still trying not to ruin the day, but I was certain that if I did something stupid by accident, Spiro would roll with it and not make a big deal about it.
The level of my comfort with this tentacled god was scaring me.
Soon, I’d have to go back home and be miserable without him.
But a little voice in my heart kept telling me that maybe, just maybe, we could figure out how to prolong our time in this heaven we’d created.
For now, I didn’t have the guts to address the elephant in the room, and Spiro had never mentioned reconsidering our holiday fling arrangement either.
Even holding Spiro’s hand, I missed his tentacles, so I guided one under my sleeve and purred happily when Spiro indulged me and slithered around my forearm all the way to my elbow.
After a chilly but romantic walk through Chicago, my face felt like I had a mask made of ice on it, so I was glad we reached our destination.
I opened the door to a cosy-looking diner at a corner underneath the exposed steel rails of the L train tracks. “This is the only place I could find downtown with gluten-free Deep Dish.”
“I took the spare epi pen just in case,” Spiro patted his jacket pocket.
“Thanks. I have mine, and I also brought some gluten and lactose pills with me. Better to be safe than sorry.”
Spiro had mentioned bringing the spare pen as if it were a normal thing to do.
No one I’d dated had ever remembered all my food issues and allergies.
Not to the extent Spiro did, and they definitely wouldn’t have ever cared to grab the extra pen.
I wouldn’t expect anyone to do that, but my heart warmed at Spiro’s thoughtfulness.
Had we already gotten used to each other's ways in the short time we'd been living together?
If not, could Spiro be just that perfect for me?
I recalled reading a blog about fated mates, but none of my friends were cryptid, or at least embraced their cryptid nature enough to talk about stuff like that. Was it even a real thing? Doubtful.
Spiro held the diner door open with a hand above my head as I entered first. A blast of warm air filled with the smell of oregano, tomatoes, and garlic hit me in the face, and I inhaled it with maximum lung capacity.
“Are you enjoying the aroma or the warmth?” Spiro asked as we took a booth by the window, overlooking a series of small stores shadowed by the rails above the ground.
“Both.” I grinned and reached for the laminated menus standing in a vertical holder.
“Are you ready to order?” A cute server with green hair appeared to my left. The name tag read Lily, He/Him.
“Hi. I’ve seen in your reviews that you offer a gluten-free deep dish.” As usual, I steeled myself for a grimace or an eye roll.
“Yes, we do. It’s an extra wait, if that’s okay with you.” Lily offered a pleasant smile, devoid of judgement.
“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll take it. Thank you so much.”
“And for you, sir?” Lily turned to Spiro.
Spiro scanned the menu and set it aside. “Do you have anything else gluten and dairy free that you’d recommend?”
“Yes. Our calzone is very good. I personally love it.” Lily tapped his pen on the notebook he was holding.
“I’ll have that and a glass of orange juice, please.”
The server nodded once, his smile genuinely radiant. Spiro deserved someone nice and organized like that. I couldn’t balance a plate without making a mess, let alone carry a tray with drinks and food.
I was expecting Spiro to follow the cute guy with his gaze, but when I turned to him, that was not the case.
Sitting back with his tentacles falling loosely on both sides of him, he was looking at me as if I were walking down the stairs ready for prom, whereas I had my scarf halfway on, my hat crooked on my head full of disheveled hair, and I must have been pale as death from the cold.
I’ve seen that look before when we were naked but chalked it up to Spiro being aroused. But now he had other people around, and he still chose to focus on me.
“You’re thinking so hard about something your brows are meeting in the middle.” Spiro reached a tentacle over and brushed a strand of hair from my forehead with the tip of it.
“I’m planning what to say in the video about this place so far. Let’s hope the food will be good.”
It was.
In no time, both Spiro and I were grunting appreciatively, consuming the no-bellyache deliciousness. I took short videos and several pictures throughout to put together into a proper post later.
Holding Spiro by the tentacle, I skipped all the way to the train, but I had to smile with my lips closed because the cold air hurt my teeth. I slipped at least three times, ending up in Spiro’s arms and giggling uncontrollably. Only one of them was on purpose.
Finally, we arrived at the big, albeit cosy house we called home this month.
“I’m gonna take a hot shower,” I announced when I kicked my boots off. “My ass cheeks are snow globes, I swear.”
Spiro chuckled on the way to his room. “I’ll wash the city smell off me as well.”
Once the water was the same temperature demons in hell use for torture, my body began warming up.
Analyzing the day, a sense of unease entered my system.
Spiro had been taking in stride everything that made other people angry in my behavior, like not wearing appropriate clothes for the weather, slipping, picking a restaurant based on whether they served food I could eat, and so much more I lost count.
He only had three weeks to survive with me, but if he wasn’t getting furious with me now, he might lose it later.
My hands shook as I lathered my chest and realized it had turned furry. So had my thighs and arms. I touched my face and stifled a gasp. Taking deep breaths, I willed the fur away, but my distress remained. What if Spiro saw me?
Maybe he should. I could give him more reasons to test his patience.
Would he find me unattractive and kick me out?
The sooner, the better. If he broke my heart now, I’d have more time to recover before I went back home.
Because, holy fuck, he was taking up so much space in my heart. Filling it fully.
Oh no.
Barely towelled off, I pulled on a fresh hoodie and marched into the kitchen where Spiro was super-glueing another mug I broke the day before.
“Why are you fixing it? It was my fault. You should be mad at me.” I put my hands on my hips.
Spiro traced his fingertip over the crack, wiping excess glue, then put it aside.
“Because it was an accident. And it’s no problem.
Worst case, we buy a set of new mugs at the end of our stay.
” He said it with such stoicism that panic filled me.
What if he was holding it all in so hard that, once he burst, he’d hurt me?
No, not Spiro. But I’d been wrong before.
I eyed the mug on the edge of the counter and pushed it off with my finger. It shattered on the floor, splashing the remnants of water on Spiro’s bare feet.
“This time it wasn’t.” I wrapped my tail around my right leg and flattened my ears, waiting for him to explode. My heart thudded as I held my breath.
Spiro narrowed his eyes and crossed his muscular arms over his chest. “If you’re trying to rage-bait me, it’s not working.”
“What the hell? You’re supposed to be mad at me!” My hands shook and I balled them into fists.
Spiro let his tentacles out and put them gently over my shoulders. “What do you need, my kitten?”
My bottom lip trembled, and I hated it. I despised myself for being so weak, so weird. What the fuck was wrong with me? “I don’t know. It was such a perfect day, and now it’s not.” I stomped my feet, not caring about the shards.
Kaos moved me to the left, sidestepping the broken mug and cupping my face in his big warm hands.
“Did you have a good day today?” His calm voice annoyed me.
“Yes.” I grumbled. Even to my own ears, I sounded like a brat. “So why am I sad and angry now?”
Spiro chewed his bottom lip. “You may be having an endorphin drop.”
“You made me too happy and safe, and now I’m paying for it? Figures. Is that why I feel so unstable?” I poked him in the chest with a finger. “It’s all your fault.”
He caught my hand in his tentacle and cradled it to his pec. “It might be that. Let’s figure out how to make it better. Did it happen to you before?”
I pursed my lips. “Maybe not so hard, but yeah.”
“What do you usually do?”
I flicked a piece of mug with my toe. “I pick a fight.”
“Right.” Spiro hoisted me up under my arms like I was a stray cat and carried me away from the shards. “Come with me. Do you want to try something?”
“My feet are dangling a foot off the ground, but sure, I’m on my way.” I deadpanned.
His tiny smile was not hiding his amusement as he set me on the rug and sat on the couch.
“Strip and lay over my lap.” He turned the electric fireplace on and tossed the remote on the table.
I stood in front of him, pouting, and processed what he’d said. I’d trusted people way too quickly before and it had backfired on me, but Spiro had proven over and over again that he’d protect me from everything, even myself.
My skin itched so intensely it hurt from the inside, and my stomach was in knots like before an exam. Fuck it.
Gripping the bottom of my hoodie, I pulled it off and tossed it to the side. By the shattering sound, I must have hit the glass that had been on the table. Oh well.