Chapter 54
54
P ari once again slept in the room Raina had used. She wondered if she’d be able to see Halden and Raina, and had asked Shona about it. She said Pari would have to wait until they returned to the palace. Her father, the king, had ordered Halden and Raina to enjoy some much-needed privacy, whatever that meant.
Melvale slept on a cot in the spare room between the room she was using and her bedroom, where Kwaku and Zara slept. Dallan and Shona were camping out in the living room. The two couples took turns standing guard, but at this point, she stopped questioning and wondering why. After her reaction to hearing that the doctor’s men were close by, they could do what they wanted. She still couldn’t get over her uncontrollable shaking and being on the verge of tears the other day. Just the thought unnerved her.
“Are you ready to go shopping?” Kitty asked when she entered the apartment.
Pari smiled. She had no idea where Kitty and the man called Archer were staying. “Sure, I guess.”
“You don’t sound very enthusiastic about it,” Kitty pointed out.
Pari rolled her eyes. “That’s because I don’t have any money, and I feel bad about letting Melvale, um, buy stuff.”
Kitty leaned against the kitchen counter as Pari fixed herself a bowl of cereal. “He wants to take care of you. Why not let him?”
A chill went up her spine . Maybe because he’s a freakin’ alien? She shrugged. “It isn’t right…”
“Why not, you’re dating, aren’t you?” Kitty grabbed a bowl from the cupboard and reached for the cereal box. “If I was dating, I’d let my boyfriend buy me stuff.”
“He’s not my boyfriend. We had one date!” She took a huge bite of cereal and tried not to choke. “People date to see if they want to be boyfriend and girlfriend,” she said between bites.
Kitty nodded as she poured milk over her cereal. “Okay, that much is true. But don’t you think you’ll know after a few dates with him?”
She held her breath. Why didn’t anyone get it? “He’s leaving.” She turned away and looked out the kitchen window.
“So are you,” Kitty said. “It won’t be safe for you here for a while. You’ll have to return to the palace with the rest.”
“What about you?” Pari asked.
“I’ll get sent home. Unless they want me to stay for a bit. I don’t mind that at all. The palace is cool.”
Pari couldn’t argue. If she was lucky, maybe she’d get to do some exploring. Then she’d have some nifty memories to treasure.
“Give Melvale a chance,” Kitty said. “He deserves that.”
Pari stared at her cereal. “Yeah, I guess he does.” She wasn’t about to tell her about her growing feelings for the big guy. But the whole situation was crazy, and she didn’t think she could handle it if Melvale suddenly decided she wasn’t for him. What if he discovered his heart wasn’t compatible with hers? How did he even know what to look for? She’d had a broken heart, and she wouldn’t be surprised if a few pieces of it were still missing.
Okay make that a lot.
Pari finished her cereal, rinsed her bowl and put it in the sink. “I’m going to change. Where is everyone anyway?”
“Dallan and Shona are in the hall outside, Kwaku and Zara are downstairs talking with your Uncle Al, and Melvale is in your room, changing.”
Pari wondered where he got clothes to change into. She didn’t recall any of them bringing backpacks or suitcases in yesterday. Just the tree and ornaments.
She gave Kitty a nod and went to her room. She noticed the curtains between her bedroom and spare room were closed. She knocked on the side of the wide entrance.
“Come in,” Melvale sang.
She smiled and stepped through the curtain. Melvale was wearing a light blue tee-shirt, blue jeans and tennis shoes. His hair was braided on the sides, and the rest of it pulled back in a low ponytail. “Do you braid that yourself?” she asked, curious.
“Yes, only takes a minute.” He brushed at one forearm and faced her. “Do I meet with your approval?”
Was he kidding?! “Um, yeah.” She blushed to her toes and went to her dresser. “Do you mind if I change?”
“Not at all.” He joined her. “Let’s see what you have in here.” He reached for the top drawer
She smacked his hand away. “That’s my undies drawer!”
He arched an eyebrow. “Oh, pardon me.” He reached for the next one.
She smacked his hand again. “What are you doing?”
“Helping you pick out an outfit of course.” His hands went to his hips as he looked her over. “Something floral, I think.” He reached for the dresser again and stopped. “Are you going to beat me?”
Pari laughed. “Get out of here!”
He grinned at her. “Really, you ought to let me dress you.”
“No!” She grabbed a pillow off her bed and smacked him with it. “Now get out so I can change.”
He laughed, and her chest…. opened? It was the oddest thing, almost as if he’d opened a door. “Oh, very well, Kitten. But I’m picking you out some clothes when we go shopping.”
“No, you’re not,” she stated.
He smiled and winked. “We’ll see about that.” Melvale strode out of the room and disappeared through the curtains.
Pari heard him speak to Kitty and breathed a sigh of relief. She liked him when he was goofy and hadn’t heard him laugh so boisterously before. Was he in a good mood? And if so, was it because she said she’d go on this second date? But could they call it a date when Kitty, Shona, and Dallan were going with them?
Pari changed into a pair of light denim capris and a simple white top and tennis shoes. She didn’t have fancy clothes and wouldn’t know what to do with them if she did.
Pari grabbed her small crossover purse and headed for the living room. She hoped Dallan and Shona had already grabbed some breakfast.
When she entered the room, the brown-haired man called Archer was there. He smiled at her. “Good morning, Pari.”
She gave him a light smile. “Hey.” Melvale was in the kitchen, and she headed that way. He was just tossing an apple core in the garbage. “Are you still hungry?” she asked.
“I will be later. I haven’t much of an appetite lately.”
Concern gripped her. “Why not, are you okay?” She closed the distance between them, and his eyes lit up as they locked on hers.
“Of course, Kitten. I’m just… not myself. I suppose you could call it my new normal.” He smiled at her, and his eyes were full of admiration.
Pari wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. The fact anyone would look at her like that had her awestruck.
“Pariwink,” he sang. “Where would you like to go today?”
Pari didn’t say a word. She stared at him and realized how “normal” this all felt. He looked human, they were going shopping in Manhattan, they’d have lunch. It was stuff a boyfriend and girlfriend might do. And they were going with friends.
“Pari?” he prompted. “What is it, Kitten?”
She shook her head, unable to speak. Wasn’t this what she’d always wanted? Hadn’t she cried in the middle of how many nights wishing for this kind of normal?
But there was nothing normal about it. He was from another time, another planet! As were Dallan, Shona, Kwaku, Zara and Archer. Kitty was the only one in the bunch even remotely close to normal.
Melvale closed the distance between them and bent to her ear. “It’s all right. You’re safe, you have all of us with you, and I want you to have fun today.” He drew back and gave her a gentle smile.
Oh, why did he have to be so wonderful? Why?!
Pari swallowed hard and nodded. She couldn’t get past the lump in her throat to speak.
“Come on, Kitten, let’s go get the others.” He put an arm around her and steered her out of the kitchen and into the living room where Kitty and Archer were looking at something on Archer’s phone.
Pari studied them. She didn’t even know if Archer was human or Muiraran. He was just there and fetched things for people.
“Are we ready?” Melvale asked jovially.
“Aye,” Archer said and smiled at Kitty. “Ready?”
“Yep! I’m always ready for shopping!” She grinned at Pari and Melvale then headed for the door. “Shona and Dallan have already left.”
“What?” Pari asked, snapping out of her stupor. “Where are they going? Why didn’t they wait for the rest of us?”
“Dallan said they were taking their own taxi to 34th street,” Archer said.
Pari wondered at his accent. It was somewhat British, but she didn’t want to ask about it now. “But why didn’t they wait?”
Kitty smiled. “Dallan, he needs his space in a car. He’s claustrophobic. Really, claustrophobic.”
“Oh,” Pari drawled in understanding. “Okay, well, are we okay with taking the subway?”
Melvale shook his head. “I won’t risk the crowds. We’ll take a taxi, Kitten.”
“Or a Lyft,” Kitty said. “I know how it all works now. I can get us one.” She held up her phone.
Pari’s eyebrows shot up. “Don’t they have Lyft where… oh, no,” she said remembering where Kitty came from. “They don’t.”
“Nope, but they do here,” Kitty chirped. She started punching things into her phone and soon the four of them were heading downstairs to wait for their ride. Archer sat up front with the driver as Kitty, Pari and Melvale squeezed into the back seat. The driver kept staring at Melvale in the rearview mirror, and Pari could just imagine what was going through his head.
When they reached their destination (Melvale told the driver to take them to Macy’s on 34th), they got out and stared at the iconic department store.
Kitty clapped her hands. “I’ve always wanted to shop here.” She smiled at Pari. “Is it as glorious as I’m imagining it to be?”
She shrugged. “I have no idea. I never come here.”
Kitty gasped. “You don’t? If I lived here, I’d shop here all the time.”
Pari stuck her hands in her pockets. “Not me.” Her cheeks heated. She was poor, there was no denying it. If not for the generosity of her uncles, she wasn’t sure what she’d do.
Melvale looked at the building, sighed in contentment, and took her by the hand. “Come on, everyone. Let’s go shopping!”
Pari had seen no trace of the fiercer side of Melvale so far today. Maybe that side of him was dormant for now. A good thing considering where they were at the moment. She should enjoy herself while she could. How often was she going to have a man like Melvale take her shopping?
Pari found herself smiling as they entered Macy’s and stepped into a wonderland of delectable goods surrounded by tourists, locals, and of course multiple people staring at Melvale with wide eyes. She might as well enjoy that too.