12. What Are We?
Chapter twelve
What Are We?
Ione
"Keep me?" I answer, biting into the ham and cheese.
Athy pokes at his sandwich, but mimics me making a groan of satisfaction as he chews. "I will always need an avatar, rabbit, someone must secure my temple and relay the messages of the mundane to me."
This is all too much. However, just like the heroine of a cheesy fantasy novel, I will be the one to change his mind. I have to be. "My family?"
"Safe." I made him two sandwiches and he's working on the second. "They matter to you, I will keep them safe."
Now this part is concerning. "From what? You can't just kill a portion of the population, Thanos, you can't do that."
I have quickly learned that Athanasius does not like being told what he can and cannot do. "Who says? You?" He lifts his bowl and downs the French onion soup quickly. "Rabbit, you have no control over me."
"Is that what you want to do?" Panic is beginning to set in. My stomach is hurting. As he remains silent, the panic grows. "Athanasius!"
He shrugs. "I haven't figured it out yet." Athanasius reaches for an apple on the countertop, biting into it. "Revenge for the bloodline of those mages, and maybe…releasing a few night creatures in vengeance. I don't know."
What would make him stop? "You said if I abandoned you, the shackle would be broken, what makes you think I won't?"
Athanasius turns on the barstool to stare at me. His lower arms are seated nicely in his lap, the right upper arm is holding the apple, and the left is scratching under his chin. "Because you would have done so by now, you're curious to see where this goes, can't say I blame you."
It's not curiosity, I truly don't know how I'm supposed to abandon him. "You can kill the mage, sure, but we have to talk about the rest."
Closing his upper eyes, he draws in a deep breath. "I'm pretty concrete in my thoughts, rabbit, good luck."
The day passes uneventfully, I get a few calls about work coming on Monday.
Everyone misses me and I really need to think about what I'm going to do with him here alone.
One call sparks a conversation between my favorite coworker, Chloe.
She wants to go out tonight, a Wednesday of all days.
The lounge is a place we've been before with food and live music.
They're hosting several 70s cover bands and artists and she's dying to go.
I can't leave him here. So, after getting off the phone, I catch Athanasius watching a historical documentary on the couch.
"You'll have to go out with me tonight." I say, poking his shoulder from behind. "It'll be fun."
His eyes are glued to the screen. "Why did the Belgians allow Germany to enter their country twice? Who was leading at this time? This seems stupid to me."
"What?" I glance up at the screen comparing the invasion of Belgium during WWI and WWII.
"The Germans came during the first world war, you'd think the second time around they'd prepare heartily for that."
"I don't know."I shrug. "Maybe they didn't have the manpower to stop them?"
"To be unprepared for the inevitable is to be ignorant." He scoffs. "It was plain to see." He stands, turning the television off. "Now, tell me about this fun to be had."
Maybe he's dressed a little too well. I'm torturing myself, I really am.
Giving myself some nightly fuel and some fantasies to hold in my head while trying to get a moment to myself in the bathroom.
Athy is like a cat, he'll constantly knock at the door sticking his fingers under it until I come out or let him in.
For now, he's wearing a V-neck olive green sweater and a silver necklace.
His black belt has a silver buckle as well, and his black slacks are fitted to his body.
I can't help but notice in nearly everything he wears, there's a print.
You know what I'm talking about? A very nice print in the front, and he's fiddling with himself now.
"These pants are constricting here." He mumbles.
"Constricting or your package needs to be secured better?"
Athanasius looks down at me with a sinfully wicked grin. "Woman, this package will make you—" He stops himself. "It's fine."
You sure are. Taking a deep breath, I watch as he walks down the stairs and I should take a picture. I really should, his ass is tight in those pants. Just a round print, peach-like, full and sitting well. And his back. Lord, it's wide and his shoulders are so…I'm imagining my legs on them.
"I can hear you thinking." He coos. "Devious thoughts or you're trying to figure out how to hit me with something." Turning around at the bottom of the stairs, he cocks his head to one side. "Which is it? I'm getting bored."
Moment ruined. "Let's get in the car please."
"Oh!" Chloe exclaims. "You look cute!"
My skirt is red with white polka dots and I've paired it with a deep v, gold shimmer 3/4 sleeve top. My chunky old necklace and earrings set the look.
"Thank you! So do you." Chloe is a fiend for a bodycon dress and she looks amazing in this yellow number. "This is Greg." She indicates the man next to her. "Who is this?" Her eyes go wide upon seeing Athanasius.
"Athanasius." He replies dryly. "I am here for the proposed fun, where is it?"
God why is he so rude?
Chloe laughs. I am not. "Please forgive him, he's foreign."
Athanasius is standing right behind me. I mean his chest is against my back kind of touching. "I need no forgiveness, woman."
"Well, Athanasius, that's an interesting name." Chloe begins.
"Easier for the human tongue." He sighs. "You would not be able to pronounce my true name."
"Let's go inside." Shaking my head, I take Chloe's arm before hissing at Athanasius. "Behave!"
As we near our table, what I don't expect is for Athanasius to pull out my chair. He takes my hand in his and helps me to sit. His thumb brushes over my fingers and Chloe compliments him on being a gentleman.
"The bare minimum?" He replies, sitting next to me. "She is my avatar, I will make sure she is taken care of."
"What's an avatar? Are we talking the movie or—"
"So, boneless wings? Quesadillas? Chips and dip?" I ask, cutting her off. "I'm feeling wings."
Athanasius leans over looking down at the menu. "I want to try everything." He whispers.
"You got everything money?" I whisper back, only to earn his grunt of disapproval.
He touches my purse in my lap, and I feel it get heavier. He's smirking, proud of himself as he sits back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. Opening it, stacks of green stare back at me, and I make a choked noise in my throat before closing it.
"Now we do." He smiles.
He can't keep getting away with this. Is what I want to scream in my head, but when it's working out so well for me? What's the point? A little bit of everything is brought to the table, and Chloe's date begins to strike up conversation with Athanasius.
"So, what do you do?" Greg asks, sipping his beer.
Athanasius looks at me before he responds. I can feel the sass dripping off of him. "I work in long-term rest solutions."
Dear god.
Chloe's interest is piqued. "What does that mean? I'm curious."
He licks his lips, reaching over slightly to touch the ring on my finger. "I curate endings. Very exclusive clientele."
"He's a forensic pathologist." I reply. "He also a mortician."
"Ohh." Chloe's eyes go wide. "You deal with death. Is that the reason for the eccentrics? Usually people in that job are very mundane or very unconventional."
Only the right side of his tongue licks his lips. "It's just the way I am." He replies, picking up another mozzarella stick. "Ione likes it."
Chloe chuckles, tapping my thigh under the table. "Let's go to the bathroom?"
"Sure."
Athanasius grabs my hand before I leave. "Hurry back."
As soon as we hit the bathroom door, Chloe is on me. "You go and take PTO, buy a new house, and nab some hot goth guy with a PhD like it's a weekend getaway. Explain now."
I shrug. "There's nothing to explain, really, I just—" What do I say? "We met coincidentally, and he's been stuck to my side."
"Well," She enters a stall. "Color me jealous, and I mean that in a good way. Does he have a brother? Cousin?"
"He has a brother, I haven't met him."
"Well," She exits the bathroom and begins to wash her hands. "You need to."
"Girl," I laugh, shaking my head. "Do you not have a man sitting at that table waiting for you?"
Chloe places her hands on her hips. "Greg is here for a good time, not a long time. He's kinda insecure and trying to prove to me he isn't. That isn't long term stability to me."
"I can't with you." I laugh as she grabs my arm as we exit.
"I'm gonna go to the bar really quick, I'll be there." She says over the music.
As Chloe pats my arm and walks away, I'm on my way back to the table when someone steps into my path. "Hey, I saw you walking this way earlier," He puts his hand out. "Kenneth, nice to meet you, miss?"
"Ione." I smile.
My oh my, talk about handsome. He's tall, dark-haired with light eyes, and a build to make Adonis green with envy.
"Ione, that's pretty," He has a glass of whiskey in his hand, he doesn't smell like alcohol no, he smells like Creed Aventus and that should be a red flag, but those notes of bergamot and ambergris get me every time.
"Are you with that guy at your table?" He smirks.
"I saw you sitting over there, but I am not one to pilfer a woman from where she's happy. " He winks. "Unless you aren't."
Bold. "No, he's—" Damn, what do I say? "We work together." Smart move, Ione.
"Very nice." He finishes his drink and offers his hand. "Want to dance a little?"
I'd love to. I can't see Athanasius looking over here, and he shouldn't miss me too much, I'm just tethering him to this world in the ring, the least he can do is allow me to dance with a man that smells like sin. "Sure."
Kenneth takes my hand, his fingers intertwine in mine, and I'm feeling horny as hell. The smooth Latin beat is calling me, and as he wraps his arm around my waist, I allow myself to sink into him.