AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Without a word, he takes the entire canister of marshmallows from the counter and places it on the tea trolley. I don’t remember that tea trolley being there, but perhaps I wasn’t paying attention to it. He pushes it over to the seating area.
I take the marshmallows from him, and he silently sits on the floor across from me.
“What is that?” He nods at the tablet, paused midscene.
“Oh, it’s a popular television show. I like streaming it. It makes me happy.”
He searches my face, and I struggle not to feel self-conscious at his close inspection. “I have heard of such things,” he says finally. “This is a theatrical production, yes? Fiction?”
I love the way he asks these questions. It makes my everyday life feel as exotic as his does to me.“Yes. This is called a sitcom, and it’s fiction. It’s meant to be entertaining little stories to fill in time. Wanna watch with me?”
“Please.”
I restart the series from the first episode as Torben makes his tea.
One episode runs into the other while I explain the relationships between these police officers who are not only team mates, but also friends and found family. I laugh more at his reactions than I’ve ever laughed at the show—which is saying something as it is one of my favorite shows.
Too soon, my watch buzzes on my wrist. It’s my sleep routine timer. “I really should get some sleep. But I have to admit I’m not the best at sleeping in new surroundings.”
“Is there something I can do to make you more comfortable?”
“No I will be all right. I will go to sleep eventually.”
“Would it help you to have a herbal tea? I’ve been creating a new batch for my aunt's spa in my lab. Would you like to try some?”
Tea is not my favorite however I am thrilled by the invitation. It doesn’t seem as if Torben is the type of person to extend invitations frequently.
“I would love to. Fair warning, though I am not a big fan of tea.”
He smiles and the devilish look that glinted in his eyes made my heart rate soar. “I shall take that as a challenge.”
Torben’s lab is underneath the greenhouse but he says he wants to show me a special way to get there from inside the house.
It’s not that cold out, but the idea of being indoors is appealing.
“I know it’s not an ideal time to give you a house tour, but I figured this might be a more comfortable way to travel.”
He leads me to what looks like the door to a hall closet. When he opens it, there’s a spiral staircase descending down. “Ready?”
I keep my thoughts about dungeons to myself. Torben probably hasn’t spent most of his life, sharing horror stories around a campfire or listening to true crime thrillers.
I follow him down and the basement is as finished as the rest of the house. A long hallway snakes before us. It’s carpeted, softening the stone walls. Every few feet, wall sconces light the way.
Torben seems as surprised as I am to see them.
“Was this tunnel always here?” I asked.
“My parents didn’t like for me to do my experiments in the main house and so, I made the space here. There’s a tunnel so I don’t have to be outside.”
For a seven-foot Otherkin, Torben didn’t seem doesn’t seem like he likes to be outside. The more I hear him speak, the more he seems to prefer being holed up in a cave.
I wonder if that is a cultural thing or something peculiar to him. I only have him and Jack to consider but the way Jack acts feels the complete opposite to Tor.
I shouldn’t judge an entire culture based on two people. After all, there are introverts and extraverts within the same family. Maybe Tor just likes what he likes.
The same way I just happen to like planners and organizers and self-help mantras. Not every wanna-be, self-employed girly likes the exact same things.
My watch buzzes once more and I automatically tap the notification away. It’s another spam text. I will wait until I get to the lab so Torben doesn’t find me rude that I need to check my phone.
