“If you pop those damn things,” Gia murmurs, “I’m going to murder you. They were expensive. Do you know how much helium costs these days? There’s a freaking shortage.”
Amara hits it again, and Dante rolls his eyes.
He’s holding colorful ribbons in his hands and keeps giving them to me to place all over the apartment. On the railings, the lamps, the chairs. I do not know why these are necessary, but the balloons and ribbons do make the space more alive with color. It makes me feel joy.
That is, until a loud pop resounds around the room, startling me. I jump up, my tail lashing out to curl around Dante. I lift him off his feet and bring him toward me, right against my chest. My claws are out, my fangs protruding from my mouth.
“Oh god, Amara. Look what you did,” Gia says, waving her hand toward me. She does not look happy. “You scared poor Cielo.”
Amara’s bottom lip pops out, and she sighs. “Sorry. I won’t touch the balloons again. I promise.”
Dante pats my shoulder, but I do not let him go. Not yet. My hands move around him, and I bring him in for a kiss. His lips part, and our tongues sweep against each other before we step away. I set him down then, careful not to jostle him too much. He has been in pain, more so than normal. He has run out of zitha, and while he told me Everest will bring me some tonight, it has been far too long since he’s had relief.
I do not like to see him hurting. But my Dante does not complain. He just forces a smile onto his face and pushes through. Much like the warriors on Erethar.
He is strong and mighty, even if he is small.
He rubs his chest and sighs, and I step toward him, dragging up his shirt.
“I’m fine. I just got jostled when the balloon popped,” he says, peering up at me. My ears crease downward, and he shakes his head. “It’s fine. Don’t be sad. It was just alarming and all Amara’s fault.”
Amara murmurs another apology, looking very sad that she caused the balloon to erupt.
My hand snakes around him and cups his hip softly. He leans into me, and I let out a soft purr at the contact, but he pulls away, pointing to more of the ribbons.
“Gotta hang the rest of it before Mom, Dad, and Nonna get here with the food and cake.”
“Oh, cake. Have you ever had that before, Cielo?” Gia asks me. I have not, so I just shake my head, and she pats me on my tail and bobs her head. “You will love it. I promise.”
I am not sure of this, but I smile at her and continue the task Dante has given me. When the ribbons are everywhere Dante wants them, he glances down at his phone.
“Mom and Dad are two minutes away.” He glances at me. “I haven’t told them about you. So…I think they’ll be cool, but just know they may be a little shocked at you being here.”
“Shooooked?”
“Yes. Shocked. Not that they’re bigots or anything. I’m sure they’ll warm up right away. Unless…”
He shouts over to Amara and Gia. “Did you tell Mom and Dad about Cielo?”
“No,” Gia says with a roll of her eyes. “It wasn’t our place.”
“Never stopped you before,” he says, but then laughs. “Thanks.”
I peer down at him as he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth. I would very much like to kiss him in this moment. I do love how he tastes. But before I can lean down, he shakes his head.
“I do want to kiss you, always, but like, not in front of my parents.”
I lean back slightly, my ears fluttering. He is ashamed.
I do not want to be the cause of this.
“No, no, not like that. I’m not ashamed of you. I just don’t want my parents to die of a heart attack.”
My eyes narrow. I did not say my feelings out loud. How was he able to understand me? Am I that easy to read? But before I can ask, the door opens, and Luca appears. When he returned home from his travels, he looked tired. He is much better now and seems well rested.
He grins up at me, pressing his hands against his chest and lifting them, asking, ‘What’s up?’
I did not understand this phrase when he asked me the first time. I told him the sky was up, but he just laughed and told me it is a human greeting. I now know how to respond.
