My apartment has been causing problems for weeks and it'sfinallygotten to be truly unbearable.
“Yeah?” The word is a moan more than a question.
There’s a pause, and then a worried, “Are you okay?”
“Am I…?” I look at the time and curse. “I am so sorry. My alarm didn’t go off.”
“It’s okay. You sound rough.”
“Yeah. I’ll tell you about it in like… ten minutes?”
“Sure thing. I’ll come to you instead of meeting you there.”
Eight minutes later, I feel a little more like a human being again as I step out into the hallway and meet her.
“Sorry.” I wrap my arm around her waist and lean on her shoulder. “The alarm kept going off last night and I thought I fixed it but It seems like I just turned it off completely instead? I’m starting to think my room’s tech package is haunted.”
Her lips twist in an Opodean scowl. “I thought you were going to get that fixed.”
I can’t even be mad that she’s totally scolding me. “I promise I will put in a request with maintenance. I just didn’t get around to it yet.”
“Well, food first and then I will sit with you until it’s done. You look dead and I don’t like it.”
“I don’t think I got more than fifty minutes of uninterrupted sleep last night.” I sigh and lean against her. “I probably won’t be great company.”
“You’re always good company. You’re my favorite person in the universe.”
I’m not sure I can say it back anymore, but the guilt of that is tempered by who’s waiting for us.
“Markoban?” I ask, looking up at her with both brows raised. “Really?”
“I know, I know.” She sighs. “But he’s not annoying when we fuck.”
I snort, trying not to laugh, and immediately apologize.
“Don’t,” she says, pinching my arm. “Laugh at me all you want. I know how ridiculous it is.”
“Hey, Annika,” Markoban says with a wide smile and waves hello with one of his tentacles. It’s a gesture Kita definitely taught him, Opodeans don’t normally do that.
He’s not particularly good at it yet, but I wave back. “Hi.”
He’s trying.
“Feeling better?”
I keep myself from looking at Kita, because why else would he ask. “Yeah, just slept poorly. I’ll feel better when I’ve eaten.”
He looks a little confused, but I ignore it. I don’t want to have to explain the debacle of my apartment’s programming to him.
When we sit down, Markoban chatters about a movie I’ve never heard of, that seems to only have a copious number ofexplosions to recommend itself. But, he continues to pitch the idea to Kita for a date after we’ve ordered, and I have to admit that it’s sweet, watching him try so hard.
By the time our food arrives, she’s given in and I pretend to ignore the fact they’re holding tentacles.
I’ll tease her about it later.
Her food is the last to be set down and when it passes me, I lean toward the delicious smell without a second thought.
The waiter leaves while she and Markoban are arguing about when the best time to go to the station theater is.
