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Greid went still, then dropped the bag and set down his cup on the nightstand before reaching out to take the heavy, wrapped object I held out. “You didn’t have to get me something.”
But he was already fumbling to unwrap it, grinning as he held up the fat double-wick candle, its wax a deep red in a dark brown glass container.
“I got the most interesting scent I could find,” I told him with a wry smile, which made him spin the candle to read its label.
“Deep secret rose and freshly dug earth,” he read out, then lifted it to his nose and sniffed. “Oh man, it smells so good.”
I flushed. “I don’t know what kind of deep secrets a rose could have.”
“It’s a type of rose. They smell really nice.” He gave me a shy smile. “Thanks, Beryl.”
“My pleasure. It was nice to be able to buy you something.” I leaned forward on my hands to give him a kiss, which went on for a lot longer than I’d been expecting when Greid threaded his fingers through my hair and kissed me back eagerly.
By the time I pulled away, I was a little dazed, but forced myself to say, “Which reminds me—now that it’s been over a month since I moved in, you should be able to go through your bills and see how much they’ve all gone up by. So I know how much to contribute.”
Greid froze, then groaned dramatically as he fell back against the headboard. “You’re going to make me do math?”
Laughing, I picked up one of my new shirts to inspect it. It had a vintage floral pattern—probably old-fashioned and ugly to a lot of people, but I loved how colourful it was.
“Yes,” I told Greid sternly. “But only when you have time. Did you do some more work on the headpiece last night?”
“Yeah, a little. Cleaned up a bit first and did some laundry. You left yours in the machine, by the way. I put it in the dryer for you.”
“Oh, shit. Thanks. Sorry, I forgot.”
“I’m used to it,” he teased, nudging me with his knee beneath the blankets.
I did tend to forget when I’d started doing laundry. Greid was usually the one to remind me. And put my stuff in the dryer so it didn’t start smelling damp.
“What else did you get?” he asked, picking up his coffee and nodding at the bag.
Grinning, I eagerly pulled out the two delicate mushroom ornaments, wrapped in thin paper. “So I saw these with all the other demiurgus-made knickknacks and thought they were awesome.”
“Oh, cool,” Greid said as I unwrapped them both and set them on the bed between us. “Sporefruit sculptures. I think I have a couple somewhere.”
“Sporefruit?” I asked, watching as he picked one up to inspect it.
“I think it’s a rough translation of ‘mushroom’ in the original demiurgus language,” he said casually. “They’re cool. Super popular a few decades ago. My grandma had a whole shelf filled with them.”
I laughed. “I’m guessing not so popular anymore then?”
“Maybe not with younger demiurgus,” he said sheepishly. “But there are some rare ones that are collectable. People sell them online sometimes. Or you can find them in thrift stores if you’re lucky.”
I perked up. “Can we look online for more?”
“Sure.” He took a sip of coffee. “I’ll try and find the ones I have as well. They might be in one of the second-floor rooms. Or the basement. I know I inherited a few from my grandma, though. We all did.”
I shifted. “You don’t have to give me the ones from your grandma, Greid.”
“Well, it’s not like they’ll be going anywhere.” He ducked his head and coughed. “Um, right?”
I bit my lip around a smile, reaching out to squeeze his hand. “Right. Thanks, Greid. I promise I’ll take good care of them. If you can find them, that is.”
“See, this is why it’s best not to have a cat.” He raised his brows at me. “No risk of the little shits knocking stuff off surfaces.”
I laughed, carefully rewrapping the ornaments. “That’s true.”
The curtains were partially drawn over the windows in here, making the light low and intimate. The air smelled so good—warm, sleepy Greid mixed with a hint of the shade he’d probably smoked before going to sleep. I picked up my coffee cup and took a sip as Greid relaxed back against the headboard, the new candle in his lap. After draining his coffee, he picked it up again to sniff it.
