A Thousand Salt Kisses Later (Book 2 of Salt Kiss series)

I Could Never...

There were so many things I could have said, so many things I wanted to say, but the first words that came out of my mouth were really not so sublime.

"You're wearing a top," I said perplexedly, looking at his upper half. For the first time ever, I saw a navy blue t-shirt was stretched out over his body, and it looked a little on the small side, to say the least.

He wore shorts too, but no shoes. That would have been too weird.

"Yes," he replied. "George gave it to me - the t-shirt - he told me to wear it. He said maybe your parents might be home."

I continued to stare at him, almost blankly. I think I must have been in total shock.

"No, they're not due back until next week," I said, somehow in a tone of perfect calm. "They're in France."

He nodded in response. How are we having a normal conversation, right now?

"Err, do you want to come in?" I asked, stepping aside and gesticulating inwards. I had gone into autopilot, going through the motions of receiving a guest, even though it was not just any old guest.

"Thank you," he said, looking a little bit daunted, "but as you may know, I have never been inside a human house before."

"Well, it's really quite... safe," I assured him.

He smiled and nodded before stepping inside. I shut the door behind him, in a daze.

He now stood in the kitchen looking around, his green eyes roaming all over the room with great curiosity.

"Well, this is the kitchen," I said, adopting the tone of an estate agent all of a sudden. "We eat here..."

He frowned like this was a hard thought to digest. He then glanced out into the corridor.

"Um... and this is like, the hall..." I explained, leading him out of the kitchen.

He frowned again as we came to the staircase. "These are interesting stairs, they are covered in...is it grass?" he said reaching down and stroking the carpet.

I shook my head in amazement. "No, it's a carpet."

I continued with the guided tour for a little while longer; I didn't know what else to do. I took him upstairs and showed him the bathroom, and then we walked into my bedroom, where I finally asked him the obvious question:

"Why are you here?" I said, now sitting on the bed and gazing up at him incredulously.

"I wanted to talk with you," said Llyr, now standing by the bed, his arms folded across his chest.

"But why?" I pressed. All of a sudden my phone rang, and I jumped. It was beside me on the bed. I looked down; it was the sea taxi company. "I think my taxi is outside," I said.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I have to catch a train," I explained. "To London. I don't know if you understand what that means..."

"I know what both of those things are," he said.

"Okay... well, I'll tell him to wait," I said, pressing Answer. "Hey, can you give me a little time...?" I said, down the phone.

The taxi driver begrudgingly agreed to stick around, and I hung up and placed the phone back down on the bed, next to me.

"I had hoped you would stay," Llyr said.

I nodded slowly, although inside I was completely thrown. Why would he want me to stay? I can't imagine Ri or Kara... or that Eek creature would want me knocking about.