Smile

42

October 14th

My exhibit is coming up fast. I've been so occupied with taking care of Moonie that I almost forgot I had one at all. I'm used to my entire life being enveloped in this show, so much so that nothing else matters. But I've got so many more important things...like asking Moonie to go with me.

I feel like I'm in fucking high school. I mean I was never nervous about...women...in high school but I'm feeling like this is how I should've felt. Every time I look at her, my stomach feels empty and my face gets hot. Yea, that's because she's obviously gorgeous, but also because I can't seem to figure out how to ask.

I mean we are adults, right? I can just ask...but what if she's not ready. She hasn't been outside, other than my backyard, since her attack ya know. I don't want her to feel like she's obligated to say yes just because she lives with me or because I'm basically taking care of her right now. I want her to say yes because she actually wants to go but I won't feel bad if she doesn't want to go at all.

"How's your neck?" I questioned as I handed her dishes to dry and put away. She tilted her head up, the faded purple bruise now turning into almost a brown color.

I hissed slightly and she slowly let her head back down. "Does it still hurt? It seems like you can move more." I glanced up at her, the hot water that scorched my hands making my face heat up.

She shrugged, her eyes on the pure white plate in her hands. "I don't know. I can't really feel it unless I try to move too fast."

I hummed, my heart pounding in my chest. Maybe right now is not a good time to ask her. Bringing her in front of all those people after she just said—

"What's wrong?"

I hummed, my eyebrows lifting up as my head spun in her direction. "Uh...nothing." I lied.

She squinted at me slightly, her arm reaching behind her to set the plate on top of the pile. "...I asked you to stop lying to me, Kai." She spoke lowly, her eyes just as low as her tone.

For fucks sake it's like painful to lie to her and it just gets worse the more I do. It was like a truth serum before but since that night in the bath, it's like the truth is being choked out of me.

I sighed as I stepped away from the soapy water filled sink and leaned back against the counter. I stared at her as she wrapped her hands up in the cloth she used to dry the dishes. "You know about my art...exhibit , right?"

She hummed and nodded as she continued to stare at me intently. "I want you to go with me. Be my...date, I guess." I murmured as my words faded into nothing but embarrassed sighs. I scratched the back of my head as I stood up straight, my eyes avoiding her entirely. "But I know you probably won't feel up to it so I didn't want to—"

"When is it?"

My eyes shot up to hers and widened when I saw her cartoonishly excited smile spread across her lips and her unbelievably deep dimples imprinted into her blushed pink cheeks. Her excitement was so contagious it made my body shiver and I couldn't help but laugh.

"It's next week, the twenty-second." I chuckled, my fist balled up and pressed into my other hand as I tried not to smile any harder than her. "Fuck..why are you so excited about it?"

Her lips folded in slightly, her dimples flexing into her cheeks. "You asked me to be your date, Kai. Why wouldn't I be excited?"

Shit. If anybody could make a grown man blush, I'd be her. She doesn't even do it on purpose, she's just being honest and it sounds so fucking amazing.

She turned away slightly, closing the cabinet door behind her before stepping toward me. She looked up at me, her eyes cornering me against the counter. "I hope you know we have to match." She spoke lowly, her hands resting on my sides.

I raised my eyebrows as I tried to control my heartbeat. "What for?"

She shrugged. "Seems right, doesn't it? Isn't that what people do on dates to fancy places?"

"...I don't know, I've never been on a date."

She chuckled as her eyes flickered off for a moment before redirected themselves to my lips. "Nobody's ever wanted to go on a date with you? That's impossible."

I scoffed, my lips forming into a cocky smirk as I stared down at the beautiful woman in front of me. "I never said they didn't want to. Just said that I'd never been."

She hummed as her head rocked back slightly before she stepped back, her fingers holding onto the sides of my shirt as she did so. She hummed as she did a once over of my entire body, her eyes lingering a little too long on the lower half of my body. "Yea...you'd look good in a suit," her eyes traveled back up to mine as she stepped back in front of me, her hands now resting on my stomach. "Really good."

I swallowed slowly as I stared down at her, any charisma I have going out the window. Her hands felt like silk as they traveled up my stomach and around my back. She sent shivers down my spine as she applied gentle pressure into my back and pressed her body closer to mine.

When I met her, I would've never expected she liked being so physical. She recoiled at my every touch but now, she makes me more nervous than I've ever been just by saying my name.

"You're talking a lot for someone who's injured."

She smirked lightly, her eyes making my body feel frozen underneath them. "I'm feeling pretty good today. Your...hard work is paying off, I guess."

As if I was being pulled in by a magnet, I leaned over slowly as my face in her closer to hers. "You guess?"

She hummed as her head tilted up slightly.

"Yea."

Our lips connected slowly, my face scrunched up as my body tingled and my stomach became weak. Everything about her was like silk. Her voice, her lips, her tongue, her skin...it makes my whole body weak. Sometimes I'm surprised I can still even stand.

"Moon," I continued to peck her lips as she pulled away despite myself being the reason for the short lived kiss to be ending. "Let's wait til you're...better." I cleared my throat as my eyes fluttered open and trailed down and into her eyes.

She stared up at me with a subtle and sweet smile on her lips. "Ok." She pulled away from me, her hands holding onto my shirt until she was out of arms reach. "I'm going to sleep now. Come up when you're ready."

I watched her walk off and Needy appear from around the corner to follow her up.

Maybe I'm going crazy.