PANIC ROOM • KENJI KON

LXVIII. I Won't Let Anything Happen To You

Chapter Sixty Eight:  I Won't Let Anything Happen To You

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"After everything Mantah Corp said they'd do to my family, can you blame us for not trusting you?" Sammy finished.

"No, I suppose not. But the work I'm doing is good. How could understanding dinosaurs be bad?" Eva noticed Dr. Mae Turner talked with her hands a lot.

"Mantah Corp could use your research to control dinosaurs?"

Mae gasped, "They wouldn't."

"Yeah, well, until five minutes ago, you thought those BRADs were just friendly assistants," Brooklynn pointed out.

"Okay, the BRADs were programmed to protect the biomes. I don't think anyone anticipated seven kids and a compy showing up unannounced." Mae's tablet beeped. "Drat. It's almost dinner time."

"What, you getting take out?" Kenji remarked.

"Dinner time for the T. Rexes," Mae explained. "I get the rare opportunity to observe mother-daughter eating habits. It's actually surprisingly sweet!" The door hissed open behind her. "Until I can figure out how to ensure your safety, you all remain here."

"Stay away from killer robots and dinosaurs?" Yaz kicked her feet up on the coffee table in front of her. "Yeah, no problem."

Mae left, the door shutting behind her.

Darius and Sammy made eye contact, then went after her.

Eva took a seat on the couch as Yasmina got up. Kenji slid into the spot beside her, and Eva immediately cuddled into his side, going back to playing with his fingers with one hand, and picking up her cocoa with the other. Kenji yawned, his arm stretched around her shoulders, pulling her closer into his body.

"Why did you do it like that?" She questioned, peering up at him.

"Do what, like what?"

"The arm thing? You did it how you would do it if we weren't dating but we are so why did you..." She realized in that exact moment they may have confessed their feelings for one another, but they never specified what exactly they were.

"You are right, as your boyfriend I should have done this—" he pulled her more into his side, to the point she was practically on his lap.

"My cocoa!" Eva giggled, her cocoa sloshing in the cup, but not enough to bounce out. She reached forward and set it down on the table in front of her. As soon as it was out of her hands, Kenji pulled her back, and another fit of giggles erupted from her lips. She landed against his chest, immediately bringing him into a hug, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head against his chest.

Ben stood abruptly and walked away, muttering, "Okay, this is too couple-y for me."

"You and Brooklynn wanna make snacks in the kitchen?" Yaz asked. "Someone ate all the sandwiches."

"Someone was starving," Eva responded, glaring at her friend.

Kenji's arms wrapped around her lower back, giving her a squeeze. Eva settled back into his arms, sighing in content.

"I love you," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"I love me, too," he said, resulting in a light shove and a laugh.