Cursed Times - Only Yesterday! Sequel to Wattys 2015 winner!

Chapter 35: Seisi - Pyjama Party

She was adorable when she was nervous, but then she was adorable most of the time. In particular, he liked it when she bit the lips of her generous mouth. It made them all luscious and ... .

'Earth to Sei? I was telling you I'm quite spooked.'

He shook himself. 'Forgive me. Because of what happened today? It was disconcerting for certain. Especially the way the two of you interacted was unusual.'

'I'm no guinea pig!' Trueth hugged herself, shivering.

A pig? He had better not ask. Tension radiated from the body of his Beloved, and she had to be cold, her lips were turning blue again. Experimentally, he put his arms around her and stroked her head. Trueth refrained from directing one of those verbal arrow volleys at him, so his presence had to be appreciated. Seisi congratulated himself on the progress he was making and decided to venture a step further. 'You should not be alone tonight.'

'Nice try, Sei.'

He poked her gently in the ribs. 'I do not mean it like that. I just would feel less concerned if you were not on your own.'

The hairs on the crown of her head tickled his nose until she raised her face towards him. 'Funny thing is, I think you might just be right. Okay. Your room or mine? On a second thought, let's take yours. I would have to clean things up a bit otherwise.'

Seisi fought hard to keep his composure, but a snort still escaped. Fortunately, she did not seem to notice. Instead, she kept knitting her brows. 'I just have to tell you about one thing.'

'And what would that be?'

'My flannel pyjamas!'

'I beg your pardon?'

'Ah. A nightgown. Comes in two parts and has trousers. I freeze easily, so I always wear one as of autumn. You might not like it. It's not very, uh—attractive?'

'If you like it, so shall I.'

Trueth giggled and kissed him on the check. 'You have the patience of a...holy person. OK, I'll share Paddington Bear with you. In hindsight, I should have realised much earlier that I could never have shown myself to Metjen in that outfit. Would have saved me a lot of heartbreak. I see you in half an hour?'

Seisi had to prevent himself from floating into his room; instead he just nodded solemnly, closed the door behind him, then did a couple of somersaults in mid-air which made him feel even giddier than he already was. In his mind he was already showering her with kisses, was pulling off whatever it was she was planning on wearing and...this would not do! He shot into the bathroom and stuck his head under the cold tap. The icy water running down his neck cleared his head and cooled some of his ardour. Not all parts of his body complied and Seisi proceeded to ensure his personal state of hygiene was above reproof. One never knew as the Lady Nefertiti kept saying.

He was ready long before the timid knock sounded on his door. Metjen had told him the nights in this country could be less than balmy during the winter season, so Seisi had brought a couple of short tunics with him, one of which he wore for modesty's sake. Hopefully, he would get an opportunity to shed it later, but even if not—having Trueth share his lodgings was a move in the right direction. A big one.

She padded inside, wrapped in a pale blue blanket she had taken from her room. It was good she had given him a warning, for her outfit was bizarre even by modern standards. He could only hope she wore it only when alone. A creased top made from a plush looking cream fabric covered equally crinkled trousers, which were sagging sadly over her hips. The images on the fabric were even more outlandish; some sort of beady-eyed furry animal wearing a red hat, a blue coat and yellow boots was marching all over the material.