Hero

Chapter Twenty

“You should skip class today,” I muttered into Ezra’s shoulder as I wrapped my arms around his stomach.  I could feel him chuckle lightly and his arms gently moving over mine as he tied the tie around his neck in a perfect Windsor knot.  “You should skip class and stay with me all day.”

“Would that I could, babe,” he said, finishing up the knot and turning away from my hug to grab his suit jacket.  “But I have a meeting with my advisor later and it’d be pretty bad to show up for the meeting I scheduled but not his class.”  He swung the jacket onto his shoulder and kissed me lightly.  “I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay?”

Instead of answering, I pulled on his perfect tie until he kissed me again.  Lips remaining connected, we walked back over to the bed, eventually falling over onto the rumpled covers that we never seemed to make.  After a minute, he pulled away from me.  “Mina…” he said warningly.  “I really have to go.”

I frowned at him and let go of his tie.  “Fine.  Go have fun at your classes and your meetings.”

“Believe me, I won’t be having half as much fun at those things as I would with you.”  He picked up his bag and slung it over one shoulder, kissing me quickly on the forehead before walking out the front door.

I yawned and sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes before putting on a pair of slippers and headed down to the kitchen two stories below.  Nova was chopping up some fruit slowly, taking care not to cut herself on the sharp paring knife.  Simon had a bowl of some special health cereal and was sitting at the breakfast bar watching television while he ate it.  He glanced up at me as I came down the stairs, raising an eyebrow as he added, “Good morning, Boo.  How was your night?  Get much sleep?”  Nova giggled and reached across the island she was working at so they could fist bump.

“Nope, but I got some really great sex, thanks for asking.”  Nova giggled again and picked up a strawberry to begin cutting.  I poured myself a cup of coffee and watched them go about their day happily.

I hated what I was about to do, but I had to tell them.  I mean, I had to talk to someone.  I wasn’t a… well, yes, I was technically a robot, but that didn’t mean that I had no feelings!  So as casually as I could, I took a sip of coffee, swallowed, and said, “I kissed Tempus Manum,” before closing my eyes.

When I opened them again, I wasn’t surprised by the sight I saw before me.  Nova was sucking on her finger, a drop of blood on the counter from where she’d cut herself—although for all I knew, that could just as well be strawberry juice.  Simon’s spoon had slipped from his hand, spraying his face with milk and flakes of grain.  He blinked numbly as a drop of milk fell past his eye onto his cheekbone.

After a minute, he picked up a napkin and dabbed the milk away from his face.  Nova looked at her finger curiously and then swiped up the drop from the counter.  It must have been strawberry juice after all.  “Mina, Boo, I’m sure I misheard you just now.  Please tell me I misheard you just now, because I think I heard you say that you kissed Tempus Manum behind Ezra’s back.”

“Well…I did, but before you say anything, it was right after he beat the Ninja last week and it lasted like two seconds and I don’t know, I guess I was all hyped up on adrenaline and seeing the future and oh my god.”  I groaned and took a sip of coffee again, remembering what had happened.  We’d kissed for a second and then pulled apart awkwardly.  At that moment, the ground below us disappeared and I found myself hurtling to the grass in Everground Square, our time.  After giving an edited version of my story to The Prophet, who was in charge of media coverage, I’d flown home without looking back.  “Guys, I’m such a horrible person.”

“Yeah, that’s saying something,” scoffed Nova.  “What the hell, Mina?  Ezra’s your boyfriend.  He’s crazy about you; why would you go and screw that up with him?”