Fractured Reality

Yep, This is Hell

Chapter 23

It took the two of them several more days to get the trove wired completely and a workaround that would charge Eva's phone without causing a mishap. Not that she had been willing to test it on the phone directly until they found another way to ensure the output was within the charger's tolerance. Once she had shown Adrian the charging device, and he had examined it thoroughly, he was able to make it work. He had been glad to provide her with some memory of her home, though at the time, he had no idea that he was also providing himself with further torment.

That wasn't even counting the pictures he was shown when she had allowed him to examine the device. She hadn't been bothered by any of them, but he had to stop halfway through. Several of the images were of Eva and others where they were all wearing clothing that made the outfit she arrived in look as modest as she claimed it was. Despite her view on the matter, he politely declined when she asked if he wanted to see more.

They had taken to making meals in shifts. He cooked breakfast, she cooked lunch, and they alternated cooking the evening meal. Though teaching her how to gather the freshest ingredients had been interesting. It was another reminder that she was from a time when things were much easier for humanity. He was fascinated by every little thing he learned, though she was always quick to point out that human nature never changed, both the good and bad.

That, however, was not the source of his suffering. No, that came from what he was currently watching silently from just outside the door of the kitchen. Eva was making lunch, and had in what she had called her 'earbuds.' Appropriate names for the bud shaped things she placed in her ears that carried the music from her phone when she didn't want to disturb him.

Not that it would have at the moment, as he had been outside preparing an area for their first lessons in self-defense after lunch. He finished quickly and came to see if she needed help, but froze before he ever made it into the room. She had been singing to herself, and he had picked up enough English from her already to recognize a few of the words. Those that he didn't understand, he was not willing to ask for a translation. Not that his mind was focused much on translation at the moment.

Instead, he was watching as she moved smoothly from one task to the next, and her hips swayed from side to side to the rhythm of her words. He might not understand them, but the sultry tone to her voice did not need to be interpreted. He briefly wondered who she was thinking about as she sang. The thought that it was anyone other than him caused a flash of heated rage to rush through him, but he pushed it down before a snarl could leave his lips. He was satisfied to watch for now. She hadn't seen him yet.

Though, his resolution was sorely tempted when she bent at the waist to grab something and slowly stood before she closed her eyes and licked her lips. He realized he either needed to leave or let her know he was there. This was too much. He had learned to keep a tight rein on his self-control, but this woman was fraying it at the edges without even trying.

His indecision ended up not mattering in the end. She pulled the food from the stove and set it to the side, but as soon as it was off the flame, her entire posture changed. He only realized it was because the song changed when he heard the soft words. This was a song he knew. She had sung it once before and had gotten melancholy then too. She translated it for him the first time, and he didn't need an explanation as to why it made her sad. It reminded her of her mother. Hell, the translation reminded him of his mother.

Without another thought, he walked forward and touched her arm softly. She started and yanked the buds from her ears, but only blushed lightly. "I hope my singing didn't bother you."

He gave her a soft smile. "Not at all. I finished up the area for us to use after lunch early and wanted to see if you needed help."

She seemed to deflate for a moment before she took a deep breath and smiled back. "Nope, as you can see, I just finished. Let's eat so you can go show me just how abysmal I am at fighting creatures with superhuman speed and stamina."