Faithless Memories

Agreement

Chapter 24

When they got to her house, she was thankful that Genesis couldn't stay long. He spent just enough time to exchange numbers with her before he bowed out with another Loveless quote. That was going to take some getting used to if she decided not to call it off right away. When she was alone, she headed to the shower. Her thoughts were still in disarray when she was done. She ended up trying to bake cookies just so she would have something to concentrate on besides her strange afternoon.

When Zack got home that night, he found her in the kitchen surrounded by several piles of cookies in various stages of burnt. He raised a brow at her as she was sorting through a bowl of them and adding them to the different stacks. "Uh, sis, are you okay? Did something happen?"

Kris had not noticed him walk in, so she jumped a little before she turned to him with a nervous grin. "Ah, not at all." She then pointed to two of the piles. "Those two should be good to eat. The one on the left is a tad burnt on the bottom but still soft. The rest of these, I'll have to figure out something else. Maybe I can make some sort of dessert with them. I'll research it a little."

The hair on the back of Zack's neck stood up as he looked around and took in the sheer number of inedible cookies. Kris never tried to bake. As good of a cook as she was, she could never manage baking. The fact that she had obviously spent all afternoon trying had him even more worried. He walked to her and gently took the bowl from her hands before he sat her down and took the nearest seat. He gave her a concerned look. "What's going on?"

She tried to smile but ended up grimacing. She sighed and looked away from him. "Commander Rhapsodos asked me on a date."

Zack was instantly up and pacing around the room. She could hear him cursing under his breath, but she didn't say anything. She wanted him to get as much of it out of his system before she told him the rest. She was surprised when he turned to her with a determined look. "Let me talk to Angeal. They're friends. I'll have him convince Genesis to leave you alone."

Kris sighed and stood again. She shook her head and hoped her brother wouldn't blow a fuse at what she was about to tell him. "Actually, I agreed to at least give him a chance. He is supposed to call me soon so we can make arrangements when we will both be off next."

Zack was frozen with his mouth hanging open. If it had been any other circumstances, Kris might have found it funny. As it was, she could barely keep from nervously rearranging the cookies again. When he finally closed his mouth, he gave her a glare. "What were you thinking? I told you sparring with him was a bad idea. He has never dated a woman for more than two months. Most don't last that long. He gets what he wants and then leaves!"

Kris clenched her jaw hard to keep from snapping back. She knew he was only concerned, so she counted to ten before she was able to respond civilly. "I know you're worried, and I get why. Really, I do, but I am capable of judging for myself what his intentions are."

Zack turned away and paced the short length of the kitchen a few times before he turned back to her. "Kris, I don't want you to take this as if I don't trust you, but I think you may be a little blinded here. I saw the way he looked at you, but I also saw the way you looked at him. I have never seen you give any man a second glance, most of the time you are oblivious to how many heads you turn. You even have all my friends starstruck, but Commander Rhapsodos is the only one that you have ever noticed look at you that way."

He sighed and took her by the arms. He gave her a little shake and grinned at her. "Maybe if you took a look around you at all the other men, you might find one that is far better for you. Please?"

Kris looked away from his pleading eyes and had to push back an old feeling of self-doubt before she could answer. "Zack, I think you're biased. Not every compliment means that someone is interested in me like that. Besides, I doubt this is more than a passing fancy. I just want to see for myself. When things don't go his way, I'm sure he'll move on, and that will be that. I'm sure you already know that I'm just not interested in getting intimate with anyone. So, don't worry."