"You mean when I brought you in that back room and climbed over top of you."
I start to describe for her - in a low whisper into the microphone, absolutely trying to embarrass her - but it just makes her mouth open like the starting gate at a racetrack. And her words fly right out of it like the horse that wants to win.
"Yes. And then I saw those photos of you in Anise’s sudden group chat. Saw the lonely picture again when I messaged you privately. I couldn’t help myself with the way I was thinking about you, and-"
"Stop. I get it."
If that’s shy, then... I don’t need to know what her direct is! It was like how I was with Mira, except she wasn’t trying to deflect - just tell the truth.
That level of honesty feels dangerous this early in the morning. We both still have a whole day of tasks to accomplish. I don’t want to spend it feeling like I should chase her down and find... anywhere slightly private.
"I get it..."
"Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable."
Kyrie falls silent on the other end of the line. Her tone had shifted back towards professional, pulling back from whatever deliciously dangerous territory we were wandering into again.
This is good. End it here before we both say things that will make today... absolutely impossible to get through with anything approaching peace of mind.
> Or peace of body, in this case? Calm down, you can be mad when I do things. Not before I do things when I’m just thinking of escape routes. It is what it is, I’ve accepted that I don’t have the instincts for combat in the first place and neither do you. I’m just a Princess - not a pitfighter. Like we’re both waiting for the other to find a reason to keep talking. Grow up. Well, no, that doesn’t really help calm me down either. <
A perfect opportunity to hole up in my apartment, organize my thoughts, and prepare for tomorrow’s interview in peaceful solitude. Except as I start walking back toward Perigee Residences, I take a detour... because my mind immediately began thinking of all the things I actually need to accomplish.
Those bed boxes waiting to be hauled and unpacked in the warehouse setup that Claire is somehow keeping available for me. The place I need to make use of in that timeframe she gave.
So I walked over there and dropped off the container. By the time I reach my building, my ’hermit day’ has transformed into a mental list of errands that will require me to traipse all over the city.
I mutter curses in my heart after letting myself into apartment 15-02 while staring at the four unopened boxes. Holding a bed set I bought impulsively with the clear intention of having a second person use it.
Apparently, even my attempts at hiding from the world have added a second person to it.