Blacklake-Book4-1 Three Cousins

Chapter 41
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Kriz strolled in. Almost forgot what the idjit looked like, I’d been stuck in this room so long. But I’d forgive him for not visitin’ the last couple days, ’cause he had two laptops under his arm. One of em had to be mine.

Papa growled that I wasn’t supposed to be lookin’ into a light source, which we both ignored. If it had been Mama, maybe Kriz would have shared a glance her way—still done what he intended—but woulda acknowledged a hen. He launched one of the laptops at me from about five feet from my bed like it was a flyin’ disk. I maybe juggled it. My hand-eye coordination is surprisin’ly off from layin’ in a darkened room the past year—seems that long. He busied himself findin’ a place to plug the powerbrick in for me.

That done, he set his laptop beside my feet and opened it. Must not have been asleep, ’cause he immediately began clackin’ away.

Mine pinged with a message as the desktop flashed awake. “Rough plan for a fifty-thousand SF office space here,” his text read, with a link followin’ it. “Get back to David with yar thoughts. He’s leadin the team.”

“Leadin’ the team?” I growled. “He’s never done anything like this in his life.”

Papa said, “I connected him with an architectural firm. They’re expensive, but really good at what they do, and they don’t mess around. CEO a no nonsense troll. Known him my whole life.”

I gave Papa a glare. He hadn’t said anything about this. At all. And I suddenly felt more than confused. “What is this for?”

Took three seconds before my laptop pinged. “The folks we have to hire, fool. To execute the new contract.” By the time I read that he’d messaged me again. “Be helpful if ya’d stop fallin’ on the floor so ya can get out of here.”

~ Ezra ~

I woke from my nap and checked my phone. Seems like I’m a split-shifter these days. Three hour nap after I get off, and a three hour nap before I head back to the kitchen. All because of an idjit human.

I sighed. Life had been so calm, up to a couple weeks ago. Now I’m spendin’ my private time with a human I never thought I’d care for. But he’s growin’ on me. Not like a boil, either. But with all the continued tongue-waggin’ in the Valley, the relationship is takin’ a toll on me.

Woulda been a much wiser hen to have just told him to go away. No good reason to be spendin’ time with the fool.

But he never fails to put a smile between my tusks, though oddly I find myself tryin’ to deny em—the smiles. And he seems so happy to be around me. It’s a combination that’s hard to flee from. And so very confusin’.

David had left us on our own the last several nights—asked us to drop him off a bite of takeout at the office after. Wonder if all Thomas would talk about over dinner, is this big new project. Humans sure can gather a heap of energy over things. And flap their lips over it endlessly.

I texted Thomas, to let him know I was awake, and to ask him if we were still on. Took him a couple minutes to answer. I’d flashed water over my face, pulled on my new skirt and a fresh smock before he answered.

“I said I’d pick ya up, didn’t I?” I replied back. I would never get into that tiny human car again—knees will hold a grudge for a year.

I smudged a bit of rouge across my cheeks, dabbed a bit of lipstick on—this whole makeup thing is new to me—and wrenched around my dreads to liven em up a bit. Lookin’ in the mirror, I decided to unleash the top button of my smock. And then another.

Whoa. That was way too much cleavage. Kinda rash of me. But I’m no fool. Opted to leave it be. The idjit tries to hide his glances at my—hens. They impress him, for some reason. Grabbed my keys and purse and headed for my truck.

The slinky whisk of my silk-blend skirt gifted me yesterday out of the blue by Aunt Karzy, felt embarrassin’ly sexy. Think it’s the way it flows over my hips and thighs like water, makes me feel a tad naked. I’d never felt sexy before. Had never wanted to even be attractive before. And it’s more than a bit insane that I’m doing it for a human who would leave the Valley in a couple weeks, never see again.

A niggle gave a tiny yank on my lungs. Yes, for the best, that he would leave soon. But I’d miss him. No one has ever acted excited when they saw me before.

Walkin’ down the hall, Mama called out from the kitchen, “Ya’ll have a nice dinner.”

I called out a thank ya to her, shakin’ my head. Never woulda imagined my mama not flippin’ her ever-lovin’ skull over me headin’ out to dinner with a human.

When I pulled into the OW parking lot, I jolted a bit, ’cause I couldn’t remember the last twenty minutes drivin’ between home and here. My mind had been—where? Didn’t wanta even admit to myself what I’d been thinkin’ about.

Is it the interruption of my sleep pattern? Must be it. We ogres love our sleep. Most shoot for nine or ten hours a night. Though I know Ike and his papa don’t get six. As busy as they keep themselves, a wonder they get any sleep. Then there’s Kriz, who prolly works three days straight without fallin’ in bed, until he finds himself unconscious with a keyboard jammed between his tusks.

Thomas jogged down from the entrance. Jogged. An ogre bull wouldn’t be caught dead joggin’ excited-like to see the hen he hoped to woo. Woo. Can’t let that get in my head. He’s just enjoyin’ his summer with his good friend’s cousin. Get yar head straight, Hen!

He climbed up into my cab, mouth flappin’ already, about I don’t know what. Sometimes the fool talks about things I’m pretty sure everyone and their cousin’s burro would find borin’ as a sack of rocks. Did he call me sweetie? That should really irritate me, I think. Sweetie? Really?

“Wow,” he exclaimed. “You look nice this evening.” And as I predicted, his eyes floated downward. “Wow,” he repeated. Idjit. His eyes floated about a bit more, which at least kept him from cluckin’ his tongue. Though in my peripheral vision as I pulled away from the curb, I could make out that his mouth was hangin’ open. “Pretty skirt,” he added. That made me feel nice. He noticed. I’ll have to tell Aunt.

I told him thank ya. Asked him if he wanted a quick dinner again so he could get back—though I think he’d already given me that expectation. He didn’t answer. I turned his way. He was still takin’ me in. I didn’t do that much. New skirt. A bit of that pink stuff on my cheeks.

“You look really nice this evening.” Did he hit his head? He already said that.

I got out on the avenue. Guess he wasn’t gonna answer my question. I already expected to take him down to Birs Boulevard, to the popular human place. Their ogre food and serving sizes leave little to be appreciated, but they have fast service. And I think that’s what he wanted.

“Any private place we could go?” His voice sounded funny, like a troll had a fist wrapped around his throat.

“Private?” Maybe my voice sounded odd too. Stressed, maybe.

“I’m really wanting to kiss you right now,” he said.

A human. A human. A human—continued to screech in my head.

“I know you all don’t find us attractive,” he said. “I’m not a strapping ogre bull. But—”

But what? My body was vibratin’ something awful. I so wanted to experience what his lips would feel like pressed against mine. Embarrassin’ how often the thought has flicked through my itty bitty head lately.

As idjiotic as it screamed, I knew I was still gonna do something so incredibly idjiotic. I made a U-turn at the next cross street and drove south, to get deeper into the South Slope. For the first time in my life I was askin’ myself why I didn’t have my own place.

Five minutes later, we still hadn’t spoken—think the air in the cab was vibratin’ too loudly to hear over—as I turned up a canyon road, and pulled up a well known huntin’ double-track. Drove another five hundred feet until I reached a pull out, and stopped, turned off the engine. Was pretty dark here in the deep forest as my dash and headlights extinguished, the sun well below the mountain peaks.

Thomas flicked his seat belt off, crawled up on the seat to fold across the center console. His left hand slid under my dreads and settled on the back of my neck. Hand was stinkin’ cold. I think he stays cold here. I felt the vibration in his hand. Fool was shakin’. Prolly from a chill. Well, I was shakin’. All over. And it wasn’t the chill afternoon.

His eyes came within ten inches of mine, and we just studied each other for a bit, not movin’. He was prolly double-thinkin’ how idjiotic this is too.

But his lips moved toward mine. I maybe gasped a bit. He softly set his lips against mine. His lips were cold too. Really cold. Our lips parted. Oh, my.

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