✔ The Way We Burn || Kol Mikaelson (Complete)

Chapter 41

"No."

"No?" Kol repeated with a blank expression.

Nora patted his cheeks with an amused smile. "No, Kol, we aren't broke."

"Then..." his voice trailed off as his gaze swept over the poorly-furnished room. Obviously, everything here was cheap and worn out. "Do you like the penniless style now?"

If that was truly the case, it must have been a recent change in her taste.

"The penniless style doesn't exist, Kol."

"Sure it does. Just take a look around you. Your couch is a typical example of that style. Especially that suspicious spot there."

"Hey!" Nora scowled, hands on her hips, "don't diss Billy! He's super comfortable and I just spilled hot chocolate on it this morning."

He stared at her dumbfounded and then asked with a deadpan expression, "Billy?"

"Well..." She scratched her nose, a cute blush quickly spreading on her cheeks. "I'm kind of alone in New Orleans and I needed someone to talk to. Or something, here. It feels less awkward calling it Billy, no?"

"You could just adopt a cat or a dog."

"Here? In this small flat? Pets aren't allowed and unlike my handsome husband, I can't compel my neighbors to believe the dog's barking is me singing opera."

A peal of laughter arose within him when he heard her and he ruffled her hair with a fond smile.

"Let me reassure you, darling. You don't need to compel anyone to make them believe that." He paused before smirking. "You just need to sing in front of them."

"Oh, you so didn't say that!" Nora said in a threatening voice, her eyes narrowed as she glared at him as if she wanted to kill him.

He spread his arms apart.

"I really did," he chirped. "Feel free to torture my body all you want."

Just when he finished saying this, he lowered his gaze towards his arms and grimaced. "Err... Once I had a wash."

"Good idea hon," Nora nodded with a grin, her eyes sparkling. "Don't take it wrong, but you stink like hell."

With that said, she placed her hands on his back and proceeded to push him into a small but clean bathroom where a bathtub was taking most of the space.

Now, that was weird.

"Are these the famous pipes you once told me about?" he questioned, pointing at a pipe. "It looks different than the ones in your memory."

"Well, it's also one century older," Nora explained while turning on the water to fill the bathtub and a wooden bucket. "The world is changing rapidly, you know. Science and technical progress are made every day."

Steam rose and filled the room and the dampness soon clung to them. Nora placed a chair behind the bathtub and picked a few liquid and solid soap.

"Take off your clothes and get into the bath so that you can look like your handsome self again."

Upon hearing this, Kol didn't waste any time. In less than a second, he was stark naked and climbing into the tub. His body had gathered two centuries of dirt and grim. From his hair to his skin, not a single spot was clean.

Nora handed a washcloth and a soap bar to him before her fingers started working on his hair. Skillfully and meticulously, she washed the dirty black locks. He couldn't help but close his eyes in pleasure and let out a deep sigh, his mind completely at peace as his wife took care of him.