Supernova

Chapter Fifty Six - Momo Visits the Switzerland Harem Academy!

I felt like I might explode waiting with Elias on the helicopter pad for Momo to arrive.

She'd been uneasily thrilled when I called her, told her about the guest suites, and invited her to come stay with us for a week. Will I fit in there? She'd asked. No, I'd told her. But that's a good thing. And I was being honest when I said it. I'd also been honest when I told her that I'd be with her the entire time, and if she got sick of everyone, which I expected, because I maybe loved these people and I often got sick of being around them, we'd just take off and hole up together in her guest suite. Will I get to meet the harem? She'd then asked with a giggle. It's not a harem, is what I wanted to say. But instead, what I said was: Yes. What I did not say was: I need you to tell me if the harem is going to kill me.

I couldn't feel Elias' hand through his gloves as I held it, and more than once, he'd had to gently remind me that I was holding on too tight. I resisted the urge to laugh as I thought about what an understatement that was.

Because half the student body was in their tour month at any given time, helicopters came and went all the time, but I knew Momo's from the moment I saw it emerge over the horizon and approach us. Call it intuition, I guess. I saw the flecks of her black hair and flashes of her lovely skin as the helicopter prepared for landing, and as it did, I saw her face in the window, smiling and waving at me excitedly, her eyes darting over to Elias beside me with just as much excitement. I almost swore I felt my heart tingle at the mere sight of her, and my free hand began waving frantically like a child's. Elias' free gloved hand raised to do the same.

Momo stepped out and tried to go for her bags, but the helicopter pilot flashed her a look of both surprise and subtle offense as he told her that he'd have them brought to her room for her. She was surprised, but she accepted it quickly. Not only was her family wildly rich herself, but she was used to even the stupid extravagancies. She turned on her heels then and rushed over to me and I dropped Elias' hand carelessly to wrap my arms around her and squeal with her and allow her to sway me side to side. When we pulled back, I had this sudden feeling come over me that she was not real, she couldn't possibly be real, standing here, right in front of me. It was a collision of worlds, and she was the bridge between the real and the pretend.

"I'm Claeson Elias," Elias introduced himself, and then bowed a little at the waist. I was extremely taken off guard. I hadn't taught him that. Momo understood the gesture though, and she seemed touched. Alright, fine. Point for Elias. When he returned upright, he extended a gloved hand to her. "It's a pleasure."

"Yaoyorozu Momo," she introduced herself back, bowing herself before she took his hand and shook it. "You can call me Momo."

Elias suggested we get inside and out of the cold and asked whether she'd eaten. She hadn't. As we made our way back inside, the two of us followed him through the corridors. Momo gave me a glance that was paired with a wide grin and wide eyes that were flaring with heavily approval.

Just wait, I wanted to tell her.

We took her back to our room. After she got over the initial weirdness and surprise to find that the two of us shared both a room and a bed, which I could have sworn I'd told her on vacation, but maybe not, we took meals out of the fridge and her and I ate at the bar. Elias was tactful in his politeness and getting to know her. She answered his kind questions between bites about what her family did for work, how she liked her school, what she enjoyed doing. When she mentioned that she was studying for high school entrance exams, which was alright, because of how much she liked to read, Elias' face lit up just like I knew it would. He suggested that after we were finished eating, we should take a trip down to the library.