Switchblade

Chapter 41: Truths

They finished eating and like always, Killian enjoyed it.

Tati was cleaning up everything and she grew curious.
"You're rich." she stated.
"Okay." he replied.
She snickered. "Let me finish. You're rich, do you not have a maid that comes to your home just like you have a chef? I haven't seen anyone."
"I'm not a dirty or disorganized person. The chef cleaned his own dishes. There's no point."
"Do you dust your own house?"
"Yes."
She giggled as she put up the final clean dish.
"Why is that funny?" Killian asked.
"I just imagine you with little yellow gloves and a duster getting into all of the crevices of your home."
"I like my house to be clean."
She turned and looked at him. "You really do that?"
He was visibly confused. "Clean my house?"
"You wear the little gloves and hold a duster and just walk around making sure everything is perfect?" she asked with sparkles in her eyes as she approached him.
"About...once a month..."
"Awwwww!!!" she whined fondly.
He just stared at her without knowing what he'd done.

She stood in front of him. "That's so cute! You're a little neat freak!" She poked his stomach and he swatted at her hand.
"I'm a grown man."
"It's only cute because you act all tough and scary then come home and put on your little yellow gloves and apron then go to town with a sponge."
"It's peaceful and I hate dirt." he replied.
"AWWW!!"
"Stop doing that. If I called you cute you'd try to poison me."
"Because I'm a grown woman. I'm not cute."
"I'm a grown man."
"Yea but that's so unlike your aura." she snickered. "It's the same as you liking cupcakes."
"So I'm not allowed to like things that aren't illegal or else it's cute?"
"Exactly. Because illegal fits your aura."
"What?"
"I don't make the rules." she stated.

"I think you do because if I called you cute you'd hate it." he pointed out.
"I haven't done anything cute so you can't even use that. I'm either pissed or content. Not cute. In your eyes at least." she assumed.
"You get shy when you're drunk. It's cute."
She looked offended. "No, I don't."
"Yes, you do. You mess with your hands and can't hold eye contact and speak with a soft voice. You get shy and nervous after drinkin' too much."
"Are you making that up because I said you're cute?"
"Why would I do that?"
"To win. Because you're a competitive narcissist."
"That's a bold statement."
"It's true."
"You've known me for two and a half weeks."
"That's plenty of time."
"You only just learned I hate dirt like three minutes ago."
"That's not true. I learned that when you made me take my shoes off to enter your house." she remembered.
"Plenty of people do that."
"Yea, but the fact you of all people do it was mind boggling."
He looked offended. "Alright you also talk in your sleep. That's cute."
Tati gasped loudly and Killian snickered.
"No, I do not!" she argued.
"Yes, you do." he said smugly.
"When have I ever-..."
"Last week when we were in your bed and you fell asleep before I did. You kept saying random bullshit."
"What random bullshit?!"
"I don't remember, it was a week ago. You would just flinch and say hi to shit that wasn't there. At one point you told me you hate the color purple."
Tati laughed.
"You're a sleep talker." he insisted.
"I don't believe you." she stated.
"I know what I heard."
"I think you dreamt it."
"You think I dream about you?"
"That's not what I meant."
"It would have to be if you think I dreamt about you sleep talking. Very specific dream to have."
She rolled her eyes.

"If I told you I dream about you what would you say?" he smiled slightly.
"I'd say..." she thought about it. "I'd probably just ask why."
"Mm."
"What would you say?" she asked back and looked at him.
"I'd ask what happened in it."
"I probably killed you in it."
"No, that's too on the nose. Dreams are almost never that ideal. It would be something you wouldn't expect."
"Like what?"
"I don't know."
"What would you want it to be?" she wondered.
He snickered. "You don't want the answer to that."
"You're such a pervert."
"How?"
"You want to dream about us fucking!"
"No, I want you to dream about it."
She was confused.

"You don't have to tell me that you did. I just want you to dream about it. Have you had one of those before?" he asked.
"One of whats?"
"A wet dream."
"Why would I tell you that?" she wondered.
"What would you lose from telling me?" he asked.
"What would you gain from me telling you?"
"The same thing people usually gain from learning new things. Just new information."
"Okay, from now on, I'll answer one of your personal questions if you answer one of mine first." she dealt.
He looked at her, questioning her methods.
"Deal?" she asked. "You ask me anything and I ask you anything and if one of us answers truthfully then the other one has to."
"Alright." he agreed reluctantly.
"How many people have you killed?" she asked.
He was stunned by how severe she started. But she didn't budge. She genuinely wanted the answer.
"Because I know the list is probably long. Are you in the double digits?" she wondered.
"Yes." he answered.
She swallowed and took a deep breath.
"Were they innocent? No." he asked and answered for her.
"What does that mean?" she wondered.
"That they either threatened mine or my uncle's life. We work in a dangerous business."
"So none of them have just been people who owed you money?" she questioned.
"No, I wasn't who got the money. I told you I just got it from your mother because she was a middle aged woman. I didn't want my guys bothering her."
"Yea, you're really an angel." she scoffed.

She noticed he was serious.

"Why are you so protective of old women?" Tati wondered.
"My aunt. She died a while ago. Sweet as cotton candy, delicate as a flower. I would've killed anybody that laid a hand on her.."
"Then how'd she die?"
"Early onset dementia."
Tati felt bad for asking.

"No, I've never had one." she answered. "A wet dream."
"You asked me three personal questions."
She rolled her eyes then looked at the floor. "Fine."
"Your dad, what happened?"
"He could not express himself past using his fists. My mother got tired of it. They got the divorce a while ago. No idea where he is. Pretty sure he isn't dead. Just not around."
"Hm." he stated.
Her eyes glanced around awkwardly.
"Are you attracted to me?" he asked finally.
She looked at him.
He looked back.
"Isn't that an odd order of questions?"
"We said personal. I was on my third question and I didn't have anything else family related that I cared about."
She nodded and looked away from him.
"Remember we agreed it had to be truthful." he stated.
"I know." she replied.
He kept his eyes on her.

"I don't know." she said and looked back at him. His eyebrow shrugged. "That's the truth." she stated. "I think you are physically attractive. You're handsome and tall and you have a nice body. Really I don't blame women for pouncing on you. But I don't know if I'm attracted to you. I can't tell. And if I was...I'd be worried about my mental health."
"Shouldn't you still be worried that you're not certain? It would be healthier to just say no."
"You're right." she agreed.
They kept their eyes in one another's.