Switchblade

Chapter 42: Likes

Tati was brushing her teeth while wrapped in a towel after she'd stepped out of the shower. She heard the front door open and wondered if he was leaving or coming back.

She slipped out of her bathroom, toothbrush still brushing. She exited her bedroom and saw him walk into the kitchen.

She turned and went back to the bathroom.

Killian took out his container of protein powder to do his usual heinous act of eating a scoop full and chasing it down with milk.
Until he saw he hardly had any milk left. The flaws of having a cook in the house was he runs out of things quicker because she used it all as an ingredient.

"TATI!" he yelled.
"YEA?!"
He didn't feel like yelling so he headed to her room.

He slipped in and didn't see her.
But he noticed the bathroom light on so he walked over to it.

In there Tati was dressed in only one of the lingerie sets that she had to use as underwear.
"We need to go to the store." he stated.
She flinched and looked at him.
"KILLIAN!" She slammed the door shut. "CAN'T YOU KNOCK!"
He thought she was being dramatic.
"It's nothing I haven't seen before." he said through the door.
She rolled her eyes. "I'll be out in a minute."
He left the room.

She waited to see if she could hear anything.
Then slowly opened the door.
She sighed when she saw he was gone then began to get dressed.

Killian waited impatiently in the kitchen.
Tati came out in a tank top and sweatpants.
She put her hands on her hips as she looked at him with an attitude. He looked at the skin that showed between the bottom of her tank top and the top of her sweatpants. Then up at her eyes.
"What?" he asked.
"Learn how to knock. I'm practically a roommate. Don't just barge in on me."
"I've seen you in underwear several times."
"What if I was completely naked?"
He smiled and licked his teeth.
"DON'T MAKE THAT FACE, ASSHOLE!" she yelled.
"Don't ask me questions you know I'd make a face to."
"Oh sorry, I'm just not used to speaking to a man whose head is always in the gutter. Didn't you say we need groceries? Let's go." She walked past him and towards the door.
He sighed and turned around to follow her.

The two of them put on their proper shoes before leaving the house.

"Not that one." Killian stated.
Tati turned around and saw Killian walking over to a different car. She followed behind him.

"I forgot you had the luxury of driving whichever car fits your vibe for the day." she teased as they got inside.
"The other one just needs gas and I don't feel like pumping it." He started the car.
"Why do you live in the middle of nowhere?"
"Because I don't trust people and I'm paranoid. If I lived in a neighborhood I'd be on edge every time a car drove past."
"Like paranoid paranoid or paranoid as in its the word you could think of but really you just don't like people?"
"Paranoid paranoid. I often think something is out to get me and I'm going to die soon and I don't trust anyone."
She looked at him. Part of her legitimately felt bad.
"Do you count that as two personal questions?" he asked.
"Yea." she replied honestly.
"Have you ever played with yourself?"
"Are all of your questions gonna be some perverted bullshit?"
"This deal was your idea. Personal is personal."
She rolled her eyes. "No, I haven't."
He looked at her.
"What?" she asked. She didn't look back, she could just feel him staring.
"Are you lying to me?"
"Part of the deal was to answer truthfully. No, I'm not lying."
He faced the road again. "What do you like?"
"What?" She looked at him.
"What do you like?"
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. What do you like? Anything that you genuinely enjoy...tell me."
She scoffed. "Why do you want to know that?"
"Because I don't know what you like but you know some of what I do. I'm curious. What is it? Is it nothing?"
"No."
"Then tell me."
She faced forward again and tried to think about it.

"I like dogs..." she stated.
She looked at him. He watched the road.
She looked back out of the windshield.
"Keep going." he instructed.
"Oh...um..." she thought further. "I like cold desserts. Like ice cream, frozen yogurt, stuff like that."
He listened.
"I like baby clothes. Like the really tiny ones for newborns. The little shoes and mini jackets. It's so cute." she snickered. "I like the sound wood makes."
He chuckled at how random that was.
"I like rain. I like thunderstorms more than I like sunny days. A lot of the time I think the sun is too bright. I like cloudy days, I think the earth looks prettiest on those days but usually when you tell people that they think you're a psychopath or a movie villain."
He scoffed.
"I like...the color red. Like a dark, deep red. It's so nice."
He liked red too.
"I also like chrome. Uh...I like motorcycles. I always wanted to get a license to ride one. But only the ones where you have to lean forward because they're so fast."
He was surprised by that one.
"I like...flowers. Ironically I don't like the smell of them. They all smell like grass to me but they're so pretty that I get over it. I like candy. Lollipops. I like teddy bears. The really big ones that are the same size as a small human being."
He stopped at a red light and just waited with his wrist dangled over the steering wheel. Listening to her rant.
"I like runway fashion. Even the really crazy ones. But I like it the most if it's worn by a model with a personality. Because they don't all walk the same. Some of them are really animated or passionate about it. Makes it cooler."
The light turned green.
"I like...Oh! I like bakery goods. Like croissants. Muffins. I could kill a man for a French macaron."
He snickered at her passion for it.
"I like being able to be alone. Comfortably. Like not needing to be around people 24/7 or else I'd lose my mind. I like that I can be comfortable being by myself."
He thought that was interesting.
"Is that too much? Are you waiting for me to stop?" She looked at him.
"Stop whenever you're done." he stated with eyes on the road.
She looked at the road as well.

"I like funny people. I love laughing. I like stand up comedy. I like good listeners. I like people that don't try too hard but also try just enough that you can tell they care. I like action movies over any other genre. Romance makes me cringe. They ruin a lot of movies with unnecessary sex scenes. I hate that. But I don't hate romance. Just the genre. Movies and tv shows ruin it in my eyes. I like happy couples in real life. I like seeing an old couple eating ice cream together. I like when you can see someone just got married in some church you're driving past. I like seeing a couple holding hands and walking to wherever they're headed." She stared out of the window and tried to think hard on what she liked. "I like cereal."
He chuckled fondly.
"Oddly enough I like being flustered. It doesn't happen to me often so I think it's kind of fun. Like a weird surprise. I give credit to people who can make me nervous."
He didn't say what he wanted to.
"I like learning about people. I like learning in general. I like that I know four languages just for the hell of it."
"You know four languages?" he interrupted.
"No, I was just checking if you were listening." she smiled and teased.
He scoffed.

The car turned into the store parking lot.
"I like being genuinely complimented and not just flirted with. Being able to tell they really mean what they're saying and don't just want to fuck me. It feels nice. One of the things that makes me flustered."
He found a spot and parked.
"I like your cars." she stated.
He snickered. "Thank you."
The two unbuckled their seatbelts and got out.