JEOPARDY: The Cursed Soldier.

27. Crave, don't taste.

Ivan could count, on one hand, the number of times he was genuinely and absolutely happy.

He had done a lot, seen twice as much, and achieved so many incredible things in his life. But none had made him happy.

Yet, at that moment, as he watched Kayla's face solely focused on the screen before her, as if there was something magical happening before her with her legs squirming beneath her. He felt fulfilled. And happy.

He had done it. He had made her happy, again.

Kayla was his sun. The single source of light in his dark and obscene life. And he was the selfish motherfucker who loved basking in her light. But lucky for her, he was also a relatively smart motherfucker. He could dance in her light without letting his darkness taint her.

There was an old saying that light would always overpower darkness. But those were words by an optimistic amateur. Ivan knew better. He knew that no matter what, light could be tainted enough to turn into darkness, and a darkness of the worst kind.

And the only way for any light to stay bright and pure was if it was guarded and protected. Exactly what he was trying to do with Kayla--protect her from all things that threatened her light. Such as her job, Angela, Angela's family, life, and him.

But there was only so much protecting he could do if all he got was one hour of her 24 hours, if he was lucky.

He focused his gaze on her again. She was frowning. But her entire face was full of life. So he knew that frown was caused by the movie. He didn't need to think up ways to clear it, like every fiber in him craved to do.

He was already used to it now. Every part of him breathed to make her life easier.

Such an impulse had scared him at first. But it was Kayla. The most pure human being he had met in a while, he could let her have that power over him. Her light was still intact, she'd never use that power to hurt him. So long as he kept their relationship platonic, and his secrets hidden.

Kayla chuckled, and that simple sound snaked a genuine smile onto his lips. He would have to thank Ryan later for suggesting the movie premiere for their date and hear him gloat until he got fed up enough and knocked him unconscious. For the second time. 

He still had to first kick his ass for the stunt he had pulled at Ana's when he had seen that things were awkward with Kayla and decided to flirt with her and try to get himself invited to their date. Just to piss him off.

Oh, he had known what Ryan was doing. But it was about Kayla, in front of her and she was blushing at Ryan's compliments and general idiocy. And Ivan just saw red.

It hadn't mattered that it was Ryan who had helped him arrange that whole thing. Since Ryan was the actual romantic one between the two of them. Ivan had his looks working for him, he only had to be and women( and men) flocked to him. Ryan loved romance and its whole procession. The pushes and the pulls. The flirtings and the dates. All of it. And he knew what women wanted and what they didn't.

But Ryan's biggest point was that he understood Kayla in a way Ivan was still struggling to.

Case in point: Ivan had thought that the whole getting dressed, lending a limousine, and going for a fancy premiere was too much and over the top. And sooo not Kayla.

Kayla liked chocolate in everything as much as she liked her French fries very brown and crispy rather than saggy. His Kayla, who could eat a meal meant for two in less than 5 minutes without breaking a sweat. And wore the same kind of clothes. Every single day.

Kayla was simple like him. The real him. Not the mask he had to wear to win over Angela and the Skyview crowd.

But Ryan had insisted that every girl loved extravagance once in a while. That they all liked looking and feeling different, as they enjoyed otherworldly experiences. And so, Ivan had agreed to this. And now, watching Kayla smile as she watched the movie he hadn't spared even a second to watch, he knew he had made the right decision.