Melt me

Chapter 35

Kenji

"Really bro?" Ian says,
"An aquarium?"

"I thought you loved seafood." Brendan pouts at him confused.

The three of us along with Winston and Lily are sitting out in the courtyard. It's a bright sunny day which really lifts my spirits. The birds are singing and the big plants around us are providing shade and it's a nice picture.
On the down side, I miss Nazeera. She went to Haider like an hour ago. That's too long without her.

I hold up my hands,
"Okay Sanchez, if you don't want to be part of our amazing plan, you don't have to. But don't beg to be back when Brendan and I are filthy rich."

Brendan gives me a high five and we stick our tongues out at the other three people. Lily squints her eyes,
"You guys do know that you both have really well paying jobs right?"

"I'm sorry you guys are so uncreative." Brendan counters, looking to his boyfriend for support. Winston sighs wearily and sips his coffee.

Footsteps sound near us and my heart rate speeds up. I spot my fiancé taking a seat on some table across the courtyard. She's staring up at the clouds, looking around the area as if taking it in for the first time.

Her gaze eventually falls to me and she smiles. My breath runs away and color rises to my cheeks.
God her beauty is devastating.

I excuse myself from my friends and stalk towards her. Nazeera pulls out a chair for me and I sit beside her, intertwining our fingers. Bliss spreads across my body at the touch of her skin and I press my lips to the back of her hand.

Nazeera inclines her head onto my shoulder, still observing her surroundings.
"What's on your mind? Looking for UFOs or something?" I ask, nodding at the sky her eyes are on.

She sighs,
"No you're the only non-human being I have an interest in, Kishimoto."

"Hey."
I frown and she laughs softly. I need some genius scientist to explain to me the logic of how that simple sound overwhelms me with staggering amounts of joy.

Nazeera shakes her head,
"I'm just admiring the place." Shrugs,
"I didn't realize how much I actually missed it."

She straightens and turns her neck to face me. Like she's only now processing the confession that slipped out of her mouth. I know that Naz loves going to Iraq and all across Asia but this house is one thing she avoids.

It's a reason why she was upset with being on lockdown. We only spent a day here previously but I think the prolonged stay is doing some good. It's slowly getting her used to this place so she'll stop focusing so much on the trauma that slithered behind these doors.

"Maybe we should come here more often." I say delicately. Emotion dances in her eyes until she blinks it away. Nazeera clears her throat, adopting a serious attitude.

"I just spoke with Haider. About that bruise memory I had." She bites her lip, tracing her fingers over my open palm. I don't reply, letting her proceed with this sudden change in topic.
"He mentioned something unusual."

"Unusual?"

Nazeera's sight rises to me once more and she goes on,
"Haider vaguely remembers that day. He said he did, however, remember advising me not to go to the basement."

"Wait what. I thought you said you've never been there before." My brows scrunch in confusion. A wry smile takes over her face.
"I'm not a stranger to memory wiping."

Oh shit.
Shit.
Nazeeea nods like she just read my mind.
"What do you think is hiding in the basement?" I ask, scratching my neck as I mull it all over. Definitely some sketchy stuff went on down there, why else would Nazeera's parents wipe her memory? Again. But I'm now more interested in the bruises. Whatever caused them did so in the basement.