Paper Wishes (#1)

Chapter Twelve: Dinner and Compromise

(Revised version of Chapter Twelve posted on October 29, 2015.)

Because our dinner was such an easy one to prepare - the rice took the longest to cook, but our wonderful electric rice cooker took care of that and would let me know when it was done by playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - I had plenty of time to set the table and to worry about how the rest of the night would play out. As I plated everything there was a knock at the front door. Kai grabbed whatever was in my hands and shooed me off to go answer the door.

I opened the door to a shy looking Nox holding a bouquet of colorful daisies.

"Come in," I stepped aside, gesturing into the house. As he stepped in he handed me the bouquet, and leaned forward and delicately kissed me on the cheek.

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too. Dinner is ready," I said as I grabbed his hand and led him to the dining area.

Kai was already seated, but hadn't started eating. He stood an extended his hand to Nox for a handshake. "Nice to see you, again," he said politely.

"Yes, it's nice to see you, too," Nox acknowledged warmly.

Okay, I thought, that was a good start. I couldn't detect any frostiness between the two of them. I'm proud of them for being able to come together like this. I rested my bouquet on the counter before sitting down on the open seat across of Kai and gestured for Nox to sit next to me, which he did.

I sipped my miso soup, bowl up to my face, when Kai suddenly blurted out, "Vilv told me everything - about her wish, her dreams and... you." In my surprise, the soup went down the wrong tube and I sputtered – soup splashing my face as I started coughing and tearing up.

Nox patted my back and looked at me concerned, "Are you okay?"

I nodded pathetically, embarrassed by my unintentional outburst and gestured for them to continue talking, as I reached for a napkin to clean my face. I couldn't blame Kai for his shockingly timed forthrightness. He would obviously want to know more about Nox. After all, the whole situation is beyond unusual. I sighed internally at my thoughts and hoped that everything would play out OK.

"I figured as much," Nox shrugged, "she is very honest, and the secrecy of it all really bothered her. She'd apologize to you in her sleep."

I didn't know I'd done that.

A peculiar look flickered across Nox's face. I couldn't figure out what it meant. "I wish I could tell you more about how I came to be and how all of this works, but I know about as much as she, and now you, do," he said.

"I don't really care about the dynamics of how it works. I just want to make sure that Vilv doesn't get hurt."

Heart pain. Again. Kai is willing to set aside any doubt he might feel about Nox to make my happiness and safety a priority, despite how he feels for me. He really deserves someone amazing... someone better than me. He deserves to be someone's first choice.

I was glad that I had already been dabbing at my face with the napkin because it would disguise me wiping the small buildup of tears away.

"Because you love her too, and I understand that. I promise," Nox said sincerely, "I would never hurt her. She's my Hikari – a lone shining star in the sea of darkness."

"I know how that feels," Kai mumbled.

"The thing is," Nox said, "I exist because she needed me, and I will continue to be here until the day comes that she doesn't need me anymore. I know that you've always been there for her, but you don't know what goes on in her mind; the things that she represses. That's why I'm here. That's why I exist - because she needed a reason to keep going on."