Cumin: Book 1

Back to Business

Turns out, while I had been out, daylight had died and a raging snow storm replaced it. Outgoing flights for that evening had been canceled, meaning no flight home for me, and since Naru drove back to the house like a zombie rather than the bus stop like he said, I figured he had listened to me when I told him that, as long as I was at base, under the protection of the seals put there before, nothing would happen to me.

I just about laughed out loud when, after I got out, Naru just turned off the car and sat there. He only got out after I knocked on the roof and asked if he was planning on sleeping in there. The zombie act continued up to the front door, which was answered by a solemn Lin. He gave Naru a glance before letting us in.

It got harder to hold in the laugh when Takigawa and John converged on us and Naru just walked through them. The boys shrugged it off as him being him, since he went straight to the monitors, but Lin got the most incredulous look on his face.

"What's so funny?" Monk asked, then he glanced behind him to where base was. John did as well.

"Nothing," I said lightly. "Aren't you going to ask about my welfare and visions and all that?"

"Well you look obviously better," said John. "Not that you looked that bad before! Just pale and, um, not awake."

A subtle crash and a curse came from the base. Lin strode past us and into the parlor.

I couldn't help it. A snort escaped me, which brought the attention of the spiritualists back to me. Monk looked both amused and baffled, while John pressed his lips in concern.

"What did you do to him, Mai?"

Like I was going to tell him that back in that white-washed hospital room, the moment my lips had touched his, his mouth had dropped open in surprise. Thinking I might as well destroy myself and get as much out of it as I could, I had taken advantage of his slack jaw to deepen the kiss, even going as far as to lean a knee on the chair besides his thigh. Eventually the scientist woke up and breathed in from my mouth as though suddenly starving and wrung his arms around my waist. I could feel him pressing to kiss back, though it became more than obvious that he had never done so before and ended up kissing my teeth once, which was when he had recoiled.

But his body heat drove me nigh wild, and I held on to teach him, with lip against lip, stroking his face, his neck, his hair, trying to calm his embarrassment and convey that I really did love him—that it was okay if he screwed up—that it was okay that he wasn't brilliant at everything he did. I pulled myself closer, desperate for that response in him, nearly crying for the touch of hope and need for his love. I ended up halfway straddling him with one foot touching the floor and my chest pressed down to him. His fingers twisted up into the back of my shirt, and his breath shook across my lips and tongue.

He was breathing heavily when I pulled away, more heavily than I thought a fumbling first make out session should have been.

"I'm stupid," he gasped. "You're right."

The apocalypse must be coming. Not only did Naru say that while looking up at me with bright eyes and flushed cheeks, but he still had his hands tight on my back.

I barked a laugh and tilted my head to the side. "Right about what?"

"Everything. Right." His hands were shaking again. "Wh-what?"

"Are you okay?"

He blinked. Then he slowly unfurled his hands from my shirt, face twisting in something like consternation. "Yes."

"Do you love me?"

At that question he scowled, successfully bringing him back to the normal Naru that I knew. "What, do you think I just kiss girls for fun?"