Black Temptation

Chapter 45

"How are you doing?" He says, slithering his irresistible rasp into my bloodstream. I sit down, really unable to make a stand in front of him.

"What are you doing here? I'm on my shift."

He shifts in his seat awkwardly.

"You hair looks nice."

I flick a piece behind my ear.

"Thank you."

"That b-black apron really goes with your e-eyes."

"Harry, black matches everything. Cut the crap. What are you doing here?"

He fondles with the menu on the table, looking down as his face contorts in thought of what to say.

"I-I know we left on...disconnected terms and I haven't contacted you in a week but I just didn't want you to leave and not feel appreciated," I nod, "so first of all, thank you for bringing me and my parents together. Sincerely, that was the greatest thing you could ever do for me and I applaud your bravery. So here's me returning the favor..." He goes into his jean pocket and pulls out one first class, round trip, plane ticket to Mykonos, Greece, sliding it over to me. Just one.

"I've already paid for your 4 bags and such because I expect you to wanting to go a lot of places." He smiles. I shake my head in disbelief as I push the ticket back to him.

"No."

His eyes blink, shocked.

"What?"

"No. I refuse to go."

"McKenzie-"

"No. I refuse to go without you," Harry stares into my bluntly hurt irises, "and how dare you initiate me going by myself? This was our trip. Our getaway. Our vacation. And I refuse to go without you. And I refuse to take your charity."

"Hey Kenz-wait, charity? This is not charity, Kenz, it's a gift." He begs to resonate somewhere in me.

"It's a pity."

Harry lets a deep breath go, sliding the ticket closer towards him, but still in my reaching distance.

"You are supposed to take the ticket and be merry, as a surprise." He blinks.

"How can I be merry? Accepting a one way ticket to a place a half a day away. That's a very expensive goodbye. How can I enjoy my time? You will always be in the back of my mind. Your contribution to me getting here will always burn inside my core and the fact that you chose to not be here with me will stampede on my heart. Harry you can't keep making me feel like a priority in your life...when I know I'm not. Take the ticket. I can't and won't do it."

The creak of a door, followed by sounds of heels clacking toward me, urges my head to turn.

"Harry, did you get my appetizer?" The blonder Fi asks Harry with her hand on her hips. I stare at her while she basks in my shock. Turning to him, he blurts "wait" as I snatch the plane ticket and tear it into a million bitty pieces, throwing it in his face.

Lip bobbing as I try to hold in my cries, I speak, "seems like you've already made your decision."

I stomp away from the clutter, ripping my apron off and throwing it on a counter. Harry is behind me calling my name, Fi edging closer. Both my two unlikely confidantes in this matter. My embarrassment cannot be chained. I make it outside where another co worker is having a smoke.

"Lite me one."

He looks at me dazed.

"Huh?"

"Lit-me-one. Now!"

I don't smoke, but the idea of looking somewhat badass, a purpose with no purpose, as I just hold it in my hand, comforts me. He starts to lunge into his pocket when Harry's howl circles him like vultures.

"You. Leave. NOW!"

The guy scrambles away in self defense leaving the cigarette dangling from his pocket, helplessly.

"McKenzie listen-"

"Why would you even bring her here. That disgust? To me?" I question.

"McKenzie. If you just let me explain, I swear you come out on the better end of this."

I calm down the breath of the awakened dragon and bring myself to hear him out. This is what I wanted right? An explanation. A damn resolution to this crazy life we've tried to live? We thought we could handle?

"The undeniable white elephant in the room is the fact that you two got off on the wrong start. I brought her here to not only have her sincerely apologize to you, but for her to also take your spot while you and I designated ourselves to a trip in Mykonos..."

Well I don't want her apolo-wait what? My face falls in stared shock as I point to myself.

"Me?"

He nods. "Only the best."

My mouth is open.

"And you?"

He nods. "In the flesh."

It takes me a moment to realize what he just did, but the next thing I know, I have my legs wrapped around him as we make love with our mouths. I've missed the slightly wet, always sweetened mint taste of his kiss. My hand finds his long, loosened curls, latching onto it and everything I had wished would be mine once again. He holds me tender and tight, caressing the hurt little girl turned woman too quickly.

"But I thought you hated me. You're suppose to hate me."

"Yeah I did," Harry breathes, "But I couldn't live in that forever. You taught me that. Yeah you broke our trust, you broke my heart. But the reality is, if I had another heart, I'd let you break that one too."

His lips are suddenly on mine and he saturates into my senses like lava. The taste is captivating. The feel is inebriating. I'm at peace once again.

"Oh god...with what ticket?" I say, quickly ashamed of my snatching away of my lips.

"That's covered, Princess."

I look at Fi, she is annoyed (understandably) but willing to look me in the eyes. He sets me down and I approach her with the air thickening around us. She sizes me up while I compose myself. I hold my hand out to her, relaxing my neck.

"Acquaintances..."

I don't necessarily need the words to feel like she's sorry because I know she's not. But regardless, I will put her in her place. She holds out her hand, not touching mine.

"We know of each other..." She blurts.

"I've blinked in front of you." I spitfire back.

"I shared my air with you." She squeals..."

"I contaminated it with my sexiness and sent it back out into the world in front of you..." I add.

"I farted in your water, could've and should've told you before..."

"And you sucked a cock for rent money, could've should've got the clap-"

"Woah! Woah! Wait a minute! Wait one diddly darn minute," Harry screeches in the middle of our bickering, "You are both starter overs. That's it. Now take her hand Fi...take it."

After 3 annoying huffs and 500 millenniums later, she grabs my hand. We shake. We detach. We almost vomit. We come back to Mother Earth. Then Harry tugs on me, yanking me over onto his side so that my hand is placed firmly on his chest with his arm around my back.

"Now that that's settled, you are going to have to excuse us Fi, we have a Greece to get to."