Holy: Book 4

Prologue

"Buy me a new TV?"

Naru didn't even look up from the papers sprawled out before him. "No." He must have found what he was looking for, for he turned his focus back up to his computer screen and continued typing. I pouted.

"But I can't afford one. Please?"

"Fiancé doesn't make me your wallet, Mai. Honestly, I thought better of you." Type-ity type type.

I sighed loudly and dropped the cute act. I had wanted to try it just once to see if it would work. I knew it wouldn't but it didn't hurt to try. "Well, if you're going to drop that bomb, fine: you break it you buy it. I'm also going to need a half a dozen mugs which you broke too."

He gave a grunt, not even a hiccup in the tippity tap of his typing. "Alright, I'll bring by some mugs later, but I think you'd do better without the TV."

I gawked. "You broke it!"

"On accident."

"Dah—jee—that's so not cool! Are you going to go around getting rid of my stuff when we're married just because you think I'd do better without? How high handed can you get?!"

With a rather violent slap of the space bar, he finally looked my way. I could see the reflection of the word processor in his dark eyes.

"I already have a TV," he said in that 'you're a moron, so I'm going to say it very slowly' tone. "I didn't think we'd need two. But since I'm so high handed, go make me some tea, and while you're at it, why don't you do what I pay you to do in the first place?"

Smack. Bang. Double slap.

Stinging, angry, embarrassed, but mostly just angry, I was none too kind on closing the door behind me. The asshole could have said that from the start, but no! Had to keep working on his blasted whatever research book of nerdy-nerdom and not give a thought to how worked up I was getting over it. Instead of just saying all that from the beginning—scratch that—he could have just said he was thinking of the future and not add all that insult to the end of it. 'Why don't you go and do what I pay you to do' my ass! I was on my lunch break!? And it wasn't like I had too much to do other than return a few more calls to clients he had rejected and collect articles I thought were suspicious.

I almost put salt into his tea instead of sugar. Almost. If only I had shaving cream instead of milk cream, that would be rich. Literally.

Jerk was still typing away like the arse he was when I brought in his tea. I could pour it over his stupid special 'V' shaped keyboard that was supposed to prevent carpal tunnel. How about that?

Ugh, but that would be immature and then he'd just glare at me and then maybe he might not feel too keen on marrying me anyways...

So I just set it there (though I would rather throw it), and said, "Loving you is so inconvenient to having a proper tantrum, you know that?"

If I didn't sound so pissed, he might have smiled. Instead he just took up the teacup and sipped it. At least he bothered to sit back a bit in order to enjoy the first hot taste.

"That's unfortunate, though I also have someplace I'd like you to check out this afternoon for me. Tell me what you feel."

I puffed a strand of hair out of my face. "Alright. Though wouldn't you rather Masako?"

"Ms. Hara isn't my employee. Also, she has a career of her own. Besides, you do just fine."

"I'm so glad." Hear that drip drip on the floor? That's sarcasm, Noll dear. Actually...wait, no that's not. That's good. Less association with Masako. Yes.