Faithless Memories

Appreciative Gift

Chapter 42

It was several days later, on a Wednesday, that Genesis surprised Kris. She had been working on trying to get the house cleaned. With her working two jobs, the standards of cleanliness had to drop a bit unless she was keen on killing herself. When the knock sounded at the door, she answered with confusion. They never had unexpected visitors.

When her eyes landed on a smiling Genesis, she froze. It wasn't that he never visited her while he was at lunch, but he had not called to let her know to expect him. She blushed as she realized she was probably disgusting. She felt grimy, and she knew there were likely dust bunnies in her hair from where she had climbed up and dusted the top of the light fixtures and cabinets.

If her appearance bothered him, he didn't show it. He did lift a brow at her continued silence, though. She shook her head and stepped back so he could enter. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting you. I would have had something made."

He paused as she closed the door and gently lifted something from her hair before he bent and kissed her cheek. "Don't fret. I thought that might be the case, so I brought something."

She grimaced when she saw that he had indeed removed a dust bunny, but smiled when he held up a familiar basket. She had come to appreciate the sight of it because it inevitably meant that she was about to have a delectable meal. She gestured to the kitchen. "Give me a minute to clean up a little, and I'll get us some plates."

He smirked at her retreating form until she disappeared into the bathroom. By the time she was able to clean up enough to not feel too disgusting to eat, Genesis already had everything laid out. She smiled at the sight of the fresh flowers that had been added to the blue tumbler that she had given up on ever using for drinking out of again.

Genesis was leaning against the counter while he waited, so Kris stood on her tiptoes to try and kiss his cheek. He chuckled at her efforts and bent just enough for her to reach. She huffed at his humor at her expense, but it was forgotten as soon as he pulled out a chair for her.

For the next several minutes, their conversation was minimal. They had shared similar lunches enough that they were comfortable with serving each other. It wasn't until they had already started eating that Genesis gave her an evaluating look. Kris froze when she finally noticed it. "Is there something on my face?"

Genesis shook his head and laughed. "Not at all. There is, however, something that I wished to speak to you about."

Kris felt her heart do a flip in her chest. He was smiling still, so she doubted it was something terrible, but his eyes were serious. She put her fork down. "Okay, you have my attention; what's going on?"

Kris' stomach joined her heart in their acrobatics as Genesis seemed hesitant for the first time since she met him. He was a man that knew what he wanted and had no problem going after it, so the look sent alarm bells ringing through her head. It was only eased a little when he took one of her hands and squeezed gently.

He swallowed once before he finally spoke. "I brought something for you. I know you have told me in the past you can take care of these things on your own, and you have proven time and again that you were correct. Still, I wanted to give you something. A token of-" He paused long enough for Kris to raise a brow, but he quickly continued as if he hadn't stopped. "My affection. You do not need to feel obligated to take it if you feel it is inappropriate."

By that point, Kris' curiosity was stronger than her fear. It showed on her face when she answered. "Genesis, unless you are gifting me someone's head, I doubt anything would be inappropriate. Not if you are giving it because you want to share it with me."