Song of the Firebird

Forty Five

Sighing, Danny ended his call and turned his attention back to his laptop screen. That was harder than racing, he thought. There were times he wished that he would get back to his former passion leaving his present job. There were times when he wished that he would escape the underground and land in a steady job. The other side always looked green. Complaining to himself about how he could make a living in this competitive world, he scrolled through the list of unread emails. His takeaway paper cup of hot Americano stained the black glass tabletop, thereby, making an outline of the cooled water droplets.

Relieving his sock-laden feet out of his formal Brogues, Danny glanced at his watch. Seven pm— an hour since he left his desk job and pushed past the doors at Lizzie's. He had been frequenting that particular café on days with less work pressure than the normal, ever since Natasha opened up.

Mrs Figgs had been doting on him ever since his first nightly visit. She, who was aptly impressed by his courtesy and charms, would always welcome him with a smile and a cup of warm water, without him asking for it. Drew rolled his eyes, as Danny had beat him to it, to gain the support of one amazing woman, who often filled in quirky but awesome recipes to Natasha.

Deeply engrossed in his screen, Danny's fingers tapped in their swiftest ever, replying to all the unread ones in a full swing. While his eyes were busy skimming the corrections on the code that he had written before, they ignored a feminine presence taking their seat, opposite to his.

Soon, the fingers on his toes were captured by the ones without a sock, causing him to jump up from his seat and made him swear, aloud. 'F*CK!'

'Same to you, Danny boy!', Kiara chuckled, as she withdrew her feet and dangled them in the air, next to his own. Danny smirked and let out a whistle.

'That was quite unusual from your part, Ki-a-ra.' The way her name swirled in his tongue made her blush for an instant and she looked away from him, trying to hide her embarrassment. While she was fumbling with her thoughts, whether at what second to turn back to his side, her feet, all of a sudden, felt a tug from a clothed counterpart, interlacing their fingers to her own. 'If you're in the mood for play, then I'm in too.'

His fingers tugged hers, making her scoot forward. When she was close enough to focus on his jet black eyes, she heard him whisper, 'I will be done in a little time. Wait for me.' Then, he winked. Her entire face heated and she responded with furiously nodding her head at his husky tone. Or that's what she imagined.

When Danny resumed replying to his mail, Kiara fumbled with the contents of her handbag, ultimately, fishing out her smartphone and checking the sale on her favourite fashion brand. Bored soon, she began to study Natasha's café and imagined placing different interior ideas on the existing ones that popped on her mind that moment. Hands on her cheeks, she stared intently at the aesthetic portrait that she presented when her friend celebrated the café's first year anniversary.

Kiara set her fingers run through her free flowing brown locks, bored again, at the art. She looked at Danny, whose eyes shone reflecting the light from his laptop screen. She could see a miniature version of what he was working on. There were mostly few black lines in a vast white background, letting her know that he was quite absorbed in his own work. She admired the shaky irises as they took in the content from his screen. The more they shook, the more she got enticed. She did not tear her eyes away until she saw her face in those orbs.

Danny shot his eyebrows up, asking about the weight of her stare. Kiara shrugged it off and slumped down into her seat. Danny smiled to himself, as he got back to his screen.

Clasping her hands on her lap, Kiara accidentally stepped on his shoes. She could feel the polished top surface, and all of a sudden, she had an inward urge to let her feet into his shoes. Not bringing up herself to declare her fetishes aloud, she decided to put her thoughts into actions. Leisurely, she dragged them to her side and slipped her small, barren feet onto his large soles. The cold under-surface began to take the warmth from her bare feet. Once she slipped both of her feet, she wriggled them. The loosely clad shoes began to dance along to her moves. While she tapped them to her heart's content on the ground, Danny cleared his throat.