"No, not the party," I respond. "I am looking forward to it. It’s the one time I’ll get to visit with other people, other than you or Cassandra or the occasional visit from Xander."
"Xander’s been coming by, eh?" He scowls, "He hasn’t been troubling you, has he?"
"Oh, please." I roll my eyes. "At least, he keeps me company, unlike his oldest brother who’s, clearly, been avoiding me."
"I haven’t been avoiding you."
"Oh?" I shoot him a look from under my eyelashes, "So you haven’t been keeping away from me over the last week."
He has the grace to flush. "M-a-y-b-e." He shuffles his feet.
"See?" I point my finger at him, "I knew it." I pivot away from him and walk toward the door.
"Beauty?" he calls out and I ignore him. I reach the doorway of the bathroom and step out, then cross the floor.
"Stop," he commands.
"Oh, F’ off," I hold my middle finger up, above my shoulder, head for the door to the room.
"Karma!" He commands, "Stop."
I freeze. Damn, I want to disobey him, but of course, my body responds to his orders. It’s as if he has a direct line of communication to the most primal part of me that will bend to his every will. Damn it. And soon, I’ll have a child and he won’t need me anymore. Then what? Will he keep me imprisoned here for the rest of my life? Hidden away for fear of his enemies getting to me? Despite the fact that he, clearly, has feelings for me, he hasn’t even been able to tell me that he loves me. And damn it, I hate these histrionics. I am used to fending for myself, to finding my way out of tough spots. But the very fact that he is there for me, has weakened me. He’s coddled me, and turned me into this blubbering mess who I don’t recognize anymore, frankly.
More tears squeeze out from the corners of my eyes as I hear his footsteps approach. "Hey," he steps around, and notches his knuckles under my chin. "Don’t cry,Bellezza," he murmurs. "Please don’t. When I see your tears, I swear, it hurts me so fucking much."
"Does it?" I sniff.
"You bet." He drags his thumb across my lower lip, "I’d kill anyone who caused you pain, my Beauty. I’d change anything to see you smile again."
"Would you?" I peer up at him.
"No doubt about it."
"A car."
"What?"
"I want a car and I want lessons to learn to drive it, so I can drive myself around the city."
"No way." He lowers his hand and steps away. "No fucking way, am I allowing you out on your own."
"I’ll be in a car, Mika," I snap. "Surely, that would be safe. Besides, I don’t know how to drive yet—"
"You don’t know how to drive?"
I shake my head.
"How do you not know how to drive?"
"Because I grew up in a city with good transport links so I never needed to learn how to drive. Also," I scowl, "I didn’t exactly have an overabundance of money so I could buy a car, you know?"
"So why do you want a car, if you don’t know how to drive?"
"So I can learn how to drive?"
He shakes his head, "Your logic, as always, is irrefutable."
"Thank you," I mutter. "So can I get a car?"