The God and the Siren (Loki Romance)

Chapter Five

At the end of a long, white hallway, I wait beside Pepper as she knocks on the door. It's almost completely silent in the building, even on the other side of all the doors. I sway in place for a moment, glancing to my right—out a window. Straight into another apartment building, which is actually only a few buildings down from my own.

"I didn't realize they lived so close," I mumble to Pepper. And just as she turns her head to respond, the door opens.

"Hey there!" says Thor. "Welcome—please come in!"

"Hey Thor," I smile at him as I pass over the threshold. Once inside, I'm utterly silenced by the enormity of this place—it's bigger than Tony and Pepper's penthouse. Massive alcoves under the white windows, a giant living area with big, red couches surrounding a fireplace, and a kitchen area just to the right of the door—with a dining area in the middle of it all.

"Holy crap," I murmur as I look around, and my eyes land on Loki perched on one of the alcoves—dressed casually in jeans and a zip-up jacket—with a book in his hands.

Just as he looks up and meets my eyes, Thor steps up beside me. "Is something the matter?" he asks.

I look toward him sharply, and shake my head. "Oh, no, no—I just," I pause, glancing around the loft once more. "I've really got to start being nicer to Tony..."

"Here, let me help you with that," he says, reaching for the grocery bags in my hands.

"Oh, thank you," I say, lifting them up to him as I follow him into the kitchen—where Heimdall and Sif are sitting atop some bar stools and listening as Pepper explains a few unfamiliar foods to them.

"And you're going to want to keep this in the bottom drawer with the rest of the vegetables..." I hear her say.

As I look down at the contents of the first two bags strewn about the blue marble counter, I only now begin to realize how much we'd actually bought, and I can't help but wonder whether they'll be able to eat it all in time—considering there're two more bags waiting on the floor beside the counter.

I blink—remembering the wine I'd bought for Loki. I put it in the same bag as the rest of the 'particulars,' which each of them apparently requested we'd get, and I wait until Pepper starts dispersing them to reach for it. Pop-tarts for Thor, earl grey tea for Heimdall, fresh pastries for Sif... And wine for Loki.

I take it lastly out of the bag, holding it in my hands for a moment as I look between Heimdall and Sif—at Loki, still sitting atop a pile of pillows with his ankles crossed over each other in front of him.

Once Pepper gets on the topic of how processed foods are the devil's spawn, I take the wine and step out around the kitchen island, heading toward Loki. The closer I get, the more I can see the slightest frown on his face, and he doesn't look up at me until the last moment.

His eyes dart up from the book, scanning the length of me as I stop just a few feet away. "Heard you like wine," I say, holding the bottle out to him with my left hand.

Loki's gaze drops down to the bottle, and his face remains blank for a moment—until slight confusion flickers across his brow. A twinge of embarrassment tightens in my chest as I look down at his averse expression.

"I know nothing of Midgardian wine," he says, glancing up at me.

I shrug. "Well, you might've learned something last night if we hadn't drunk so much it."

"Yes," he mumbles quietly, and looks back down at his book. "Quite a robust feat."

I furrow a brow. "I'll take that as a compliment."