Whispering Voices

040 • The Perfect Man

Aella had packed all her stuff. She put her suitcase in the living room,  made a hot chocolate and  sat down on the couch, blowing into the steamy cup. Actually the weather was too nice for such a drink, but who knew when would be the next time she'd be able to drink it. It might as well be never.

Aella enjoyed the silence. The voices were still silent. A question was itching her mind. Do I still need to leave? 

Maybe not. Maybe she had already lived up to the expectations of the voices. But could she take that risk? What if they would come back as soon as the spaceship was gone? Furthermore, she would be crazy for refusing to go to another planet, right? There was nothing tying her to this place anyway. Except for a mother who had turned out to be not her mother.

She leaned a little more against the backrest of the couch, trying to relax. It wasn't easy; her thoughts were flashing into every direction, trying to come up with things she had forgotten to pack and might be helpful. 

And she thought about Loki. 

Would he even return? There was no doubt that he would find it hilarious to just let her down now. Or maybe he had already returned, waiting curiously what she would do. The thought caused goosebumps; never before there had been such an unpredictable aspect in her life and she wondered if it would ever truly go away. 

She glanced at the clock. Half past three. Loki was gone for at least an hour. Was it smarter to visit her mom all alone? She could pretend that she was angry because her mother had lied to her her whole life, she wouldn't need to act like she had a boyfriend wanting to take her for a trip around the world. Still she dreaded being alone with her mom.

And you really think you would feel more comfortable when Loki is around? 

She folded her hands a little tighter around the mug. There was no way to answer that in a positive way. It probably was way easier without Loki, but would it be just as convincing? She clung to the thought that he was universe's best liar.

Although my mom shares that talent. Maybe they even like each other. 

She took another sip. 

And what about you? You like him too? 

She put away the mug. Her own thoughts started to annoye her. She was almost longing back to the dying whispers of her sisters. 

That's cruel, Aella. Very cruel. 

Suddenly the fridge opened and closed. And a drawer. Footsteps, then Loki appeared in the door leading from the kitchen to the living room. He was holding a beer in his hand, taking a swig. "You want one too?"

"Eh..." Although the noises in the kitchen had already announced his return, his nonchalance still surprised her. "Okay," she added as she realized she was sounding stupid. 

He walked up to her, handing her the bottle from which he had just drank. Then he returned to the kitchen, getting a new one for himself. 

The glass felt cold against her skin, contrasting with the warm mug. 

Hot chocolate and beer isn't the best combination. Her eyes flashed to the bottle Loki was holding, but it felt childish to say that she wanted that one. 

Pushing away the thought that his lips had also touched the opening – even though it had only been for a split second – she took a swig, trying to swallow the awkwardness as well. 

The couch sagged a bit when Loki sat down next to her.  He turned towards her, stretching his leg so he could pull something out of his pocket. He put a pile of money on the coffee table. "To hire some strippers."

"Wha-what?"

He chuckled. "Joking. Or maybe I'm not. You know, just to buy some entertainment. Bet the shops are still open."

"You stole this?" It was a stupid question. Of course he had stolen this. It was hard to believe that they paid with pounds in Asgard. 

He shrugged, deciding not to answer. She didn't need one anyway; she could easily picture how that had went. Like some wizard he had apparated in Gringotts, taking a sum of money with him. 

She couldn't stop the smirk crossing her face. It was so bizarre. And his arrogance was both fascinating and scaring her at the same time.

"Why are you doing this, Loki?" she asked after taking another sip. 

"You think I got better things to do at the moment?"

She looked at him, hesitating. He had a point, but still...

He moved the bottle back to his mouth and drank. She stared at his neck, to his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. As she realized what she was doing, she quickly turned away her face. What the hell are you doing, Aella. 

She had no idea, but her cheeks felt warm and she had to suppress the urge to press the cold glass of her beer against her skin. She was waiting for a cynical remark from Loki, but he asked a neutral question. 

"What's your plan? Hayes went home. You wanted to go to your parents too, right? Well, at least the ones pretending to be them..."

Ouch. Ruthlessly, he hit the nail on the head. Suddenly her plan sounded foolish. But having no plan, was even worse. 

"I'm afraid my mom will see through me when I'm lying. So... I hoped you'd be the one lying to her."

"You want me to go with you to your mom?"

She peeked aside. He had raised his eyebrows and she forced herself to look him in the eye. "I want you to pretend that your my rich boyfriend who had booked a trip around the world before we met, and who doesn't want to be that long without his new girl."

"Where's the lie in that?"

Aella wished she could rip off her cheeks when they were glowing. She hated herself. Why the hell did she feel so... idiotic? He was handsome. On sporadic moments he was even friendly.

But that was all. That should be all. "So you'll help me out?" she insisted, trying to wrestle away from the shame. There was no way that he hadn't seen her blushing cheeks, but miraculously he wasn't grinning like an idiot. It should made her suspicious. 

Loki shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, sure. So, tell me what kind of men you feel attracted to. An arrogant dick like Tony Stark? The decent Captain America? A nerdy Hulk – sorry, can't remember what he calls his boring side, doctor something. Or do you prefer a savage like my brother?"

"Uh..." Again she didn't know what to say. Ugh, where did my wit go?! She vaguely waved with her hand. "This is fine."

"Really? I'm the perfect man in your eyes?"

"I think you look okay," she shrugged.

"Now I think you're putting it too lightly."

She squeezed the bottle of beer so tightly that a crack appeared in the glass. Cursing, she put it away. Drops found their way through the crack, rolling down. 

"Lets go," she said before Loki could say something about it. She stood up, wiping her hand to her pants.

Loki took the last sip. A confident smirk was on his face and his eyes seemed to lit up. "Tell me where to go."

Aella summed up the address. Loki grabbed her upper arm and for a moment all oxygen was squeezed out of her lungs. Before she could panic, she found herself a few meters away from her mother's house. They had appeared in someone's front yard, and an old lady stared at them with wide eyes.

Quickly Aella walked away, trying to calm herself down. She walked a few steps in front of Loki, climbing up the stairs leading to the front door and ringing the bell. 

Loki's hand slipped in hers, their fingers lacing. Wildly, she turned her head towards him. 

"What? We're a couple now, right?" What he showed her should probably look like a charming smile, but she only saw a bold smirk in it. "You seem like a really clingy girlfriend."