It was about a quarter to eight Friday night. I was sitting on the couch watching Octavia parade around in her new outfits when I suddenly turned to Sissy and asked, "Are you sure I shouldn't pack a bag?" She sighed dramatically and said, "We have had this conversation six times, bro!" She gestured at the lime green plush frog mini backpack on the coffee table.
"You've got toothpaste, toothbrush, a comb and clean boxers. What else do you need?" she asked, and I stared at her saying, "I don't know, phone, charger, wallet, keys?"
"Well, duh. I put those in there too," she said.
"What about my glasses case and cleaning wipes?" I inquired, reaching for the backpack. She smacked my hand away and snapped, "You aren't going to need your glasses." I turned to her and said, "Maybe not, but I need them right now."
"That's because you haven't eaten in three days. You should have bummed a hit off Taylor last night," she said, and I rolled my eyes.
"What about other clothes, Sis or do you expect me to wear the same outfit for the next two days?" I asked and she smirked leaning in close and saying, "If you want new clothes make Barapha buy some for you. Like you did Tuesday night."
"I didn't make him buy clothes for me, Sis! The outfit I was wearing got wet and he didn't want me to catch cold," I insisted, and she rolled her eyes muttering, "Yeah, because you got wet from the snow on the mountain in France where he took you to go stargazing in France."
"Wish I had a boyfriend that could teleport to France," Octavia glumly signed, and I felt anxiety leap in my chest.
"Absolutely not," I said, and Octavia grinned. Sissy looked between the two of us and asked, "What did she say?" I repeated what Octavia said and Sissy laughed.
There was a knock on the door and Sissy glanced at her phone mumbling, "You can't even pay that man to be punctual, but here he is on the dot." She made a face at me and mocked, "For you, baby bro." I stuck my tongue out at her and grabbed my backpack off the coffee table.
I walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. Barapha was standing on the other side. I reached for the door handle then hesitated. I turned to look at Sissy who was standing several feet behind me and asked, "Are you sure you're okay with this?" She nodded and I turned back to the door. When I didn't open it, she asked, "What's wrong?"
"I don't know if I can do this," I hissed, and Sissy sighed reaching around me to open the door. Before Barapha could utter a word, Sissy said, "If you fuck my brother, he will be the last thing you ever fuck." She grabbed me, kissed me on the cheek and shoved me out the door slamming it shut behind me.
Barapha blinked several times in surprise then looked down at me asking, "Was she threatening me or extolling your skills as a lover?" I laughed nervously and said, "Definitely the former." He slung his arm around my shoulders and hugged me to his side directing me towards the elevator.
"I bet you would be a god amongst lovers," Barapha said with a smirk and my face reddened. We entered the elevator and I mumbled, "I don't know about 'god', but I never got any complaints." He looked down at me with a confused expression.
"What?" I asked when he didn't look away. He opened his mouth and for a moment no sound came out. Then he asked, "Chase, have you had sex?" My brow creased in confusion, and I replied, "Yes. A few more times than I care to remember actually."
He stared at me with wide eyes, a light indigo flush dusting his cheeks. I looked up at him and bit back a laugh asking, "Did you think I was a virgin?" The elevator opened and as we stepped out Barapha mumbled, "With you being ace, I kind of just assumed..." I laughed and hooked my arm around his as we walked across the lobby and left through the front door.
"No, when I first came into my powers I acted pretty much as one would expect," I said. Barapha smiled and asked, "Meaning what, exactly?" I chuckled nervously and replied, "I went through a bit of a hoe phase honestly."
Barapha's smile became a tad more salacious, and he said, "Really?" I nodded and glanced around as we walked down the crowded sidewalk. Barapha laughed joyously and said, "I can't see you being anything even remotely resembling a hoe, Chase." He squeezed my arm and continued, "Tell me everything."
I rolled my eyes yet smiled despite myself and said, "Fine, I'll tell you, but first drinks." Barapha shook his head and said, "I tell you that no place in the world is off limits and you wanna go for drinks in the same boring city you've lived in for decades?"
I looked at him and smiled sweetly saying, "You didn't let me finish." I slung my backpack over my shoulder and unzipped it retrieving my phone. I tapped on the screen a few times and pulled up a website saying, "I want to go here." I showed him my phone and he looked at it. A smile spread across his face, and he said, "A karaoke box in Shibuya, Tokyo. Unlimited drink package. Open until five in the morning." He nodded appreciatively and said, "That's what I'm talking about."
"Yeah, the only problem is that it's only 10am in Japan right now and they don't open until eleven," I said and Barapha smirked leaning in to press his lips against the top of my head.
"Whatever shall we do in the meantime?" he murmured, his icy breath stirring my hair. We disappeared off the sidewalk in a storm of freezing wind.