Anna took me to the back room, which was used as storage. She sat me down at a table and sat across from me.
"You seem a bit off."
"That's how we're starting this conversation?"
Anna intertwined her fingers and placed her elbows on the table.
"Can you blame me?"
She continued.
"You're young with the glare of an old man. You deny your relationship with your girlfriend, and you're nothing like the loving man Jashen described."
She rested her chin on her steepled fingers.
"I'm just curious as to who you are, Lafayette."
I reclined in my seat.
"I'm only human."
"That's not an answer."
"That's my answer."
Anna stared at me for a long time, then she let out a long sigh. "Jashen told me you two have a house together, and that it doesn't have any furniture. Would you mind Lance and me tagging along?"
I shrugged. "I don't mind, but what about your shop?"
"Jashen brought in her fair share of customers. We can close early today. Besides, I don't mind helping a friend."
I narrowed my eyes. "You're trying to be nosey, aren't you?"
Anna smiled. "Guilty as charged. Though it's not unusual is it? A girl needs a peer after all."
I sighed, she had a point. I couldn't exactly leave Jashen alone all day.
And well, Anna doesn't seem too bad. I hope she's not a bad influence. "Fine, I guess. I'm ready when you guys are."
Anna stood. "That's great, I'll let her know." She left the room and joined Jashen in the lobby. I left to find Lance.
He had finished with the grinder and was now kneeling by a flour sack. "She's done nothing wrong." I mimicked his voice from earlier.
"You're such a loser, Lance."
Lance looked over his shoulder with a smile. "Happy wife, happy life. You gotta have her back so she'll have yours."
I crossed my arms and stood over him. "I won't ever let a woman tell me what to do. See, Jashen knows her place when I'm in the room. There's no need for all this—"
"Lafayette."
Jashen entered the room with a smile.
I raised an eyebrow. "What is it? Woman?"
She crossed her arms. "If you're going to address me like that, at least add 'my' in front of it."
I frowned, she didn't.
Silence.
I exhaled deeply. "What is it, my woman?"
"Much better."
Jashen stepped over and embraced me. "I missed you." Her arms wrapped around my head as my face pressed against her chest. "I missed you a lot."
I tried to keep my arms at my sides. "It hasn't even been that long," I replied. My voice was muffled.
Jashen pressed her face into my hair. "Every minute away from you is too long. Don't you feel the same?"
I didn't say anything.
But my hands slowly rose to her sides and embraced and wrapped around her waist.
I could feel her tail slowly swaying. I slowly reached a hand towards the base of her tail and wrapped a hand around it.
It felt… warm and soft.
Jashen brought my head back with her hand under my chin and kissed me.
Lance quickly looked away and whistled. Jashen pulled back with a smile. "Don't grab my tail, it's very sensitive… You know?"
Her cheeks were flushed with crimson.
I swallowed hard as my heart pounded. What the hell just happened? Why am I…?
Anna reentered the room. "Alright, the shop is closed guys. Are you ready?"
Jashen turned around and nodded eagerly. "Absolutely! Let's go now." She took my hand and dragged me along. I stumbled forward, and my stomach felt like it had flipped.
We all exited the shop. Lance locked the doors while Jashen and Anna took the lead.
They had their arms linked and talked like they had known each other since childhood. Meanwhile, Lance and I walked in silence.
Lance looked down at me with a curious expression. "You alright, buddy?"
I looked up at him.
"I don't know." I can't really say I'm struggling to pretend I don't like Jashen, can I? But it's definitely getting harder.
In shows, the 'will they won't they' stuff takes eons to sort itself out. Here? It's like a… tidal wave of force that pushes us together now.
"You know when I first met Anna I wasn't really interested in women."
Lance crossed his arms. "I thought a woman would be a distraction to everything I've built."
"And is she?"
"In some ways," Lance answered.
"I can't devote all my time to my projects anymore. But, in return, I don't have to walk alone anymore. If I ever fail, I'll have someone to catch me."
"But how do you know you married the right person? What if… what if she leaves you?"
Lance smirked. "I'm not worried about that happening."
"Isn't that a little optimistic?"
"No. Because I didn't marry for anything superficial."
He continued.
"Anna didn't need me before we got married, and she doesn't need me now. She chose me. Not my position, not my money, not my skills, me. And I reward her for that with my loyalty."
He gestured ahead at Jashen.
"She's like that too, you know?"
I blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I can tell Jashen is someone who can and has survived on her own."
He pointed at me.
"And yet she chooses to stick with you. You're broke, you're cold, and you're lost. And she still follows you."
I opened my mouth. Then I closed it. This guy, was he just pretending to be an idiot? I don't know. "Shut up."
"Sure." Lance ruffled my hair and placed an arm over my shoulder. "Just don't think about it too much, buddy."
I allowed myself to be walked under his arm.
— — —
The furniture store was less like a shop and more like a mall. It was a massive structure with large glass windows and doors.
Inside were rows of thick oak bed frames, couches, tables, and more.
Beside the large building was a parking lot filled with carts and the windwalkers.
Anna and Jashen entered the building like they owned the place. And with the amount of money Zenith gave us? Maybe we did.
The girls moved through the shop and began to catalogue items on a metric they only knew.
Eventually, a member of staff approached them.
The moment she heard Jashen's situation, she was a new homeowner looking to fill out her house. I saw a lightbulb go off above her head and gold in her eyes.
"Right this way, ladies!"
I grabbed at my empty pockets.
Soon a member of staff approached Lance and me. He was dressed in a blue suit and had slicked-back hair. "Excuse me sirs, but are you looking to purchase something?"
Lance and I shook our heads. Lance pointed out Jashen and Anna. "We're with them."
The man nodded. "I see, well, do you have any questions for me?"
"One, why is this store so big?" I asked.
The man smiled as he looked over all the furniture.
"This used to be a furniture hall, where multiple sellers could operate. Eventually, those sellers got together and created UKEA."
He then gestured to the far side of the store. "Well, if you aren't here to shop, then feel free to try the meatballs. They are delightful."
The smell hit me before I even saw the kitchen.
There was a long counter on the back wall, with wooden stools and menus with brass clips.
Lance and I took our seats and were greeted by a woman dressed in white. "Hello, what can I get for you?"
"Meatballs." Lance and I said in unison.
The woman smiled warmly and stepped away, she soon returned with two plates of meatballs. "Enjoy."
Lance picked up his fork. "You know I've had these once or twice before. I remember them being pretty good." He stabbed a meatball and popped it in his mouth.
I picked up my fork and ate one.
Lance wasn't wrong, it was good. They were dense, a little sweet, and covered in an absolutely delicious sauce.
We ate in silence and watched as Jashen and Anna moved between displays.
One of them would point something out, and the other would either agree or disagree passionately.
No in between.
Lance and I must've gone through a truckload of meatballs before the girls were finally done.
Jashen approached me with several pieces of paper held out. "Here ya go."
I took them and looked them over. It was a list of purchased items. Bed frames, mattresses, nightstands…
And all the way at the bottom was the charge.
15 gold pieces.
My eyes went wide. "Haaaa!" I dropped the receipt as if it bit me. I stared down at it as it hit the floor. "What is that?!"