Part 25 (2/2)

Oh.

Hmm.

That was actually quite clever, considering my ire was heated.

I didn't relay this sentiment to him.

I declared, ”I'll relax when you get out of my bed, leave my room and allow me to eat my breakfast in peace.”

”I'll do that when you tell me how you're doin' this morning and what's up for your day,” he returned.

I turned slightly his way and queried, ”Has it occurred to you how irritating it is that you consistently ignore my wishes?”

”Has it occurred to you that I know your act is bulls.h.i.+t so I'm gonna keep ignoring the bulls.h.i.+t and get on with things?” he retorted, but he wasn't quite finished. ”You like me. You like spending time with me. Stop pretending that you don't.”

He was correct, of course. He was excellent company. Engaged. Amusing. Affectionate. Attentive. Thoughtful. Caring. And very much not hard to look at.

I was not about to share those sentiments with him either.

I turned back to my tray, picked up a triangle of b.u.t.tered toast and my knife and started slathering marmalade on it as I mumbled (me! mumbling!), ”It'll be good when I'm away on a s.h.i.+p.”

”What?” Noc asked.

”Nothing,” I kept mumbling and continued spreading as I raised my voice and answered his question. ”I'm quite all right this morning, Noc. As concerns my back, better than yesterday. And I would imagine, just in case on the morrow you find yourself curious about the same, it will be even better as healing tends to go that way.”

”Glad to hear it, sweetheart,” he said softly. ”But I meant that gig with your folks yesterday and your brother probably showin' today.”

I turned my head his way, lifting my toast and inquiring, ”The gig with my parents, if I'm to understand you, is done. Behind me. And my brother and I might not have a close, loving relations.h.i.+p, but we've been through a good deal together so I'm looking forward to his visit.”

I then put the toast between my lips, sunk my teeth into it and munched.

”Big stuff like what happened yesterday can mess with your head, Frannie. Feels like a relief at the time, then the demons everyone fights in their heads start playing with you,” he noted.

The demons everyone fights?

He had demons?

This I found surprising. And intriguing. He seemed confident in all matters. The way he held and used his body. The way he spoke. The way he communicated with others.

I suddenly felt hungry for something I'd given up on doing.

This being gathering all the information I could on a certain subject and not caring how I had to obtain that information.

This time the subject was Noc.

Fortunately, after Kristian left, Josette and I would be away so I couldn't indulge in this pastime.

”There are no demons playing with my mind,” I a.s.sured him. ”I had some unease prior to yesterday's visit but it couldn't have gone better if I'd planned every second prior to entering that jail.”

”Good to hear that too,” he muttered, reaching out and s.n.a.t.c.hing more of my cantaloupe.

I sighed.

I then shared, ”As you've spoken it repeatedly, you know my name is p.r.o.nounced Frahn-kah.”

His brows drew together, he swallowed my melon and he said, ”Well...yeah.”

”So should I wish to have one, which I don't, the nickname Frannie is not only abhorrent, it doesn't make sense. It should be Frahnnie and that's just ridiculous. Or more ridiculous than Frannie.”

”Could call you Koko,” he remarked, and I felt my lip curl. I then felt the bed slightly shake with his chuckle as he said, ”Okay, that's out.”

”How about calling me Franka?” I suggested.

”Can't call you Kaka because that's just wrong,” he went on his own bent, as was his wont, completely ignoring my suggestion because it went against what he wished to do.

But my curiosity got the better of me.

”Not that I desire you to call me Kaka either, but why is that just wrong?”

”In my world that's s.h.i.+t. As in it means s.h.i.+t, c.r.a.p, excrement.”

The lip curl that earned was more p.r.o.nounced.

Noc exploded with laughter.

I sighed yet again and nibbled more toast.

”So it's Frannie,” he said when he was done laughing.

”I suppose,” I murmured, finis.h.i.+ng my toast and going after my fork to spear some scrambled eggs.

”So you're good with the visit to your folks and you're lookin' forward to your brother showin'. What else is up for your day?” Noc asked.

I chewed and swallowed eggs (it must be said, the queen's cook was superb, even the eggs were delicious), still curious.

”May I ask why you wish to know?”

”Why wouldn't I wish to know?” he answered my question with a question.

Yet it was still an answer.

He was interested in me. Even the mundane goings-on of my day. He came in first thing in the morning for no reason whatsoever, except, it seemed, to be in my company.

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