Chapter 13: Showing Her I Care

"It’s uhhh..." My words were interrupted by the sight of Damara, lips pursed together as she waited.

The moment our lips met, it was like fireworks went off in my head. Her soft skin brushing against mine sent a jolt down my spine, igniting something deep inside of me. I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer. The heat from her body bled through my clothes.

We stumbled into the living room, falling onto one of my larger cushioned couches. Dust plumed as we landed. I peeked with one eye. Damara had both of hers closed, her cheeks a vibrant shade of dark red. Closing my own eye, I returned to the moment.

We pulled apart for barely a second before she quickly leaned back in, and whatever thought had been forming in my head immediately disappeared.

I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but neither of us cared enough to stop and figure it out. Every time we separated, even for a breath, we’d look at each other before going right back in. Somewhere between laughing, kissing, and nearly tripping over each other, I realized I didn’t want the moment to end.

When we separated, a string of saliva clung to both of our lips until it broke, leaving a drop on her rosy lips.

"You earned that," she said, giving me a peck on the cheek before continuing. "So? My room?"

Pushing myself off of her, I rose to my feet, my smile stretched from ear to ear. "Yes!" I answered, pulling my phone out of my pocket. "Before you go pick one, would you mind telling me more about you? Like your favorites mainly."

"An interview, huh?" She playfully scoffed. "Well, I’m really into..."

We sat around the living room for the next few hours trading stories. Laughing most of the time, we bantered until the sun began to drop behind the tree line outside. The tone in the living room had been accentuated by the bright orange glow. After I had gotten the information I wanted, it was time for my plan to begin.

"Do you mind hanging out down here for a little bit? I have something I need to do upstairs real quick first," I asked, my heart fluttering. "I can have Ignis let you know when to come up, okay?"

"Oh crap! I forgot about your roommate–"

"Butler," I corrected, gesturing for her to finish her thought. "Sorry. I didn’t want you thinking you weren’t the first. Ignis came with the place."

"Right..." She trailed off, giving me a look one could describe as a ’fuck you.’ "Butler," she corrected, her tone playful.

Ignis meandered in, the sound of his tiny footsteps bouncing off the wooden walls. "Would you like some tea, Sire?" he asked, holding out a steaming tea kettle.

"Maybe later, Ignis. Pour Damara a glass and keep her company while I’m gone."

"At once, Sir," he replied, starting his journey toward the couch. "Here you are, Madam..."

As I made my way up the stairs, their voices died out. My second floor had five rooms on it. Two on each side of my own. Finding it fitting, I walked to the room just right of mine and entered. Inside, it was bare, nothing but a bed, a few dressers, and a large wooden vanity. A large mirror sat snug against the wall behind it.

"It’s almost exactly like mine but the bed’s a bit smaller. Alright, time to get to work," I huffed, grabbing my phone and opening the Celestial Market app. My balance in the top right corner had made it to nearly 20,000 Favor.

A giddy, borderline maniacal grin spread across my face as I clicked on the clearance tab first. I lost track of time as I scrolled through that clearance tab. By the time I was finished, the room no longer resembled the empty box I’d walked into.

"Damara!" I called from the top of the stairs. "You can come up now!"

I stood out in front of her room and waited. The first thing I saw were her black horns, a step later her beautiful face. Grinning ear to ear, her hips swayed a bit more when she stepped. My eyes followed each tilt until she was in front of me.

"So," she spoke, trying to hide her excitement. "What’s the big surprise?" she asked, her body vibrating.

I turned to my side and grabbed the handle, turning it. I threw the door open.

"Are you serious?!" she nearly shouted as she asked. "Sam, this is too much... Wait, how did you do this?" Her brow raised.

"It’s kinda like magic. I can’t quite get into detail, but it has to do with my reincarnation." I cleared my throat as I followed her into her room. "Do you mind if we leave it at that for now?"

She jumped on her bed, grabbing the life-sized stuffed bear I’d gotten from the clearance section. "If you don’t want to talk about it right now, that’s fine." She squeezed the bear tightly. "This thing is HUGE! And cute!"

"I’m glad you like it. Check your dressers. Make sure I got it right..." I asked, rubbing the back of my neck.

She instantly shot up and walked over to one of the two large dressers in the room. Opening the top drawer revealed brand-new clothes, specifically nightwear. Several variations of a lacy dress lay inside, neatly folded. "You would put these in the top drawer. They’re all so soft."

"Keep going. There’s more."

Every few seconds, she let out a new gasp, turning toward me with that big, beautiful smile. She closed the last drawer, keeping her focus on the dresser in front of her.

"Sam?" She called softly. "Could you leave me alone in here for a little while?" Her voice shook slightly. "I’ll be back down shortly..."

Nodding slowly, I left the room, closing the door behind me. The second the door latched, I heard the faint sounds of crying. She’s been through a lot. I’ll let her work through that. My stomach began grumbling, reminding me it was past dinner time.

Grabbing a few of my hanging pots, I ordered the ingredients to make a hearty chicken alfredo and got to work.

The sound of soft footsteps approaching grew as I stirred the sauce. "Hey Ignis, could you set the table, please–"

I was interrupted by a pair of arms wrapping around me, pulling me in tightly. "Hey, you’re not Ignis..."

"Don’t turn around," she yelled. "Not yet..."