Primals (Reverse Harem 1)
“I’M SORRY WE HAVE TO wait until tomorrow,” I tell Clarissa as I drape my coat over the back of a chair in the hotel room. “You’re sure your copy of your ID will be here then?”
Neither of us had thought this through very well. We’d both had the assumption that with everything she’d gone through she could just fly home. But in this present age there was no way security was going to give her a free pass to fly. Apparently, the bodies had been recovered from the plane, but it looked like an animal had torn through there. Things were missing. Her purse hadn’t been a high priority. But without proof of who she was, no one was letting her on an airplane.
“It’s supposed to be. They were supposed to FedEx the copies to the police station,” Clarissa says as she sits on the edge of the bed, though I can still sense her disappointment. “We’ll leave tomorrow. It’s not like it’s the end of the world to stick around another day.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to order room service?” I sit beside her. “You barely ate at the restaurant earlier.”
She shakes her head. “I’m not hungry right now. You know me. Sometimes, I eat like a bird and sometimes...”
“Like a shark,” I finish for her. She still looks sad and vulnerable. I want to place my hand over hers, but I’m not sure the gesture would be welcome. She’d made it clear years ago that what we had was...strictly platonic. At least from her side. I sigh a little, careful to keep my distance. “I’m just worried about you, I guess. You’ve been through a lot.”
“That’s an understatement.”
She lets out a sigh as she lies down on top of the bed, staring at the ceiling.
“You know you can tell me anything, right? It might help.”
She lifts her hand above her, staring at it. “Kyle?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think I’m special?”
The question takes me by surprise. I scratch my head and look away, hoping to hide the blush that coats my cheeks. Did she finally realize I’m still in love with her? I confessed years ago, but she’d made her position clear. We’d never spoken of it again.
Is she planning to force a confession out of me? To admit that my feelings never changed?
Well, I did promise myself that if she survived, I’d tell her about my feelings. But...
“I mean, do you think I’m different? Like as a person? A human?”
Oh, that.
I replace my hand on my lap.
“Of course. You’re unlike anyone I know.”
She sits up and looks at me with interest. “How so?”
“Well...” I rub my nape. “You’re smart but you don’t brag about it. You’re nice to everyone but you don’t want to be popular...”
You’re beautiful but you don’t know it.
“Do you think I’m weird?”
“Weird?” I sit on the edge of the opposite bed. “You know most people at the Lab are weird. We’re scientists. Geeks.”
“Right.” She nods, rubbing her arms. “So, you don’t think I’m an alien or something?”
“An alien?” I chuckle. “Well, you still have a weird imagination. That’s for sure.”
But she doesn’t laugh, her expression still all serious. “You once thought I could talk to animals or read their minds, didn’t you?”
“I was just joking.” I stare at my hands. If I look at her now I might give away what’s in my heart. It’s easier to hide. “I was just jealous of how close you were to them.”
When I glance up I see her eyes widen.
“Oh, don’t mind me. See, I’m weird like you.”