Kai was very proud of his ability to keep his nausea from overwhelming him until Ian left the apartment. He raced to the bathroom and his breakfast came back up in one frightening rush.
His first inclination was to be frightened that he'd just poisoned them both with food poisoning. Instincts told a different story. He had been queasy the past two days. Ever since they escaped the mountain. Kai didn't think much about it since it passed by lunch.
It would be easy to dismiss it as nerves but he knew. His body knowledge was spot on. Living in the mountains, getting to a doctor for anything wasn't an option.
Kai learned fast how to stay in tune with his body. The first inklings of colds or flu or any sort of sickness, he started with what little herbal knowledge he knew to keep it to a minimum.
But maybe...this time he was wrong. The past few days had been stressful. Yes. That was it, especially in light of Ian leaving him in the apartment by himself. Worry forced itself to the front of his mind. He had no frame of reference to imagine what would come next.
After brushing his teeth, he set about finding things to do until Ian came home.
The only way he knew to work off his case of nerves was to stay busy.
He cleaned all three bathrooms, scrubbed the kitchen, washed all the windows, ceiling to floor, and completely cleaned out the refrigerator. He even gave Silph à bath and blow-dried her hair. She pranced around the apartment, following behind him as he constantly found things to do until there was nothing left for him to clean or straighten.
Finally giving in to watching television, he flipped through the hundreds of channels available, finally hitting overload. Watching the clock made the time pass excruciatingly slow until it was time to start dinner.
Having so many choices on what to cook, Kai really felt he was in his element. The herbs in the cabinet were a dreadful mess and they were awful.
Who used store-bought herbs? A small garden on the balcony would go a long way.
There was a small problem with that. Ian admitted he was barely around. So unless he could get Ezra to water the small garden, it would just die.
That was a shame. A big one.
Kai missed very little about living on the mountain. He did miss his small garden. It was one of the few things the Alpha allowed him to have and Barry either didn't know about it, or he didn't care enough to do anything.
The view was the other thing.
Even though the city was spectacular to see from the balcony, it was the city with the pollution and the constant hum of background noise.
Still...Kai worked with what he had and it was close to a proper dinnertime when he had the Salisbury steaks on simmer in the homemade gravy. He dug out some canned vegetables and had the potatoes ready to mash when Ian got home.
Would he come home?
Kai had been successful in pushing that fear away all day. Now it came back on him in a rush. Would his business keep him out all night?
Would he call Kai and let him know?
His stomach twisted in anxiety. The brief moment of doubt was interrupted when Silph launched from the back of the couch to the floor in a race to the door. She sat, tail sweeping energetically, as Ian keyed into the apartment.
Kai's relief was as jubilant as Silph's when Ian shut the door. Ian stood, looking at the dog as she jumped and turned in circles with happy barking. "Did you give her vitamins or something?" he asked with a dubious lift of his eyebrow.
"Not me," Kai said, holding his hands up. “I didn't bribe her with anything."
Kai tossed his keys on the nook counter before scooping the little dog up. "Well, I guess I'm happy to see you, too. Something smells divine in here.”
Kai's face heated up with the compliment. None of his pack Alphas made comments about what he cooked, although the other omegas complimented him all the time. Meals were the highlight of all their days. "I hope you don't mind that I made dinner. "
"I think I made my pleasure known at breakfast but the chivalrous part of me feels the need to remind you that you're not expected to do it." Ian sat the dog down and shrugged his suit jacket off. He worked on his shirt next as he headed for the bedroom. “Do I have time to change?"
"I have the mashed potatoes to make and it's done."
Ian disappeared and Kai got to work finishing up dinner.
By the time Kai finished putting everything out on the table, Ian came out of the bedroom. “Really, Kai. You didn't need to go to all this trouble. It's just more clean-up for you."
Kai crossed to Ian and pushed him from behind to sit at the table. “I wanted to. I don't mind the cleanup, Ian. It gives me something to do. I was bored sitting here by myself."
"I can't imagine you're bored. I noticed you cleaned my bathroom and made my bed.”
Ian settled at the table and Kai busied around him to make sure he had everything he needed.
Finally, Ian put his fork and knife to the side. "Kai, if you don't sit and eat with me, I will get up and fix a sandwich."
“I'm coming!" Kai said with one final rush into the kitchen. When he emerged, he had drinks, setting them at the table before he landed in a chair across from Ian.
He didn't want to eat first. It was important to wait. To make sure his food met with Ian's approval.
Ian took a bite, chewed thoughtfully and nodded before taking another bite.
That was as good as Kai needed and he started to eat. He felt like he'd done something good and it was a nice feeling.
"Other than a marathon cleaning of the penthouse, what else have you been doing today?"
"I gave Silph a bath."
"So that's why you're so excited to see me," Ian said to the little dog as she sat at attention near his chair. "You need protection from the bath water."
“She did fine, actually. Although I wish I had a fresh bow that I could have put in her hair. Her other one was lost when we played with squeaks."
The rest of the dinner conversation stayed neutral. His anxiety shifted again, since he didn't know what was happening at all. Was he going to the manor? Would Ian let him stay there for a while longer?
Was he really going to meet his arranged mate and be separated from Ian for good?
Kai waited with tense anticipation for Ian to tell him he had to leave now but it never happened.
Ian never indicated one way or the other.
After dinner, Kai cleared the table and cleaned the kitchen while Ian stood on the balcony and talked on the phone. The sun was setting and the evening air was turning cooler. Kai finished the dishes, then curled up on the sofa to huddle beneath a lap blanket.
Ian shut the sliding glass door and tossed his phone on the coffee table before he flopped onto the sofa next to Kai.
"Work?" Kai chewed on his lower lip in uncertainty. This waiting for the boot to drop was going to make him a nervous wreck before it was all over.
"It never stops," Ian said with a soft sigh. His head fell back and he closed his eyes. "Thank you for dinner, Kai. I appreciate your hard work. It was delicious. Better than any takeout."
Kai's heart sang beneath the praise. “I enjoyed it. Thank you for letting me."
Ian's eyes opened to slits and he tilted his head to look at Kai.
Gently, he touched Kai's cheek. “You come from a situation I can't begin to understand," he said softly. "And it angers me beyond words to know someone as beautiful as you was so abused. How have you managed to keep your sweet disposition, my darling Kai?"
Kai liked it when Ian called him 'my darling Kai’. It made him feel like he was cherished. Ian's soft touch brought tears to his eyes. He leaned into the touch and closed his eyes. If Ian never took him to his bed again, Kai would cherish these moments. He would hold them close in his heart. Even if his body had to belong to another, Ian would always hold his heart.
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