Chapter 73: Breathe Easier
Chapter 73: Breathe Easier
‘I wish my life were as exciting,’ she thought with a roll of her eyes.
“I can’t think of a single reason why I would call you if I were a secret agent. I am not even acting like a minor. So, I can’t be an agent who is out hunting for predators who solicit minors.”
“Remember the amount of times we have spoken about the FBI and my love for loli? I can’t trust you, it seems!” He was laughing because he knew she wasn’t an agent, but it was so much fun to tease her!
“Oh, wouldn’t you like it if I handcuffed you. I think you would.” He coughed. It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about it before… it was just that he felt caught in the moment.
“Now, that is an image I pledge by. I would definitely like to be handcuffed by you, but promise me I am not going to a real jail,” he responded gently, his eyes filled with affection that she couldn’t see. ‘I definitely want to be cuffed and spread eagled by you.’ He groaned. ‘I need some lotion, now.’
“Real police don’t cuff people for the hentai they watch. You are safe,” she commented smugly, having heard his groan. She knew what she had done to him and was very pleased with herself.
“I feel the need to brush up on my country’s laws now that this conversation has taken place. I wouldn’t want to fall prey to your evil vices.” He clucked his tongue and got into a better position, his hand far away from his slowly rising member.
“Fair enough!” she exclaimed. “But what about you? Do you practice?” Katherine asked eagerly.
“Nope. I am a spontaneous person. I think it says a lot about your confidence when you say that you need to practice. And I don’t mean it in an offensive way. You are way more grounded than I am. I am confident; you could even call me cocky,” he responded after some thought. “But that is what years of being in the business has taught me. I can’t be anything else apart from this superhero, who can do anything. Everyone expects me to have all the answers even though I am completely clueless and I need to keep up the façade because that is the only way people will spend their time on me.” And at times it really tired him out.
“So you are used to acting confident but are always wondering when the attention will go away,” she deduced.
“I am confident in my work, but I do worry about how it will end,” Cage confessed.
“I think all of us are worried about such a thing happening. If one day, the firms think that my drawing isn’t worth their attention, they are just going to stop using my services and that shit scares me, too. I think our world depends on how you attract attention and it usually is gained by your work. So, you can only work to your fullest and reap the benefits. There is no solid path to remain relevant, you just need to keep working and hope that things happen in your favor. I think you should think about this too. Maybe it will help you overcome some of your woes.”
The philosophy hit home. It was something both of them knew, and probably everyone in the world felt the same fear throughout their lives, but saying it out loud to someone else was empowering. There was no point thinking about the ‘what if’s’, the only thing they could do was work hard and hope for the best. Nothing else.
“I can’t tell you how lucky I am to have someone who speaks so well. You… really change the way I look at things.” He sighed and looked at the cell-phone in his hands. How had he gotten so lucky?
– – –
What would constitute as a perfect day for you?
“The perfect day for me would be going grocery shopping with my significant other to a local store and going through the list and ticking off items as we get more items.”
‘Significant other.’ That made him seethe with possessiveness. Wasn’t that him?
“Why the grocery store?” he asked, trying to keep his mind off the topic.
“I wouldn’t mind it even if it were a first date,” she began. “I believe that you get to see the financial and preferential behaviour of the other person while they are shopping. If you buy ramen, I know what you ate at university. I know that you struggled alone for something because no one really eats instant noodles unless they necessarily need to.” It sounded rational, but despite having a luxurious life, Cage liked sneaking in ramen sometimes. Didn’t help that his diet was strict and the only thing he could sometimes sneak in as a snack was instant noodles. He especially preferred the curry flavour which came with the flat noodles.
“Or if I know them better, I will gauge if they simply can’t cook and choose to eat a simple meal rather than order out or if they have other circumstances that make then actually like instant food.” She stopped and thought for a minute. ‘Is this where she thinks and practices her words before saying them out loud?’ he wondered.
“If they buy veggies, I know that they are not completely childlike and will eat most things. I can breathe easier then because I love to cook and I would want to feed and fatten up the person I am dating.”
He stifled a laugh. It was a shame that he lived within a dichotomy. He loved to eat but his trainer and dietician held him to high standards. This meant that eating out of his calorific chart was out of question. His relationship with Katherine would consist of her eating savory foods while he ate chicken breast. He wondered if she would someday cook for him.
A smile came across his lips as he imagined her barefoot in his kitchen, swaying to the beat of a song and stirring a pot, making something to eat for him. He imagined sneaking in behind her and snaking his hand on her hip, startling her. He would gently kiss the spot behind her ear and tell her good morning, or good evening… and she would slowly turn to peck on his lips before going back to cooking.