Page 40 of I Dated a Holiday Hero
Cloud knew what Worro had done. Instead of railing or shouting when the attack came, he knelt next to her, counting the minutes until he would be at her side. He saw his actions through her eyes and understood that in that moment, she needed him, not his rage.
Cloud nodded. They were good together. Keera now understood that Worro had been going through rut, and since she wasn’t there to help him, he had been forced to seek partners for a single encounter. One per year.
The fact that he identified those moments as points of stress indicated that they were not completely voluntary. He was a good match for Keera, but they had been complicated by circumstance. Now they were both on the same page and super supportive of each other. It was sweet. The little tidbit that he had had a vasectomy after his breakdown had helped.
“I am not leaving your side again.”
“Dude, I pee alone. Respect the privacy.” She mumbled it against his chest.
He chuckled and leaned back to have a chance to kiss her. She smiled, and their lips met.
Cloud remained with her coffee and slowly pulled the dreaming away from them. It was easy. They found reality far more enticing than memory. It was nice to see.
Cloud said softly, “You can make out all you like when I am gone. It is still Sunday, and you have the whole day to play with each other. Wait. That sounded wrong.”
They chucked and smiled at her, in perfect sync for that moment.
Keera said softly, “Are you going to disappear again?”
“Not for a while. I just have to dodge my ex, and all is going to be well.”
Keera stared at her. “You have an ex?”
“Yeah. I am twenty-six, Keeks. I am capable of making my own bad decisions.” She kept her concealing mist around her.
Keera smiled and said, “What is with the beverage buffet?”
“I have to make sure that I didn’t knock out your swallowing reflex. Both of you. Pick something and drink.” She waited, and they obediently grabbed a beverage and drank. When they had swallowed and looked at each other in relief, Cloud cackled. “You guys were in there for four hours. You were dehydrated. Yeesh. You are gullible. Have a good day.”
Cloud turned toward the door and was surprised by Keera’s hug. Keera was surprised as well. She let go like Cloud was on fire.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, well, he’s an ex for a reason. I have unblocked my name from your com. Call when you like.” Cloud patted Keera’s cheek but kept her shadows around her.
She sighed happily and left, knowing all was right for that moment. She got onto her own cycle and revved the engine, put on her helmet, and kept her cloud around her body as she drove back to the city.
* * * *
Keera blinked at whatshe had felt. Cloud was hiding it, so she didn’t want to tell Worro what she had hugged.
“Are you all right?”
Keera smiled and walked back into his arms. “I am fine. She... I haven’t seen her since after the accident. She was on one of my therapy teams. I hadn’t seen her for twelve years before that.”
“She’s powerful.”
“Yes. Our mother was powerful as well, but she died alone with a baby in her arms and four-year old me at her side.”
“What did you do?”
“I turned into a mermaid from one of my mom’s books, and I swam to a nearby island and got formula and bottles. Mom had told me what was needed, and I took care of her.”
He blinked. “Right. I saw that. You helped her walk, swim, and she’s full Hyreno?”
“Yes. Well, she looks like our mother.”
“Who do you look like?”
