Page 60 of Locked
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Zelle
The door chimes sang, echoing throughout the apartment.
It was the second time in my life that hearing them hadn't brought with it a nervous, negative energy. I knew it was Rifyr on the other side of the door, and I couldn't wait to meet him in person.
I dropped a strand of hair into the fire, hearing it sizzle, and smelling it burn as I reached for the door handle.
I slowly pulled the heavy door open and grinned widely upon seeing Rifyr on the other side of it.
"Hey Kitten," he said softly, shifting the bag in his hand so he could reach out for me.
"Hey Rif," I replied, reaching for said hand and clasping it tightly as he crossed the threshold.
He set the bag down on the other side of the door, swinging it closed behind him before he wrapped me up in a tight embrace. "Been waiting too long for this, Zelle."
"I know," I replied, swallowing down the lump in my throat as I gave myself over to the experience. I dropped my face to his shoulder, inhaling his scent as his fingers played with my hair.
"Sorry I couldn't come yesterday, I kept getting called. Apparently Wednesday is the day to lock yourself out of your cars and stuff…" He shrugged.
"Don't worry, I was fine here. I had some stuff I had to take care of and…" My thoughts drifted to the box in the living room full of chicken ashes.
"Well, still. I wanted to come yesterday," he reiterated, leaning down to press his forehead to mine.
"You're here now…" I said, tilting up slightly to press my lips to his in a kiss that had been a long time coming.
He pulled back at the last second, his breath brushing over my face. "I'm here now," he echoed. "And I brought dinner."
Slightly put off that he'd dodged my kiss, I eyed him warily. "Dinner, huh?"
He leaned down and pecked my forehead. "If I let you kiss me, we wouldn't get to eat it… and it's kind of time sensitive, so like…" He shrugged. "Call me old fashioned, I want to be fed and watered before you have your way with me."
I smirked. "Fair enough."
He reached for my hand and grabbed the bag, pulling me down the entryway. "Which way to the kitchen, Zelle?"
"That swinging door straight ahead," I replied. "Can't miss it. It's kind of huge."
I rarely ate in the kitchen, but it looked like that was exactly what Rifyr was intending, so I lowered the lights and lit the candles instead, casting the entire stone-tiled room in a flickering glow that was definitely more romantic than it had been seconds before.
He unpacked the dinner onto the countertop and I summoned some plates from the cabinets. I noted that there was a salad, so I brought down wooden salad bowls and a couple of dessert plates for good measure.
Rifyr pulled everything from the bag and then started arranging the plates on the counter, squinting slightly at their alignment before snapping his fingers twice.
The food in the containers leapt out onto the plates, arranging itself in aesthetically pleasing ways all over the plain, white porcelain.
The salad fluttered into the bowls and the dessert, some sort of flaming ice cream dish, assembled itself as well.
"Wow," I said, whistling low. "You know how to dine a girl."
Rifyr smiled, that sort of a half-smile, half smirk that I loved from his pictures. "That's good to hear. Because you deserve more than this…" he leaned in and kissed my cheek, his lips meeting my skin and lingering there for a moment as he whispered. "After we get you out of here, I'm taking you out."
"Out? Like on a date?" I asked.
He nodded. "Many dates. So many dates you're going to ask me to stop."
I laughed. I didn't think there was ever a number of dates Rifyr could take me on that would make me want him to stop, but I didn't say that.
