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Well…you know…almost.
And of course, immediately Annika reminded me why she’s my best friend in the world and closer than a sister when she hugged me and told me all she wanted for me was to be happy and safe.
I told her I was both of those things.
But yeah, Dinner Table Cold War tonight was, and still is, a real possibility.
So to try to deal with the overprotectiveness of Damianandthe outrageous possessiveness of Mal, Anni helped me arrange the circular dining table so that I could appease both. We put Mal to my left, Damian to my right with Annika next to him, then Kenzo, Sota, Kir and Isaak—who all arrived early with Damian—then Hana, and finally Tak, in between her and Mal.
We even used place cards, for fuck’s sake.
Except of course, when I walked into the dining room just now, I saw our carefully planned diplomacy had been utterlyfucked.
Now, the table goes Mal, me,Hana, Annika, Kenzo, Sota, Kir,Damian, Isaak, and then Takeshi, putting Damian directly opposite me.
It doesn’t take a detective to figure out who the culprit is, especially when said culprit walks in looking extremely pleased with himself as he takes his seat next to me.
“Seriously?” I mutter, turning to Mal.
“Seriously,” he growls back, just as Damian walks in with a scowl, seeing where he’s sitting.
For a second, I think we’re going to have another almost-brawl on our hands. But Kir senses the tension, and beckons for Damian to come sit.
Immediately afterward, he glances back at me, arching a stern but quizzical brow as his eyes swivel from me, to Mal, and then back to me.
My face burns as I tug out my phone and send him a brief text.
Me
It’s complicated. I’m sorry. I should have told you earlier. Can we talk after dinner?
Kir’s reply is quick, and brings a smile to my face when I read it.
Kir
You don’t own me or anyone else an apology for your feelings, Freya. And trust me, it’s never NOT complicated. I’ll be here for a few days if you want to talk. But you don’t owe me anything.
Kir
Just tell me—are you happy, safe, and respected?
I bite my bottom lip, my face heating.
Me
Yes. Very much so.
Kir
Then all I am is happy for you.
Kir
With of course the obligatory “if he hurts you, I’ll cut off his balls and make him eat them on toast before I spend roughly two weeks killing him in the slowest, most excruciating way I can dream up”.
I grin as I look up across the table at Kir. He winks at me, nodding his chin.
Jiro, Kenzo’s personal chef, brings out the lavish spread of food he’s prepared for the night: a mix of gorgeous sushi and sashimi along with all sorts of insanely delicious Japanese snacks:karaage,menchi katsu, assortedyakitori, andokonomiyaki.
