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”Okay then. Try not to imagine me naked while I’m gone,” I say and wink at her before I jog across the yard to the staff housing.

Once I’m in my room, I strip my clothes off, chuckling to myself about the look on Kimiko’s face when I brought up showering with me and wearing leather. She was so easy to tease. It was ridiculous.

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I chuckled, shaking my head at Nero. ”I love you,” I said. I pull Nero in and kiss them deeply before letting them go to ring the kitchen and then call the contractor.

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I closed my eyes when he kissed my forehead. The touch was simple but it was comforting, yet I was the one who should be comforting him. I opened my eyes and wrapped my arms around Nic’s waist, tilting my head back to look up at him.

”Two people can have the same nickname, but it’s hard when it’s such a familiar nickname for you.”

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“Just so you know, I really hate you.” I tell him, flipping him off before I close the back doors and head back to my room to change. I have leather pants and a leather jacket that I could wear, even though the pants were geared more towards the club scene. They were genuine leather though, so it should work. I have a silent debate on whether I want to wear heels so Avery didn’t tower over me, but ultimately decide to go with some high top sneakers.

Now if only I could figure out why Avery is so good at getting under my skin…

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I don’t even have time to say it back before Caden kisses me deeply. I’m a little stunned, frozen in place, before I remember to move again. “I, uh, love you too.” I mumble with a stupid grin before I head into my room. Luci and Mika greet me almost immediately.

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I nod, agreeing with her. “It is, but I can deal with it, I promise.” I tell her. Unable to help myself while she’s looking up at me like this, I kiss her lips softly. I would go for a more passionate kiss, but I remind myself we still need to stop at Cass’ shop before going to see the contractor. When I pull away, I smile at her.

”We should get going - do you have everything you need from here?” I ask her.

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I took a bit longer in the shower since my workout was more intense today, but after that, I dressed in light colours before layering with a sweater, leather pants, and jacket. I grabbed my riding gloves and helmet before slinging my bag over my shoulder and headed for the garage.

I set my stuff on a bench and start looking over the bike to make sure everything is in working order.

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I paced around between our rooms as I talked to the contractor, petting the cats as I went. While I was on the phone, breakfast was brought up, and I thanked the staff before I finished up the conversation.

”Alright. He says he can come out later in the week and do an assessment. He remembers the place though, and doesn’t think the door should be a problem,’ I said and took a seat. ”Do you want to paint the room?”

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I appreciate Nic saying he could handle it, but I wanted him not to have to. I wanted to deal with it for him, but I knew that wasn’t possible. The kiss is brief but perfect. I smiled at Nic after he pulled away. I released him and grabbed a little white cropped blazer to go with my outfit along with my bag.

”Okay, let’s go. Bye kitties! Be good,” I instruct them before leaving with Nic.

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I make my way out towards the garage. I enter it just as Avery starts inspecting the bike. “Well, I feel underdressed now.” I say, looking Avery up and down. ”Should I be scared that we might crash now?” I ask, putting a hand on my hip as I start to second-guess my choices.

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I sit on the table once breakfast is set out and the staff leaves. I break the yolk of the egg over hash browns and start eating happily as Caden walks in, swinging my legs. “Wonderful.” I say at the news that the contractor will be here. I look around the room, remembering how Caden had introduced this room to me on my first day staying here.

“I think I like the theme of the room still - we could add a swing so it really ties everything together.” I say teasingly.

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Knowing what is probably going through her mind, I’m grateful that Cass drops the subject. Far be it from me to make people change their own nickname just because it reminds me of my sister. I grin at what Cass tells the cats before heading to the SUV to open the door for Cass. “So, why do we need to go to the shop for, by the way?”

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I finished checking the oil when Kimiko entered the garage. I wipe my hands on a towel while I look her over. ”You’re fine, but you do heal quickly if we crash, right?” I tease.

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I set my phone down on the table as I joined Nero. I’m glad they liked the room, as I was still quite fond of the theme. I take a sip of my coffee and raise an eyebrow at Nero. ”A swing? Like the one in the painting or a more exciting one?” I asked, looking at Nero suggestively.

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I glanced at Nic as I climbed into the SUV. ”Supplies. I was doing some research into the proper ceremonies I need to do to reconnect the fountain to its homeland.”

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I cross my arms as I glare at Avery. “Funny, I was going to ask the same thing of you.” I say before making my way over to him and the motorcycle. I worry my bottom lip as I look the bike over.

“You know how to drive this, right?” I ask. I mean, I know he’s usually Caden’s driver, but motorcycles made me apprehensive.

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I tilt my head at Caden while I nibble on the bite of food on my fork. “A more exciting swing?” I ask in mild confusement. “Have swings evolved into something else over the years?”

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I nod. It made sense that it’s for supplies. I close Cass’ door and get behind the wheel, putting my arm behind her head as I back out to head to her store. “You just happen to have everything for a Hindu temple fountain ceremony?” I ask in a teasing tone.

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I chuckled and grabbed the keys from the locked cabinet, along with a helmet for Kimiko. I watch her look at the book apprehensively, and I debate between teasing and reassuring her.

”Yes, I know how to drive a motorcycle. I know this bike well. It’s one of my favourites, and I’ve worked on her several times. You don’t need to come, Kimiko. I’m sure you can get up to all sorts of trouble here.”

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I grin at Nero’s innocence. I picked up my phone and researched the swings I was talking about to show them.

”Oh, they have more conventional swings for parks and children, but they’ve also evolved and made swings for a more specific crowd,” I explained and set my phone down in front of Nero, so they can see the swings I’m talking about. I started eating while Nero looked.

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I brush my pant legs, trying to look dignified despite Nic’s arm behind my head and his teasing tone. ”I like to be prepared. Besides, I’ve collected all sorts of things in my travels. It comes in handy to be a hoarder in scenarios such as these.”

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I shift my weight from one foot to the other while I think about it before I shake my head. “No, no… I’ve just never ridden one before so please don’t get me killed.” I say with what I hope is more of a smile than a grimace.

“Between Caden and my da, I don’t think you’d be long for this world if you did end up murdering me.”

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I tilt my head to the other side, setting my fork down before I pick up Caden’s phone. “O-oh.” I say as I scroll through the information and my cheeks flush. “Oh.”

I hold his phone out to him, not really sure how to react to this. “I mean… I’d try it at least if you wanted to, I just didn’t expect swings to evolve to… this.” I busy myself by engulfing the rest of my breakfast down.

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Nodding, I chuckle. “I guess that makes sense.” I say, placing my hand on her thigh as I drive. “If you’re going to hoard, I suppose magical ingredients as a sorceress makes the most sense.

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”Don’t worry, you can trust me,” I tell her with a wink before I slip on my helmet. I swing my right leg over the bike and sit down before starting it up. It roars to life, warming up before quieting down to a rumble. I pull on my gloves before I kick back the kickstand and stand the bike up properly. I flip the visor of my helmet up and look at Kimiko.

”Get on,” I tell her over the roar of the engine.

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I smiled softly and exited the webpage before turning my phone back over on the table. I rested my hand on Nero’s leg while they busied themselves with eating.

”I can look into getting us one if you want to try. I’ve used one before and found it quite enjoyable for all parties,” I tell Nero truthfully.

I squeezed Nero’s leg before letting them go and returned to my meal. ”First thing we have to do, though, is put all your clothes away.” The room was still covered in boxes and bags.

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I picked up my latte while Nic talked. I inhaled the spicy scent and sighed before taking a sip. Nic’s hand is warm on my leg through the thin fabric of my pants.

”Plants, relics, books, cats, crystals. All sorts of things for a sorcerer to hoard.”

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I climb onto the bike behind Avery, full of nerves as I do so. At this point, I do feel like I can trust him, but that doesn’t help me calm down just yet. Pulling on the helmet, I place my hands on Avery’s shoulders and hold them. When the bike actually starts going though, I feel a scream bubbling up my throat and immediately wrap my arms tightly around Avery, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to hide my face in his back despite the helmet on my head.

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Swallowing my last bite, I nod to acknowledge what Caden had said about the swing. I would want to think on it more later. When Caden points out the bags and boxes that still cover the room, I pout a little. “Kiki should be putting this all away - she’s the one who bought most of it.” I say with a shake of my head before I hop down off of the table. First things first, I want to start organizing all the shopping goodies by category.

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I glance over at Cass with a smile. “Or what you’d find in a white girls apartment.” I joke with a smirk. “Actually though, with all the new age hype, it’s probably easier to get crystals now, right?” I mean, even my mom had gotten into the craze a little bit and had a plethora of gems she was convinced helped. “Wait, is all the metaphysical stuff about crystals true?”

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I flip the visor back down and rev the bike's engine a couple of times while I wait for Kimiko to get settled. She places her hands on my shoulders, and I want to tell her to move them, but I don’t. She’ll do so soon enough. Smirking, I put the bike into gear and we roll forward. Immediately, Kimiko wraps her arms around my waist in a tight grip, and sticks her helmeted head into my back. I chuckle to myself and go a little faster.

Once we hit the road, I push the bike faster. The world zooms by in a blur, but I feel calm. There’s something oddly freeing about riding a motorcycle despite my passenger having a death grip on me.

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I laughed at Nero’s comment and watched them start to organize their things. ”You needed more clothes,” I declared. ”Besides, now I get a treat every time you put something on because it’s new and I haven’t seen it.”

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I debated telling Nic what other things I horde that most white women wouldn’t, but I decided against it. I already let my excitement about poisons slip the other day. I didn’t need him to know about the knife collection, either.

”To an extent,” I said, answering Nic’s question. ”Crystals are living in the sense that they give off vibrations or frequencies. It’s why some people feel more drawn to them than others because the person’s vibrations are higher. Now, that’s not to say if you surround yourself with citrine, you’ll become rich or rose quarts, and you’ll fall in love. The crystals are at catalyst to helping people manifest their dreams, at least if they are used properly. Some people haven’t a clue how to manifest,” I state as we near my shop.

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Just when I feel myself start to get used to the bike and think about opening my eyes, Avery pushes to speed more and I tighten my arms around him. I swear he laughed at my reactions to the bike, but all of it was thrilling. In a car, you have a barrier between yourself and the environment. On a bike, it felt totally different, like at any moment she could fall off. Already holding Avery as tightly as possible with my arms, I squeeze my legs in too, sure that my knees are digging into the driver a little.

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A small smirks lights up my face. “I feel like you would find me cute in a garbage bag.” I say with a small shake of my head. So far, I got everything casual, like t-shirts, shorts, and socks in a pile.

“Oh, should we make a closet like yours in here?” I ask Caden.

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I pull up to her shop and put the car in park, taking the opportunity to drink more of my raspberry tea before I get out of the car. “It’s a good thing I didn’t invest in a lot of rose quartz then even though I was sure it was going to be the only way I’d date you.” I joke lightly. I wonder if my mom found any rocks that vibed with her in her collection.

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If I was alone, I would have gone even faster. When Kimiko starts to dig her knees into my waist, though, I slow up the bike. It sends an odd little thrill through me that she is holding on so tightly. I may be the only person here, but the fact that she is clinging to me for safety satisfies the primal need in me to be a protector.

I shift my hand and rest it over Kimiko’s hands and squeeze them. I should have taught her hand signals before getting on the bike, apparently.

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I grinned, agreeing with Nero’s comment. I keep eating, nearly finished my meal when Nero asks me another question.

”We can if would like. Aside from the bed, is there any other furniture you want to remove from here to make room for yours?”

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I laughed and shook my head at Nic. I set my tea down and looked at Nic, curious now. ”Did you think it was going to be that hard to win me over?” I knew I put up a front and came across as standoffish to people who showed an interest in me, but I had my reasons.

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Not expecting it, I’m startled when Avery squeezes my hands, almost letting go of him completely before I remind myself to hold on still. His touch is comforting somehow, and I feel myself relax a tiny bit, especially when he slows down a little. Feeling brave now, I open my eyes and peek at the scenery flashing by. Okay, maybe motorcycles aren’t that bad. [color=FFF79A][/color]

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I take a moment to look around the room. “I don’t think so,” I say with a tilt of my head. “I think I’ll put the kitties’ litter boxes in the bathroom and probably will want a cat tree somewhere in here, but otherwise I don’t think I’ll be in here very often.” I turn towards Caden and wink.

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I grin. “Well, when we first met, I thought I might have a chance, but then after what happened in the morgue, you wouldn’t look at me and I thought there was no way it was going to happen, especially after I learned how old you are.” I shrug and still smile at her.

”I’m glad you gave me a chance.”

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I feel her hold loosen, and she relaxes. When I feel her helmet stop digging into my back, I put my hand back on the handle bar and keep driving through the country.

I knew a restaurant in a smaller town that had the best breakfasts and lunches. They even did a brunch special I tried to go to on my Sundays off. I was always a fan of supporting more local or family-owned businesses. As we neared the town, I started to slow down more.

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I finished my breakfast and leaned back in my seat with my coffee. I chuckled at Nero’s wink. This room was definitely going to be more overflow and the cats’ room.

”Speaking of cats. Do you want to add a cat door between our rooms and into the hallway?

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”Ah, so the age difference does bother you,” I said and patted Nic’s leg. ”It’s okay. I know I can be intimidating,” I say, sighing dramatically, and look towards my shop. ”I’m just destined to be alone, I suppose.”

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Okay, I can see what’s so appealing about this. I think to myself as a town comes into view. I look around, feeling like I can move a little more as Avery slows down. I desperately want to ask where we are, but I doubt Avery would be able to hear me.

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I grin, wiggling with excitement. “I’d love that.” I’ve managed to get everything downsized, combining similar items together in bags. “Should I put things in the closet for now or will that get in the way of things?” I prance over to Caden and take my seat in his lap.

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I snort, shaking my head. “I thought the age difference would bother you.” I explain, grabbing the hand she patted my leg with and kissing it. “But I’m here to stay for as long as you let me.”

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I tilt the back to turn a corner and pull into a parking lot. I roll the bike forward and shut it off before putting down the kickstand. I pull my helmet off and glance behind me. ”So?” I asked Kimiko. I hang the helmet off one of the handlebars and start to pull my gloves off, waiting for Kimiko to get off the back of the motorcycle.

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”I’d put things away to avoid the clothes wrinkling. We can move things if we need to when the contractor starts their work,” I said. My arms automatically wrap around Nero’s waist when they sit on my lap. ”Once the room is ready, we can move your furniture over. I’m sure we can add a couple of pieces to the main portion of the house, this room, our room, and my office if you want,” I said.

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”Mmm, the age thing stops being a problem after you turn a century old,” I joked. I feel my heart tighten when Nic vows to stay as long as I let him. At this point, I don’t know how long that may be. Would I be able to watch him grow old and die without me?

I clear my throat to clear my head and smile at Nic. ”We’ll see who gets annoyed with the other first,” I joked before I removed my hand from Nic’s and opened up my door. I walked up to my shop and opened the door for us. The familiar bell greeted us, and I headed straight to the back to gather the supplies.

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It takes me a moment before I finally register that we’ve stopped. I unwrap my arms from around Avery and take off my helmet. “I guess I can see the appeal.” I finally say, a little breathless. “Is it for the adrenaline rush of feeling like you could die any moment?”

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I feel elated that Caden doesn’t even hesitate to wrap his arms around me, but I try to listen to him as he talks about next steps. “I also want to give you all the relics I’ve collected over the centuries.” I tell him with a smile.

“I think they’ll be much safer and more appreciated by you.” I turn to look Caden in his eyes, waiting for his reaction.

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I smile, trying to keep my thoughts from going into a rabbit hole regarding what will happen when I grow old. “I think you’ve already been annoyed by me.” I tease as we enter her shop. Noticing a couple of dust bunnies and cobwebs, I go to take care of them before I pause.

“Do you normally keep spiderwebs around or would you like me to get these while I’m here?” I call towards the back where Cass disappeared into.

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I chuckled. ”Adrenaline rush, yes. I don’t think it’ll kill me, but I guess it’s fun to feel the potential of it.”

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The smile I always seem to wear when Nero is around me or talking to me faulters. I search their eyes, trying to understand what they are telling me. ”You want to give me your collection? Why? You’ve been working on that collection for hundreds of years,” I said, shocked that they would want to gift me something so personal like that. Of course, any gift they give me is a gift for us.

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I paused in the threshold to the back and turned to look at Nic. I grinned at his question and nodded. ”Leave the ones in doorways for sure. The others check if they are occupied or not. If they aren’t, you can get rid of them. Sometimes, the spiders move on from their webs to create new ones. That being said, if there are any webs dangling, get rid of those, too. My patrons don’t enjoy walking into spiderwebs.”

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“Well, you might not die.” I say with a huff. I finally unmount the bike and feel myself wobble a little as I stand before falling into Avery.

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I tilt my head, bemused at his reaction. “I know I haven’t come to a decision about the mate thing, but I at least know I want to stick around for a long as possible with you.” I look in his eyes as I say this, wanting him to know I’m being genuine.

“Besides, they’re just collecting dust at my place - I think you’ll make much better use of them.”

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I grin - I knew she would have rules about the webs. “You’ve got it.” I tell her before I grab a little rag from behind the counter and start inspecting the webs. If she had wanted me to get rid of them, I would have been careful to relocate the spiders I did end up finding.

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