Chapter 15: Try Again

Elizabeth and I once again shared a room. But, instead of being in an apartment, we were living in Vlad's Mansion. We both had queen sized beds, separate vanities, shared walk-in closets, separate drawers, and separate nightstands with lamps.

Taylor was sharing a room with Lilith and the operatives were camping outside. Apparently staying outside will keep one alert at all times.

I was still bothered by the fact that Vlad's room is across ours.

Our first night at Vlad's mansion led to Elizabeth and I sharing a bed and waking up with Taylor between. The morning was filled with silence and awkward chatter at breakfast. The rest of the day wasn't anymore awkward. Elizabeth and O spent some required time alone arguing about ghosts in an empty room. Vlad and I spent our time in the theater room watching an old Packers game. After that I spent my time petting Maddie the cat.

When Vlad had to leave for work, K and I finally had time to talk. We met in the pantry.

"K."

"Jeanette."

We both awkwardly laughed.

"It's been a while." I started with.

"Two months." K nodded. "I didn't think I would see you again. You left without even leaving a number, or an address." He sighed sadly. "It was like you didn't want anyone to find you again."

I rubbed a thumb over my knuckles. "I didn't know where I was going then." I tried to explain. "If I did, I would have left you a number." If I was still in this dimension I left out.

K laughed. "The mayor had a hard time finding you. Makes me think you're hiding from something." His face got serious. "Are you hiding?"

"No," I replied. "It's more like someone keeps making me pop up."

K looked confused.

"It's hard to explain," I rubbed the back of my neck. "I know someone powerful and they decide when and where I show up."

"That...that sounds awfully suspicious." K looked at me. "Should I be worried?"

I thought about what I said. It did sound terribly suspicious. I shook my head. "It sounds suspicious, but they have the best interest in everyone. In a positive way."

K held my hands. "Jeanette, if you're in trouble and have this powerful person-"

My laughing cut K off. "K, you lovable being you, trust me when I say this powerful person isn't the bad guy."

K looked at me in silence and brought my hands to his lips, "Damn it." He muttered. "I want to kiss you."

"Oh," I looked at K and thought what the best line of action would be. "I don't want to hurt you anymore."

He let go of my hands and let his shoulders sag. "Being near you, but not able to show my affection for you is already torture."

"Then why are you here torturing yourself?" I asked.

"O is my partner,"" he paused, "and I wanted to see you again."

Someone cleared their throat. We turned to see O standing at the door of the pantry.

"Go stand guard at the front entrance." Something about O's voice made K leave without question. Soon it was just me and O in the pantry.

"K still feels strongly about you." O stated. "I would usually say: either tell him he has a chance, or try to give him space to get over you. But, considering the fact that you don't feel the same, and we're going to be under the same roof for a while. I'll tell you what to do." He took a deep breath. "Just fuck."

I choked on my spit. "Our unstable relationship started out with a kiss, and you want us to try and end it with fucking?"

"It worked last time." O shrugged.

"What?" I asked.

"Last time K was in a relationship where he was on cloud 9 it ended after they slept together." He explained.

"So bad sex is the way to go." I threw my hands up in disbelief.

"It wasn't bad sex." O elaborated. "They both agreed it was great sex, she went off saying it was the best until he broke up with her. He didn't explain why, only that it felt off."

"You want me to sleep with someone who's clearly questioning his sexuality." I looked at him.

"I-," he looked flustered, "he's not questioning his sexuality, he's questioning his connection with somebody."

"Look, ok." I brushed my bangs back. "I get you're trying to help, but that sounds like a terrible idea." I continued before O could say anything. "If K thinks it'll help, I'll give it a shot."

"Damn," O hissed. "I was hoping that next time you two were alone you'd just jump him."

"Consent is key." I reasoned.

"Alright I'll talk to K about it." O agreed. "Hopefully he'll be on board."

After our awkward conversation we went our separate ways.

Elizabeth, Taylor, Lilith (when she wasn't busy being Vlad's secretary again), and I tried to pass the rest of the day using Vlad's card to buy outfits and watch movies.

Later that night Vlad and I spent more required time together. This time we were in his room and he talked about his college years. He slipped in how much he regretted having a one sided rivalry with Jack. They were inseparable up until he developed feelings for Maddie.

The next few days stayed relatively the same. Until the fourth day.

One of Vlad's companies was suddenly going bankrupt and he had to be there in person. Most likely to use his ghost powers to find the culprit and stabilize his company again.

Elizabeth and O decided to spend the rest of the day talking about ghosts. Lilith decided to find a new assistant, since Vlad didn't want me exposed to the public. Taylor went out job hunting, being cooped up was starting to get to her . And K and myself were left alone with each other.

K was keeping watch at the front door, while I sat at the outdoor table with a book. I flipped through the book, skimming the pages. It was about the theory of parallel universes, one of Vlad's many books.

I felt K's eyes on me as I flipped the pages back to something that caught my eye. "Are you going to talk to me, or just stare at me all day?"

He coughed in embarrassment. "I, um…" He remained silent, struggling to say something.

"Did O talk to you about us having sex?" I asked, still flipping through the pages.

Hearing him practically choking on air wasn't a surprise. "O was serious about asking you to sleep with me." He finally was able to say.

"He thought it was the best option." I stopped paying attention to the words and looked at the diagrams. They were very nice pictures. "A 'ripping off the bandage' option."

"I mean, I wouldn't mind sleeping with you." I looked up to see K flustered. No doubt my cheeks were pink too. "But, I don't want to rush into something we might regret."

"We both need to sort out our feelings for each other." I stated. "You still act like a love sick puppy around me." I closed the book. "And I honestly don't know how I feel about you. If there's a chance this could help sort out our emotions, I say we lay down the ground rules and see if we can make this work."

I saw K's brows pinch as he stayed silent. "What if I fall deeper for you while you feel nothing at all?"

Leaning back in the chair I was in, I stared up at the sky. "It's a risk that we have to decide to take, or not. Either try talking to someone, or start dating someone." I started to get up. "O gave you one option, I gave you two. Pick your poison."

As I tried to walk to the front door, K grabbed my arm. "What if I start dating you?"

Blinking, I looked at K in disbelief. "I thought we were trying to get you to stop liking me."

"I've tried counseling." He said while still holding my arm. "But, I haven't been able to accept the thought of you not feeling the same." His hand finally released my arm, only for his hand to touch my cheek. "I was lucky that my next mission involved finding you. If it was anything else I would have lost concentration, and been suspended temporarily for my mental health."

As he cupped the left half of my face, I looked at him in disbelief. I understood how hard it is to get over someone. I still remember my crushes rejecting me, or telling me we were just friends. But, you cry, get angry, vent to your friends, and just accept it wasn't meant to be. You still hurt from it, but over time it's no longer a heavy burden after a while.

"Why do you like me so much?" I asked. "You've only known me for a couple weeks." I added before he could say anything else. "And, we've only been out on one singular date. That isn't enough time to get to know somebody for who they really are."

"But," K protested, "I do know you. You like the color turquoise. You don't wear the color yellow, because you don't think it's your color. Your favorite coffee is actually a hybrid, you add a tea that's made with milk and stir it in. Your hair is always up in a bun, because it gets in your face when it isn't. You're bad at math, like really bad, but you love sudoku. You talk about your friends like they're the greatest people on earth. You're quick to anger, but I find it attractive. Mostly because, every time you get angry it's justified and something you're passionate about. You assume things quickly, but when someone corrects you you acknowledge it. And you fidget with your hands whenever you feel nervous. I do know you, it's how I know I love you."

I held my breath after his confession. Going over what he said I finally let out a breath of air. "That's all trivial things, things mostly anyone can pick up after spending a whole day with me. It's basically the same reasoning I had when I thought I loved-" I stopped myself.

"Vlad." K finished for me. "There's a difference in how we think. You knew those things about Masters, but the moment you actually knew him those feelings went away. I learned these things about you while getting to know you. I didn't know you at first, then I learned these "trivial" things about you." He tilted my head up. "You knew a man before getting to know him. I met a woman who I never knew existed, then I got to know her." His face leaned over mine. "I met her and when I got to know her I fell in love. Let me show you how much I love you."

I looked at his hidden eyes, the outline of his eyes barely visible behind his lens. My heart pounded as I went over our conversation. He was right, I knew about Vlad before I actually even met him. It didn't matter that I watched his character while growing up. It was like a celebrity crush, I only knew what they showed, not who they truly are inside and out. K was a character that was barely there, a clean slate that wasn't entirely tarnished with my own assumptions. I knew of him, but didn't know anything about him expect: that he worked with the Guys In White and haunted ghosts for the government. When I got to meet him I learned so much about him. He likes the color hazel. He doesn't think the color blue compliments him. He mixes his coffee with hot chocolate. He enjoys being out in the open. He's easily flustered when someone compliments him. He loves baking and making his own frosting and fillings. And he always carries a chocolate bar with him.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, I thought back on our first date. How it felt so natural and comfortable. How he made us food and made a cake for me. How he kissed me and made me feel like I was falling. I felt his hands slowly remove themselves as I started to place mine on his chest. I kissed him before he could step away, before he interpreted my hesitation as rejection.

At first he was rigged, then I could slowly feel him relax. His arms wrapped around my waist as he pressed himself closer. My own arms wrapped around his shoulders as I tilted my head to kiss him better. He kissed my lips slowly as I kissed back. We kissed each other until we were both breathless.

K rested his forehead against mine. I looked into his eyes as we gained our breath. His eyes closed as he moved his forehead to my shoulder. He groaned in frustration and held me tighter.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He stayed silent for a while then kissed my shoulder. "I want to have you in my arms forever."

My right hand stroked his head. "That sounds nice, but not very practical." I kissed the side of his head. "How about we cuddle during our free time?"

K laughed into my shoulder. "I'd like that."

When O and Elizabeth came outside for the operative, K and I were still standing at the door holding each other. Whispering sweet nothings and slowly kissing. Elizabeth had a look of disappointment and O shook his head.

"Alright, go inside and get a room. Before, I decided to report K for smacking lip on the job." O pushed us inside.

"How about that cuddle." K asked.

I laughed and walked towards the living room. Still holding onto K.

At the end of the day, K and I decided to try and date each other again. Vlad didn't show up until the next day.