Chapter Five

Marin

“ L ook at those lights!” Kert pointed to the building we were passing, looking up. He tripped on the uneven sidewalk and caught me by the tentacle for balance without missing a beat. “They remind me of decorations in Vienna.”

“I loved Berlin at Christmas, especially the market.” I hovered my other right tentacle behind his back in case he tripped again, glad that he held onto me. The one he was holding tightened around his hand and I smelled the natural almondy-marzipan scent of his skin though the suckers, tasting vaguely of Lana’s snacks we had on the way.

“You ate way too many bratwursts the first time we went.” Kert caressed my tentacle with his thumb absent-mindedly. The little gesture filled me with warmth. It hit me how much I’d missed his touch and now that I had it again, I had no idea how I’d be able to say goodbye to Kert in a few weeks.

“Yeah, and the apple strudel too. It was worth it. Remember the stomach ache I had that evening?” I groaned at the thought. “You brewed me tea and we watched Home Alone on your laptop.” Kert had turned the evening around for me.

The tourist-packed Manhattan gave a sense of privacy with everyone too busy sightseeing and shopping to pay attention to other pedestrians.

“The angels are the cutest.” Kert admired the decorations all around us, hugging my tentacle to his chest like a toy.

Walking towards the Rockefeller Center with Kert was magical, thanks to his chatter and unquenchable excitement. I was experiencing New York through the eyes of a tourist again. His wide-eyed wonder and infectious grin brought back the moments I’d visited the city for the first time. After four years, it had lost that fresh charm, replaced with my noticing the stinking alleys and people constantly in a rush.

“There it is!” Kert pointed at the Christmas tree. “I expected it to be huge, but mein gott , it’s insane. I love it.”

“They brought it from Massachusetts this year. I caught a bit of the live broadcast when they set it up at the beginning of the month. Do you want a picture with it?” I stepped away to get the best angle, but he pulled me closer instead.

“Yeah. Come here.” He pointed his phone at us and titled his head closer to my shoulder. His grin was infectious, and I smiled for the pic of our faces and the tree behind us. “Perfect. Now let’s go.”

“Where?”

His direction became obvious, and I shook my head.

Kert pulled me towards the rink set up in front of the tree. “Ice-skating. We have to go.” He squeezed my tentacle.

“Absolutely not. I don’t know how to skate. It’s not the most popular sport in Greece.” And yet, I followed him through the remnants of snow on the ground.

“I’ll hold your hand.” He looked up at me with eyes like tar that were the most beautiful I’d ever seen. “Listen, they’re playing Frank Sinatra. Come on.”

Once again, my love for music from the sixties and seventies got me in trouble.“Fine.” I sighed. “But once my dignity is bruised enough, we’re leaving.”

Kert clapped his hands and skipped to the shelter on the side. We waited in line at a counter where a middle-aged seal shifter with a white mustache and a bored expression rented skates. “Size nine for me please, and thirteen for my friend.” Kert looked over his shoulder at me. “Do I remember correctly?”

“Yup.” I accepted the skates with dread in my gut and headed for a nearby bench.

We tied our skates and stood up.

“This was a mistake.” I wobbled and grabbed Kert’s hand with mine. He was too damn adorable to say no to, and I was a sucker for his smile.

“Go slowly and you’ll be okay.” He led me to the rink’s entrance.

Nodding like the Elvis figurine on my dresser, I let go of him and held onto the barrier.

Kert stepped onto the ice and skated backwards in a small circle, then stopped in front of me with the grace of a figure skater.

“Show off.” I glared at him.

His mischievous grin warmed my chest. “I learned when I was a kid and dad let me skate on grandma’s frozen pond.”

“That sounds dangero—” I gritted my teeth as I took a big step onto the ice and my foot kept going while my other leg remained behind.

“Take small steps, and hold onto my hand.” Kert reached out for me, but it was too late.

I grappled for the railing, flailed my tentacles like a fish in a net, then flopped on my ass with a graceless thud.

Kert extended his hand, biting his lip, his gaze full of amusement.

“Don’t laugh.” I pointed a finger at him, then grabbed his forearm.

Kert snorted. “I’m not. You’re just so strong and graceful all the time, it’s fun to see you so clumsy.”

“Shut up and help me figure this out, you little devil.” I used my tentacles to prop myself up, and kept them an inch above the ice in case I slipped again.

Which I did. My wobbliness never went away, but holding Kert’s hand and slowly skating in a circle filled me with excitement. His icy fingers grew warmer in my grip, reminding me how I used to hold him during cold nights until he’d fallen asleep in my bed.

How could we be so close now, holding hands, and yet so far apart?

Within the hour, I got the hang of the skating thing, even if my ass was bruised and my tentacles a little worse for wear from catching on ice or someone stepping on them with the tip of their blade.

With a sliver of confidence, I pushed off the ice to go faster, still holding onto Kert. I miscalculated, and my legs went forward faster than the rest of my body, as if I were a cartoon character stepping on a banana peel.

I went flying onto my back, taking Kert with me, cushioning his fall by pulling him on top of me. We gasped and burst into a fit of deranged giggles. My tentacles wrapped themselves around him, and I didn’t stop them, watching Kert’s face filled with joy above me.

He flicked his forked tongue over the hoop in his bottom lip and met my gaze. Fire coiled inside me every time he did that.

I cupped his cheek, then slid my hand to his nape, pulling him down.

He released a ragged breath and let me kiss him. The gentle touch of our lips sent a zing of electrified elation through me. All too soon, Kert pulled away.

“Marin, mein Schatz .” Kert swallowed. “I’m used to you being comfortable with me, but don’t push yourself to do what you don’t want to for my sake, okay?” He cupped my cheek with his cold hand.

“What?” I processed what he’d said. “I want to kiss you, Kert. I’ve dreamed of it.”

Kert gasped and pulled me by the hoodie, linking our lips.

He was sweet, but the note of desperation in the way his tongue slid into my mouth poured gasoline over the fire inside me. He wanted me back. I groaned as my body reacted to our proximity.

Reining in my response, I pulled him at arm’s length. “Not here.”

Kert looked around at the people skating and nodded. “You’re okay?”

“Yes.” I sounded as breathless as he did. “I have something to tell you. At home.”

Kert sat up. “Are we good?”

I cupped his face and traced a thumb over his bottom lip, flicking the piercing there. “More than good. I’ve been waiting to do this for so long and you made it the most romantic moment ever.”

He blew his eyes so wide his eyebrows shot towards his hairline. “What? Really?”

I nodded. “Feels like forever.”

His surprised expression turned into a wicked smile. “I can think of more romantic scenarios.”

“Of course you can, you little devil.”

He sat up and patted his horns. “If the horns fit.”

I barked out a laugh, propped myself up on my tentacles, then grabbed the railing for leverage. My stomach was twisting with the need to tell Kert everything, but the public setting gave me an excuse to cool down from the kiss, lest I say too much too soon and scare Kert away.

Moments later, I was happily trudging in my boots, without any damn razor blades stuck to my feet anymore.

Kert resumed holding onto my tentacle as he took pictures of anything that caught his eye without looking where he was going. I led him on a walk through Park Avenue and 5th Ave, stopping for Kert to snap pics of the Empire State Building and Flatiron Building, until we reached Union Square Park’s Holiday Market.

A myriad of decorated green-roofed stands were packed with arts and crafts, apparel, and jewelry gift ideas from muppets, to lamps, to honey.

“I’ve read that over a hundred vendors set up this year, all local artists and small businesses.” I tightened the tentacle I had wrapped around Kert’s wrist under the guise of keeping us from being separated in the crowd.

“I bet they’d have fab decorations.” Kert rubbed his hands like an evil mastermind.

As we meandered, getting knick knacks that Kert deemed my apartment desperately needed, from a fabric lampshade to scented candles, we stopped to eat. Over several hours, we had mochi, empanadas, and cheesy truffle fries, all of which were delightful.

While Kert was busy looking at clothes, I spotted a long, purple scarf that would match his coat. The silk flowed through my fingers so beautifully that I had to get it. Making sure Kert wasn’t looking, I paid for it and stashed it into the side of the bag I was carrying full of our purchases.

“Don’t come over!” Kert yelled, waving me off. I turned around, but I was sure we had a similar idea to get something for each other. “Okay, I’m ready.” Kert stashed a wrapped package into a bag and took my tentacle in his hand.

“Your hand is so cold.” I wrapped it in my tentacle to warm it up.

“Good thing I have you.” Kert snuggled close to my side, and we headed towards the subway.