Marcus' expression turned cold, his eyes losing their life as he lowered his head. Even though he vowed not to feel sorry for himself, the thought of losing his family was still a tough pill to swallow.
Kira sighed as she reached a hand for Marcus', gently placing her hand down as she rubbed her thumb on the back of his hand. "I know you don't like talking about it Marcus, but…"
Marcus frowned as he pulled his hand away. "Don't start." He said grumpily, "I'm not talking about this with Kinsley, and I'm not going to a therapist, so just… shut the hell up."
Kira sighed. "No Marcus I mean, you can talk to me about it." She replied, "Since I already know, it wouldn't hurt, right?"
Marcus paused for a moment, Kira was right about already knowing way more than everyone else. And though he didn't want to admit it, he did want to talk with someone about it.
But Kira…?
Up until recently, she had been a liability, and even now she was still a threat to Marcus with everything she knew about him.
And it's no secret Luna has been telling her things and him, otherwise she wouldn't have known about his love of games.
"I know what you're thinking," Kira said with a sigh. "She knows too much already, she could ruin me if she ever told anyone my business."
Marcus nodded. "Something like that."
"But Marcus, whether you like it or not, I already know enough to ruin you." She said with a smile, "but I kept silent, just like you asked."
Marcus sighed as he closed his eyes. "I don't care, you're a risk Kira, and while I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt, I still can't open up, not like before."
"But Marcus–"
"Kira I said that's enough, drop it."
Kira sighed as she studied Marcus carefully, "ok, but I care about you, even if you don't care for me."
"I didn't say that," Marcus replied. "You're just, I know what women like you are capable of, and even if you meant no harm, the more you know, the more endangered your life gets."
"But you'll protect me, right?" Kira asked,
"Within reason, but I'm not some superhero Kira, you, Kinsley, Luna, and even Cora, that's four people whose lives I've permanently altered and endangered."
"But–"
Before Kira could respond, a waitress came to their table with two plates of food and two drinks. "Two croissant sausage sandwiches, one black coffee, and a Latte with two shots of almond milk and a hazelnut drizzle?" She asked, placing down the food.
Kira nodded. "Yes, thank you." She said with a smile.
The waitress nodded, before turning her attention towards Marcus. "Funny way to dress for your date boy, need to put a little class in your style." She said with a wink.
Marcus wants to tell the waitress Kira isn't his girlfriend, but he doesn't bother. It would've just been a waste of breath. "I'll try better next time." He said with a forced smile.
The waitress chuckled as she walked away, leaving the duo alone once again. Marcus sighed softly as he looked down at his sandwich. It smelled nice, and even woke him up a bit, but something still nagged at him.
"You're a good man, Marcus," Kira said with a reassuring smile. "I appreciate your efforts to keep me safe, even if I hate how distant it makes you."
Marcus chuckled as he reached for his sandwich. "I'm glad you understand, that's all I ask, is for you to just stay in your place." He said softly. "Just do what I say, and everything will be okay."
Kira nodded. "I understand, but I love talking with you Marcus, even about mundane things."
"Mundane?" Marcus asked curiously.
"You know, your hobbies, your dislikes, your type of woman." She said with a smirk.
Marcus chuckled as a flicker of life crept back into his eyes. "Ha, that's a trick question, Kinsley is my woman!"
Kira and Marcus then laughed in unison.
The rest of their meal with by in a lighter mood, as the duo switched to lighter topics and began chatting more about themselves and less about the secrets Marcus kept buried.
It wasn't long before the duo had finished and paid for their meal. Stepping back onto the sidewalk, the time was now 10:12 AM. Now with the Cyber-tech stores being open, the duo took a taxi to the nearest store.
The Cyber-tech store was larger than the one in New York, it looked to be the size of a large retail store.
Its glass doors were large and inviting.
As they entered the store, they were greeted with clean white floors and aisles lined with the latest tech and androids. Associates walked the aisles with bored expressions and tired eyes.
"I feel you." Marcus mouthed to one of the associates, tapping his chest with a fist.
Kira looked up to Marcus with a smile. "What are you up to?" She asked with a giggle.
Marcus chuckled as they walked further into the store. "I never had a normal job, but I imagine it's a lot like school."
"Oh?"
"Boring, and filled with idiots who think they know more than they do," Marcus replied.
Kira raised an eyebrow as she turned her attention toward the gaming section. "Then let's hurry before the idiots come."
"Ha!" Marcus laughed out loud, surprised and impressed by Kira's quick-witted response. He hurriedly covered his mouth as he drew the attention of the early storegoers.
He then narrowed his eyes at Kira as he chuckled softly. "Damn, you're good," Marcus said with a smirk of admiration.
Kira giggled as she gave Marcus a wink, "I try."
Making their way to the gaming section, Marcus studied the shelves. His eyes darted around the games and accessories that lined the shelves.
It was like paradise.
"Yo, they have Derailed Squadron 2," Marcus said with a point to the glass-covered shelf. As his finger touched the glass, a screen with a short gameplay demo came up.
It showed a man running down a crashing train while drones surrounded him, firing away with a golden laser. "Darren, this train is getting… Derailed."
"He said the thing!" Marcus said with a wide smile.
Kira giggled softly as she smiled at Marcus, her eyes watching him with affection.
Marcus then hopped over to the next game called, Kings and Zombies.
Another screen popped up of a king in long purple robes armed with a sword and surrounded by zombies. "By the power of Medina, I hear by title you with… dead!"
Marcus chuckled as he moved over to the next game, eventually getting lost in his excitement and wandering off. Kira watched him for a moment, before turning her attention towards the consoles.
"Arinon…" she said softly, tapping a finger on her chin as she studied consoles hidden behind glass cases. "Xlox 3… Raystation 6… oh here it is." Kira said with a smile as she stopped before a white sphere floating above a magnet base.
Kira studied it for a moment, evenly her eyes focused on its price.
800 euros for the base model and 950 for the pro.
"Hmm, that's not bad," Kira whispered to herself, as she studied the console. An associate approached her with a confident smile.
He was dressed in a white shirt and light brown pants. His hair was short and well groomed, his eyes blue and his teeth pearly and white.
"Hey, well who took this merchandise off the shelf?" He said with a chuckle as he crossed his arms.
Kira looked at the man with a smile. "I'm interested in buying this, could you help with that?" She asked, pointing towards the Arinon console.
The man nodded. "Definitely, I could get you a discount too." He said with a wink, "It would just cost your number."
Kira nodded. "Well, it depends, how much is my number worth?" She asked with a smirk.
The associate paused for a moment, "hmm, how about 150 euros off the pro model?"
"Oh wow, 190?" Kira said with a giggle. "That's quite a discount indeed."
The man's eyes widened. "A hundred and ninety huh?" He said with a slight chuckle, "I'll see what I can do."
Kira smiled as she looked down the aisle at Marcu. "Marcus, I'm buying the console, are you coming?" She asked curiously, gesturing towards the associate behind her.
Marcus looked up with a curious expression, his eyes going from Kira to the man who stood behind her. Marcus narrowed his eyes briefly at the man, wondering how he should react.
He doubted she would be in any trouble, especially since this was a Cyber-tech store, but Kira was Kinsley's friend and it was probably for the best if he came along.
Marcus sighed as he pulled away from the game's display. "Here I come." He said with a light jog, his expression slightly disappointed.
The associate's eyes widened as Marcus approached. "I-Is that your boyfriend?" He stammered.
Kira shook her head. "No, he's not."
The associate breathed a sigh of relief. "If you'd follow me to the register." He said with a smile.
The trio quickly made their way towards the register, where the associate from earlier finalized their purchase. "Alright, your total is 995… but if you have a coupon you want to use, we can get that to just 805." The associate said with a knowing look to Kira.
Marcus raised an eyebrow as he turned his attention towards Kira, who reached into her purse to retrieve her phone. "Here." She said after unlocking it and reaching it towards the associate, a warm smile dancing on her lips.
The associate quickly looked around, before reaching into his pocket to retrieve his phone. He then unlocked it and held it over Kira's.
After exchanging numbers, the associate feigned a cough as he 'applied the coupon.'
"Alright, so cash, card, phone?" The associate asked, a confident smile playing on his lips.
"Phone," Marcus replied as he reached into his pocket.
"Marcus you don't—"
"It's fine," Marcus said as he unlocked his phone, he then tapped his phone on the payment device, which was followed by a click from his phone.
The associate nodded as he bagged the console. "And there you go, one pro model Arinon console." He said with a smirk, handing Marcus the bag.
As Marcus accepted the bag, the associate gave Kira a knowing look. "If you need anything else, feel free to text me."
Kira nodded. "Will do." She said with a giggle.
With the console in hand, Marcus and Kira left the store. As they walked down the sidewalk, Marcus gave Kira a curious side-eye. He watched as she typed away on her phone.
"Are you seriously texting that guy?" Marcus asked curiously, peeking over her screen.
— — —
CORA
Kira: I'll see what I can do.
Cora: have you gone through with the project?
Kira: yes, I'm working on it now, just be patient.
Cora: what happened?
Kira: I'm eating breakfast with Marcus.
Cora: now?
Kira: I'm leaving the sto…
— — —
Kira turned her phone away from Marcus. "Well, aren't you a nosy one?" She said with a smile.
Marcus chuckled. "Sorry about that, I thought you were texting that guy." Marcus said with a smirk, "Anyway, what project is Cora talking about?"
Kira smiled. "First, that guy isn't my type. He looked too eager. Second, Cora and I are planning something, but she's a little impatient." Kira said with a giggle.
"Like what?" Marcus asked curiously, tilting his head.
Kira smiled. "It's a secret, but if you keep walking the path you're on, you'll find out soon enough."
Marcus chuckled. "Well I hope it's good, because I don't plan on changing my path."
Kira nodded as she looked back down to her phone. "It is, you'll love it." She said with a smile.