The Kings IV I

29

Jo

"So?" Mrs. Brown began, folding her hands in her lap, "progress?"

Lena and I sat in silence, both of our eyes locked on her.

She leaned forward on her desk. "Did you do your homework?"

"We went out, yes," Lena said, nodding.

"Did you learn something new about one another?"

"She doesn't like pistachios," I muttered, my voice muffled by my palm.

I earned the eyes of both of the women, Lena's a bit more soft than I'd seen them be lately.

"You were listening when I said that?"

I clenched my jaw. "Way to make me sound like a great husband."

"I meant that in a good way," she said, rubbing her temple with her pointer finger.

"Sounded to me like you weren't expecting me to be listening," I deadpanned, looking over at her.

"Okay," Mrs. Brown interfered, nodding, "that's good."

"It's nothing," I said, leaning forward, "we don't have a lot left to learn."

"Even something that small is progress, Josiah," she said, lifting an eyebrow as she jotted something down on her notepad.

"And Lena?" She asked, removing her glasses from her face.

"He hates the texture of cheesecake," she shrugged, resting her chin in her palm.

She smiled. "See?"

"No," we both said.

She stood up from her seat. "Well, I do. And I think my approval is worth something."

Lena bit down on her bottom lip, quickly sneaking a glance before looking away again.

"Intimacy," Mrs. Brown brought up, looking back at us from her window. "Did that go anywhere last night?"

Lena shook her head. "No, dinner didn't really end well. We barely wanted to look at each other."

Mrs. Brown nodded, and I could tell she was most definitely sizing us up. A small smile tugged at her lips as she shook her head. "I can't quite put my finger on you two."

She walked back over to us, sitting on the edge of her desk. "Josiah, you're up."

I looked up at her, my chin still resting in my palm.

"Where were you most in love?"

I answered almost immediately, it didn't even require thinking. "Italy."

"I think you're thinking lust, Mr. King," she corrected, "love."

I nodded, sitting upright. "Italy."

She looked over at Lena for approval. Lena bit down on her bottom lip, looking down. "I've always had to have more than just a physical connection to have sex with someone. So, yeah. I was definitely in love on that trip."

Mrs. Brown nodded, her bottom lip jutted out. "I see."

She stood up, pacing around her office, leaving Lena and I wondering what was coming next.

"I wouldn't recommend this if I wasn't fully aware of your financial situation," she said, "but I want you to go to Italy."

I wasn't shocked, or taken aback. I simply tilted my head over. "Okay."

I could see a smile tugging at Lena's glossy lips, but she quickly hid it.

"Act like normal people," she said, "blend in with the crowd, the tourists. Stay at a hotel. It's easy to distance yourselves from one another on your three story yacht. But in a hotel room, you constantly have to be together."