Artificial Mates - Chapter 15

My heart raced, what he said echoed with each thrum. Grant held me close to him. What will really happen when we sync? The whole business made me want to run away from them. My breathing came out raspy.

“It’s ok, Liliane,” he pressed his cool forehead against mine.

“Hands off!” snapped Demos. Grant rolled his eyes towards him.

“You almost kiss her without her consent!” scolded Grant. I wasn’t sure I followed everything.

“You wanted the same thing!” retorted Demos with a smirk. I raised my hands up. That was it for me.

“Enough of the weird stuff!” I shot at them. I pushed away from them and exited the bathroom. I couldn’t think straight in such a confined space with those two. What was that all about wanting to kiss me too? Oh god! Those two were too much. I’m staying away from Demos for sure.

“Are we still going to the picnic?” Grant called. I took a moment; I needed air, fresh air. I needed space to think about our situation.

“Sure.”

The sun peeked behind gray clouds when we set off. Grant strode away wearing his new outfit for the first time. He auto proclaimed himself navigator of our trip to Level twenty-three found in the commercial zone. Unlike the shops in our neighborhood, geared towards middle-aged women and elderly here, the shops were lively with trendy brands, flashy colors, and happy music. Tall edifices surrounded the open plaza that held outdoor restaurants, food vendors and live bands. Over the sides of the high-raised buildings were breathtaking giant pieces of street art. Exotic birds peeked from one corner as we reached a crossroad.

“That one measure eighteen meters tall, called Geko from the late French street artist known at Zatou91. Born in 1991, he was well known for his ecologic messages to save the planet’s endangered species. Which he failed because the small reptile went extinct about a couple of years after his death,” Grant shook his head as he read from his screen hovering in front of him. “We are lucky we can still appreciate the beauty of his work,” he pointed towards a green lizard crawling up the side of a blue skyscr.a.p.er with plants hanging off the different terraces creating an illusion of a green waterfall. For once Demos walked behind us with Grant leading. The lights turned green spilling the flow of people to the other side of the pedestrian crossing. The street was surprisingly crowded for a weekday. Constituting mostly of tourists with multicolored hats.

“Why are there so many people?” I pushed my glasses up my nose. I should have worn a hat too.

“Bazaar commercial zone, Level twenty-three… That’s a mouthful… Is pretty famous for its shops and… gardens,” Grant looked up from his screen. “Jardin La companie, that’s exactly where we are heading,” He pointed to a dot on his map. “It’s about a couple of blocks near the old docks on the left,” we followed the flow of tourists chatting in different languages. I spotted some Italian, French and I think some Japanese too. The sun perched high in the clear sky, a perfect day for those who like vitamin D. I wasn’t a fan. Sweat dripped down my back as I trailed after our auto proclaimed tour guide. I gasped for air when we reached a steep hill covered with old steps. I held on the railing to catch my breath. Demos slowed down to join me.

“What’s wrong?” he smirked. I frowned, he was unaffected with the whole effort. “Tired already? Whiny princess, want a piggyback ride up the stairs?” I shot him a dark look making him laugh harder.

“I preferred when you were the silent and mysterious not that jerk!” I waved in his direction. He slipped his hands in his pockets flashed me a devilish smile before slowly climbing the stair.

“The jerk mode is not coming off. Move your fat ass, Princess. We don’t have all day,” he tossed over his shoulder. I fumed glaring in his direction as he climbed with ease.

“JERK!” I shouted attracting curious bystanders’ attention on me. Grant, who was some steps ahead turned back.

“Can’t you cut it out you two? Demos stop calling her princess and Liliane don’t fall back, we are almost there,” he called. Demos mouthed ‘Princess’ at me, mocking me. I pushed away from the railing and squeezed the little energy I had in my legs to keep up with them. Demos kept grinning at me all the way up. What was wrong with him? I’ve noticed a visible change in his attitude towards me since our little fight. He has no respect at all and kept pushing me out of my comfort zone. Fat ass?… Ouch, that hurts! The worst was, he actually enjoys it. Sometimes I even forget I’m dealing with an artificial. I didn’t know they could be so annoying.

We had to take a break when I reached the top. I was about to faint, Grant, helped me sit on a low wall. He handed me a chilled bottle of juice, which I eagerly took. I sipped and sighed with relief. My forehead was covered with sweat. He pulled a napkin from his pocket and wiped it. I pulled him closer and warped my arms around his waist in a moment of pure desperation.

“Please tell me your garden thing is near,” he cleared his throat; I looked up and noticed his crotch was pressing against my face. I let go of him and jumped backward with a little scream. I averted my eyes as my face burned with embarrassment.

“It’s not… hum… far,” Grant tried to sound normal. Demos chuckled in the background.

“I didn’t know you were this desperate!” he commented. I shot him a killer glare. He bit his lower lip. Shit! I sprung to my feet. What was that? His simple action triggered reactions inside of me, I didn’t even know were there.

“Where is your stupid garden?” I stomped to the left on a path made of small pebbles boarded with ferns.

“Liliane, it’s this way,” called Grant behind me. A couple admiring the scenery turned to gaze at me. Damn this whole was just a walk of shame. I lowered my eyes and joined Grant with Demos following behind. Grant placed one arm around my shoulder.

“It’s ok, please don’t be in a bad mood. Accidents happen,” he whispered into my hair. I kept looking at my sandals. He lifted my chin with a finger. “Look,” he tipped his chin towards the multicolored skyscr.a.p.ers that cast large shadows on the commercial zone lower. The sun glimmered from the blue façades mimicking the waves from the ocean. Malls stood next to each other, forming intricate geometrical designs. I shaded my eyes, in the far Level twenty-two peeked behind a thin fog. The constrict apartment blocks made a clear contrast with the lively Level twenty-three. I couldn’t spot our eighty-eight story building from the compact smudge.

“It’s beautiful up here,” I whispered. “I don’t think I’ve ever visited this part,” Grant scrolled through his screen.

“This hill is called Uptown or Old Port-Louis. Most of the ancient sites are found towards the left. It used to be a port as mentioned in its name. However, as you may have noticed there’s no sea anymore. In late twenty-twenty-four, a terrible earthquake shook the region as a neighboring volcano burst. The ground lifted out of the ocean killing millions in the process,” I shook my head. Mom said Grandma had to evacuate to Madagascar and that a massive tsunami hit their rescue boat on their way there. She was one of the lucky survivors.

“I heard about it when I was a kid, mostly from textbooks. I can’t imagine this use to be an island. I can’t even see the horizon from here,” I squinted my eyes to the pale blue line in the distance. The megalopolis stretched in all directions.

“Of course you can’t see it. According to Wiki, you should go higher like a plane to see the edge of Kumari R2,” I stared at him in amazement.

“I don’t think I’ve visited one-tenth of the whole city. Let alone, fly away from it,” I laughed. He gave me a warm smile and we kept walking. We came to a large arched door and all types of exotic plants stood on the sides. It opened on a street with cars speeding in both ways. Facing us were tall white fences with a long queue waiting in front.

“Voila!” Grant pointed to the gate. My stomach groaned in protest. I felt my will to live drain from my body instantly.

“That’s a long line!” I pointed out. Demos chuckled behind me. “If you’re so happy about it, why don’t you go wait while we sit in the shade!” I snapped at him.

“Ok!” he shrugged his shoulders. What that was all it took to make him agree to do it? It was a little too easy he must be cooking something. He waved at us as the light turned green. We crossed to the other side accompanied by a pack of sweaty bodies. Demos stood true to his words he went to stand in the baking sun as the line moved painfully slow to the front gates. Grant guided me to stone benches. We had to share ours with an old couple who smiled at us.

“Do you want to drink something?” he pulled the bottle from the bag hanging off his shoulder before I answer. I took a quick sip and then gave it back to him. I shaded my eyes and took a look at him.

“I’ll have to buy you cute T-shirts. This one doesn’t do you justice,” one corner of his lips curled up making a dimple appear on his cheek. I’ve never noticed it, even those he smiles all the times. He pulled on his white shirt with printed “no offense” in front in bold. His beige pants made him look younger than me. How can pants make someone look younger? However, Grant made that sentence relevant.

“I like it. Those are my first gift from you. I’m trying not to get them dirty,” he smoothed the front of the garment and grinned at me. Damn, he was cute. He pulled me by the shoulder to lean against him. His eyes wandered towards the gate. The line had moved Demos glared at us. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest while groups of women and men drooled over him.

“Demos could actually get there faster if he asks those old ladies to let him through,” I laughed.

“That would be disrespectful of those waiting,” he scolded me. I yarned feeling my eyelids getting heavy. I closed my eyes and drifted to unknown lands. What I felt like minutes later, a light shake made me stir. I looked up at Grant with sleepy eyes.

“Come,” he whispered. We got to our feet and meet Demos by the gate. We received glares from those who have been waiting in the heat. We quickly made our way inside. The garden was divided into different segments with plants and trees from different countries. Most had unique or a few specimens left in the world. Which was the reason why it was so crowded? Grant went to access the interactive board at the entrance. He downloaded a copy of the map and on we went exploring. My stomach growled ever more menacingly.

“There’s some kind of beast wanting to tear out of my belly if I don’t give it some food,” I joked. Demos chuckled behind me I just ignored him. Grant consulted his map.

“There are three picnic areas. The nearest one is in the exotic forest. Three minutes from here,” he announced. I pressed my hand over my stomach.

“I think I can survive the trip,” I smiled at him. He led the way. This section was less crowded and walking with all that green around was enjoyable. I was able to forget about my job, my bills, and my darkness. Sunray filtered from the treetops creating patches of light as we entered the tunnel-like path to the picnic area. I felt a warm hand slipped into mine. Fingers laced around my fingers. My head tilted up and found Demos smiled back. Not that mischievous one, but a genuine smile. My heart skipped a beat.

“I love this,” he whispered. Grant slowly down and turned to us. His eyes dropped on our joint hands. He closed the distance between us and grabbed my other hand. My eyes widened at him.

“I love this too,” he smiled. Damn! We were in public for god sake! I wanted to die.