Fighting boredom is a full-time job.
I realized fairly quickly that Mindy didn’t handle being injured well. The pain he handled fine; it was remaining in one place, not doing much, that he struggled with. His tail was always flicking, and he was constantly readjusting or snagging me close to rub his forehead on me. Apparently boredom and Serlotminden didn’t get along, and after a couple of days in the cramped space with nowhere to go and nothing to do, he was a mass of antsy energy.
Giving him another nutrition bar, I sat next to him. He munched on the offering, mumbling under his breath. He was talking in his own language, but I was certain it was complaints. Mindy didn’t enjoy the nutrition bars, but I didn’t think theywere so bad. Agk had fed us crap that was far worse. While mainly flavorless, they weren’t chalk in my mouth and they didn’t taste like dirt. All bonuses.
The second he finished, he dragged me to his side, arms loosely wound around my waist. I didn’t even react; it was too normal now. Like if he hadn’t grabbed me, I would’ve been more freaked out. The second Mindy stopped being cuddly, I would know he was dying.
“I’m bored,” Mindy cried.
I shoved the rest of my bar into my mouth, then took a single water cube to wash it down before licking my chapped lips. “Okay.”
“Bartholomew,” he moaned from deep in his throat.
He really shouldn’t call my name like that; it did things to me—uncomfortable things.
“We should do something,” he said.
“Like what?”
Serlotminden wasn’t well enough to sit in the cockpit and work. He’d tried, but I’d rejected that plan almost instantly because he’d been wincing and gasping. He needed to heal. Hell, he barely made it to the cargo bay and back when we took our daily walk to help strengthen his muscles and stretch his wings.
“I don’t know. Something.”
I fought a sigh. He was like a giant kid who needed to be entertained. I didn’t really mind, but I didn’t know what we were supposed to do. It wasn’t like I had a phone to whip out for him to play on. God, a phone with numerous games would be beyond helpful right now. It would entertain him for hours upon hours.
When I started to turn around, he grumbled, his arms tightening around me. I tapped on one. “Let me go.”
Instantly, he released me.
I shifted, facing him, and started to gather him close. Serlotminden pressed into my hold, not fighting as I helped himsit up. His nose found its way to the crook of my neck, as it often did, and I didn’t bother to react. He liked smelling me; it was what it was.
Once he was seated and no longer panting, I leaned back. “Let's play a game.”
Mindy perked up, tail wriggling. “A game?”
I grabbed his hands and turned them, palm up, then I placed my own hands above his. He cocked his head, hair tumbling over his broad shoulder. He moved to grab me, and I slapped his palms.
Mindy blinked, expression showing his hurt.
“The point is for you to slap the top of my hands, not enough to hurt, before I pull away. It’s easy,” I said.
He stared at me like I was speaking nonsense, but he moved to tap my hands, and I jerked away.
“You have to be faster than that,” I teased.
Serlotminden grinned, and my own smile threatened to grow. His smiles were infectious. It was hard for me to resist him. He was a magnet that drew me in; I couldn’t help it, and if I was honest, I didn’t want to. I enjoyed being close to him, and I adored being the one who put that smile on his face. It was addicting.
He moved faster this time, but I still pulled away, but not by much. He was quicker than me—I was sure of it—but he was either too injured or, more likely, too afraid of hurting me.
Our hands returned to in between us, and we started again. He moved so fast that I didn’t have a chance to draw away, allowing him to smack my knuckles.
He smirked. “I got you.”
“You did. My turn.” We switched positions, but no matter how many times I tried, Mindy was too quick. He always got away, cackling like an evil witch in a cartoon and making me smile.
When he couldn’t sit any longer, I helped him lie down and settled beside him because he reached for me immediately.
“What should we do now?” he asked, fingers tracing my spine.
