"What took you so long Eureka? I was about to leave." Kasia says as soon as Kira and I enter the living room.

My face shifts to deadpan hoping she doesn't detect the internal fear I have, that someone heard my screams of pleasure earlier. If so it's definitely too late now. It's embarrassing.

"Detka needed my help. We're actually about to go too. I'm taking her to my firm." Kira clarifies.

Lada gets up and gives me a warm hug. Making me miss my mother and father even more. She rubs my back before breaking away. "It was great seeing you again. Please don't be a stranger okay."

"Okay. I won't."

Kira takes my hand. "Mom We're heading out, let everyone knows we left." He says firmly.

While the after-effects of the earth-shattering orgasm he gave me earlier still have me feeling dazed, Kira on the other hand appears unaffected or is able to better disguise it than I can.

Was he not affected?

There's no way. Not when he looked ready to eat me up in the bathroom.

"Let's walk out together. Mom I'll talk to you later." Kasia utters following us out. From my trained eye, I pick up on it.

There is something going on with her.

I could be reading too much into it though. Who knows. Human behavior while in science is never always predictable. It's not like knowing for certain one plus one will always equal two. It's more random. I'll ask Kira later If he noticed anything off with her.

The three of us head out. Kasia turns to me and her brother. "Sorry I couldn't hang out with guys for long. We should hang out just us girls one night when you're free."

"It's okay. That'd be nice. I don't have any girl friends." I let her know. Kasia nods. Heading down the flight of stairs, her gate is nothing but pose with effortless graces in each step she takes. She waves as at us once inside her truck. One looking like Kira's but with neon green accents.

I wave back as she pulls off.

>>>>

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes of course. What is it?" Kira replies.

We're on our way to his firm. He's been quieter more than usual. I don't think anything of it, just he has a lot on his mind I guess. Maybe work stuff.

"Do you think something is going on with Kasia? Earlier I got this vibe something is bothering her."

Kira glances at me as we stop at a red light. He seems at first taken aback by what I asked. Then this look of a light bulb going off in his head flashes within his eyes.

Did he notice it too?

Maybe I shouldn't have asked him about it. This might be one of those boundaries for him I shouldn't cross. Kira drives once it goes green again while keeping his head forward on the road.

"I'm glad you asked. I was thinking it too that she seemed off, but I wasn't sure. Kasia usually talks to me whenever something is going on with her."

Oh. He noticed. It wasn't just me.

Kira continues. "I'll ask her. It may be nothing, but just in case since you and I both had the same thought. Thanks for pointing it out. I would have thought it's nothing out the ordinary if not."

"No problem. I wasn't sure if I should ask but I wanted to."

"Why?" He questions.

"Because I didn't know if it would be wrong of me to ask. We haven't really talked about boundaries or things we don't want each other to cross the line on."

Kira turns to me again really quickly before focusing back on the road.

"You're right. I didn't even think about that Detka. Hold that thought. I want us to talk about this more when we get to my firm. No one is there on Saturdays. It'll be quiet."

"Sure. How far away are we now?" I ask.

"Ten minutes are so. Let me know what you think when we get there."

The drive continues with a comfortable silence after that. I hadn't expected him to bring me to his firm so soon. I asked him to take me next week but today is fine too. I've never been to an architect firm before so it should be interesting. Even more, since he owns the place. Maybe I can get him to show me some of the projects he's currently working on.

"What did you think of Kasia otherwise?" Kira asks. Breaking the silence in the vehicle.

"She's beautiful. You guys look so identical it doesn't make sense you're fraternal. Her personality seems different from yours though, which is interesting. She acts like she's older. If I didn't know, I would believe it."

Kira chucks. Shaking his head. "I know. Kasia has been that way since we were little. She'd take care of me when we were in school like I was her younger brother. Especially when I was still shorter than her."

"Wow. You were shorter than Kasia."

I can't believe it. Kira is so tall and huge. I can't imagine Kasia ever towering over him. He shakes his head. "Yes, once upon a time ago. I finally had my growth spurt in my Junior year of high school. Real late if you ask me."

"How did you feel when she came out?"

It's a little personal but I'm really curious. Kira and Kasia's relationship seems so strong I wonder if this may have affected it at one point.

"Well, I kind of always knew. When we were in high school she would always move from guy to guy. Never dating them for long as if they never seemed to satisfy her. One day I confronted her because mom and dad started to worry, she was having unprotected sex. At the time we didn't know what to do. She would come home looking depressed and deliriously drunk late at night. I couldn't bear to see her like that so I asked her. Do you think maybe you're just not into men? Kasia denied it first. Saying not all of them use her or treat her badly. Some of them are really nice. But when I pointed out, that means shit if she's always feeling unfulfilled and unhappy. It finally dawned on her. That night we researched it together late up into the next morning until 6 am. With all the information we gathered and read, something clicked for her and she came out, maybe she's a lesbian. Once she dated a woman for the first time, she started to fully accept it's who she is. I told her I don't love her any less than before when she dated men. I supported her when she came out to the rest of our family, and after she received all their support, Kasia became herself again."

I stay quiet, trying to process all he just said. It's long, a lot of details but from how he explained it, it made perfect sense.

"Sorry for the long tangent but that's the easiest way to answer your question," Kira adds.

"No, it's okay. Thank you for sharing with me. I know it's personal but I'm really happy we can have deep conversations like these."

"Me too baby. We're here." He says.

That was quick. Talking sure does make time fly by. Kira shuts off the engine and comes around to help me down as usual. He holds my waist, guiding us towards a uniquely designed building that has two floors. The architecture of it is spectacular. Not looking like any of the other buildings next to it. Having its own distinctive character and personality to it.

We're in a commercial area of downtown Brooklyn I realize. There are other buildings besides on the same block and across the street. A realtor, an insurance place, and others etcetera. I wonder if he designed the structure himself. Most likely since he is an architect.

"Detka, what are you think about? Is it if I designed the building myself?"

My gaze goes to meet his. "How did you know? That's exactly what I was thinking."

Kira leads us to his firm. "Because that's often the first question most people ask when they come here for the first time."

"Oh. Well did you?"

Kira pulls away to unlock the glass door entrance. I peer in while he inserts his key. There are no lights on which is to expected since they're closed for business today. Once we step in however the lights click on automatically.

"I did." He says.

I Knew it.

"I designed it about five years ago when I first started out after college," Kira explains.

He closes the door behind us. We are standing in an open reception-like area. There is a desk on the left with open space all around. I see what looks like small offices around the perimeter with seating and other tables for workers less than a hundred feet away. His office must be further in the building or on the second floor.

The space is well lit and has an industrial feel with dark metal pipes and finishes all throughout. The walls are a cool rustic grey slate with stripes of orange tying the floor together. Orange is his favorite color.

"Baby what do you think?"

I look around again facing back at him. "It's nice. I like how open and friendly space looks. Somehow it's inviting and warm."

Kira smiles at me from hearing this. He takes my hand leading me down and around to an elevator tucked in a corner out of my eye. He presses for it to come. We step in and Kira presses for the second floor. He runs his thumb over the back of my hand. In a soothing manner. It makes me want us to take a nap together and cuddle.

We step out and he leads the way with the familiar ease of someone who knows the layout with his eyes closed. I look around noticing more offices. In the middle to the left is a waiting area. We passed another reception area along the way. The windows on the second floor are all large and wide without any shield so they let in an enormous amount of natural light from the sun.

The floor is lit with the sun but somehow the building's own lights don't make it too much, as if they're able to adjust to the light beaming in from outside. There is a tasteful amount of plants added to space. More orange wraps around the ceiling that brings Kira's personality within his firm.

All in all, I like how it's decorated, everything is spaced out, making it open.

"We're going to my main office," Kira says.

"Do you have a second office?" I ask.

"Yes. Before covid, I had only one. The one we're going to, but after I opened back up during the pandemic I decided to use an empty office downstairs so there's not a lot of traffic up here. To have one less office that's being sanitized since it's where I meet clients now for in-person consults."

"That makes sense," I say.

Kira comes to a stop in front of his office door. Unlocking it with a fob instead of a key. We enter causing the room to illuminate. His office is big. There are three floor-to-ceiling windows letting in sunlight. A desk facing away from the windows. Shelving on both sides having papers for his projects rolled up, neatly organized, and tucked away in cubies all along from top to bottom. There is another door on the right.

"What's in that room?"

"Just my drawing boards and materials I use to design blueprints."

"Okay."

Kira pulls us over to his desk. He takes a seat in the comfortable chair behind it. Going about moving items in the middle to the sides. Out of nowhere he picks me up, places me down on it. He rolled forward holding around my lower back.

"About our conversation earlier. I want you to know, you can ask me anything. Whether it's about my family, my work, my past, and most importantly about us. Eureka I'm pretty much an open book to you at this point. Anything you want to know you can ask and if you do happen to ask something I don't feel like sharing about I will let you know when it happens and why. I doubt it though. Just as I want to know everything about you, I want you to know me as deeply."

"Okay. For the record, it's the same for me. Kira, you can ask me anything you want. I will do the same."

I lean in touching the top of his bun. It's falling out his scrunchie. I take his thick hair out of it. Raking my fingers through to get rid of any knots that might have developed. His hair feels soft and healthy. When I'm satisfied I put his hair back into a bun making sure his ends are tucked away.

"Thank you."

I kiss his forehead. "Your welcome."

I go to ask him to show me some of his projects but my phone's ring tone goes off.

Who is calling?

It could be anyone since it's the weekend. I take it out of my jacket seeing the caller ID says, Mom.

"Fuck."

"Detka. What's wrong? Who is it?" Kira asks me.

"My mom."

Inside Kira's firm

Kasia's truck.