He returned to his apartment to find his roommate making out with the cashier from the sandwich shop. His roommate pulled away.
"Par, I didn't…"
He tossed his key to the cashier. "Glad to see you making your new roommate welcome, Jay."
"New roommate?"
The cashier smiled.
"Yep," Pravathi said. "I'll be out shortly."
Parvathi stepped down the hall to finish packing as they resumed their make-out session. He packed all of his things into two suitcases and his book bag. He gathered his dishes and found creative ways to pack the food he had that didn't need to be refrigerated.
"You can eat what I've left," he said, opening the front door. "See ya."
"See ya," Jay sighed before pushing the other guy into the couch.
Parvathi closed the door then took his things to his and Arolyn's apartment. He entered quietly, hoping she was asleep. She didn't stir from where she was. He locked the door and took his things to the back room. He only unpacked what he needed and an extra blanket for Arolyn. Silently, he took it to the front room and lay it over her before returning to his room and sleeping.
Parvathi woke early and quietly unpacked in case Arolyn was still asleep. He erased Lisa's number from the fridge and put his in its place. The food and dishes he left on the counter top for now and returned to the bedroom to unpack the rest.
"It's about time you came back," Arolyn called. "Beth-Anne…" she stopped when Parvathi turned to her.
"Has been compensated," he said.
"What are you doing?!"
"Unpacking. Unless you prefer I use a different room."
"No, what are you doing here?"
"I bought Lisa's contract."
She shook her head. "There is no way. You could not have gotten her contract so quickly; or so easily."
Parvathi handed her a copy of the form.
She took it and looked it over. "How?" she whispered.
"It doesn't matter. What matters is I'll be able to assist your awak…."
Arolyn jumped on him and kissed him. The force knocked him over and he fell onto the bed.
"Aro… Arol…," he tried to say as she continued to get him aroused. He finally rolled her over and stopped her rocking. "I did not move in for you to do this, Arolyn."
"But I owe you. Her contract was expensive."
"And damming your gift is even more expensive. You owe me nothing. Got it? Nothing."
"But…"
"Stop it. Just accept this."
Arolyn swallowed hard then nodded.
"Good. Now I need you to leave so I can get ready for class."
She nodded. "Okay."
Parvathi got off the bed and Arolyn followed. She started to reach for his butt, but he caught her wrist before she could touch him.
"Go."
"Sorry," she squeaked.
"Forgiven." He let go and she fled.
Parvathi had to take several deep breaths to set aside the aroused feelings Arolyn had managed to bring up. He dressed then entered the kitchen to find food. He pulled out several yogurt bars before leaving the apartment. He didn't catch Arolyn until art class as she posed in a different position. He purposefully avoided her glances. Her own arousal made her breasts a little more perky today, but quite a bit of work still needed to happen with her gifts.
Arolyn caught up to him after class and stuck herself to his side. He rubbed the points near her tailbone before continuing to walk. She pulled him to a stop. Tears were in her eyes.
"That couldn't have waited for a less public place?"
"Not with the state you're in from class," he replied.
Arolyn grimaced with her next step and continued to grimace until they reached the apartment. She resisted slightly as he got her to lay on the couch. He rested his hand under her sacrum and cupped it in his hand. Slowly and gently, his hand shifted—soothing, yet stimulating—the energy. He watched as her tail began to grow in. It wormed its way across his hand and down between her legs. He let go then and disappeared into his room. He buried himself in drawing, sketching Arolyn as he saw her in his head if she were ever to follow the path Lisa walked. He lay down for a nap after that, his back to the door.
He woke slightly to the feel of a blanket over him. Arolyn adjusted it slightly to cover him. Her hand rested lightly on his arm before she left the room. He sat up and saw the blanket he had covered her with the night before. Parvathi got up then and took the blanket into her room and spread it over her bed. Then he entered the kitchen to make something. Arolyn was no longer in the apartment. He sat and ate then cleaned the apartment some. He took his drawing pad into the front room and just let his pencil flow over the page. He felt his body warm with the fire element. Arolyn was sprawled on the floor, her dragon tail in shreds, her wings clipped and broken, and large ratted hair balls where her tiger ears were to be.
Her laughter brought his head up, but it was cut short. A moment later her key fumbled in the lock and her soft voice led a man into the apartment. She stopped and the man did too.
"Who's this?" the man asked.
"My…"
"Boyfriend," Parvathi said standing and approaching them. "I apologize for my girlfriend's behavior, but you won't be having sex with her."
"Parvathi," she started.
Parvathi pulled her against his side. "Thank you for being a gentleman and bringing her home."
"You're lying!" Arolyn cried. "You're not…"
He silenced her with a firm kiss. "I had asked you to wait, not go looking for someone else because I couldn't get it up yet."
"Par…"
"None of that, Darling. I'm ready for you," he said, touching her lips with his finger then caressing her cheek.
The man hadn't left yet, flabbergasted by Parvathi's coolness.
"Did you take money from your escort tonight?"
"No, he…"
"Good." He turned to the man. "You can go now."
"Y…Yes, sir." He left the apartment closing the door tightly behind him.
"Why did you do that?!" she yelled, pushing him away. "I needed the…"
Parvathi kissed her hard, backing her up against the wall. He roughly removed her jacket and painfully squeezed her right breast.
Arolyn started to fight, using the wall to try and push him away, but he kept her from moving too far.
"Parvathi, what are you doing?" she asked.
"Shut it, Whore. You're here to pleasure me, not to be pleasured," he growled before biting into her neck and starting to lift her shirt.
"Parvathi, stop!"
"Why? You want this."
"Not anymore," she squeaked.
He stopped. "Then stop asking for it, because the next guy you tease won't stop."
Parvathi let her go and she fled to her room. She slammed the door shut and locked it. He was grateful Arolyn had integrated the dragon energy enough to start recognizing that she was worth more than a one night stand. Shaking his head, Parvathi picked up his drawing pad and returned to sleep. Arolyn came in sometime after midnight. Her fingers pulled through his hair.
"I don't understand you, Parvathi," she said softly. "You resist my attempts to pay you back through sex because I have nothing left to offer you. But try the same when I try to care for myself by selling myself to other men."
"Because I'm here to open your gift," he replied. "And I can't do that by giving in or sitting by and letting you destroy yourself and your gift."
"Then why did you try?"
"To get you to understand that by crossing that threshold with others, you will destroy the work I have done. Then I won't be of any help to you."
"Even with the help you have given, it's not enough."
"If you are willing to accept, I have the means to support you until your gifts can sustain you."
"And what would you ask for in return?"
"Your trust."
Arolyn caressed his cheek.
Parvathi took her hand and kissed it. "You have no idea how great your potential is. Nor how valuable your gifts are."
"What now?"
"Get some sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow." He let go of her hand.
"Parvathi?"
"Yes, Arolyn?"
"Will you hold me?"
"Not tonight."
"Okay."
Slowly she turned and left the room.