Page 77 of When the Woods Go Silent

ROSE

Ugh. I feel like I have a fucking hangover from hell.

My eyes struggle to peel open, my vision blurry until I rub them with my palms. Where’s the water I always leave out? Fucking hell. Did I even drink last night? I don’t think I did...

I sit up in the darkened room, blinking around me at the closed curtains and shadows, trying to remember what happened.

Ruby left to see Torrence. I was going to get dinner, but then there was Kier...

And the way he pinned me against the bookshelf, making me come right through my pants like an inexperienced teenager. My body flushes with heat as the memory fills my brain, and I flop back on the pillows, smiling. Yeah, that was fun. Then my gaze lands on a glossy white flower on my nightstand. It looks a little like a lotus. I reach to touch it, yanking my hand back when a current of electricity snaps through my finger, like when I drag my feet on carpet in the winter.

Something about the flower makes me uneasy, washing away the pleasant memory of Kier’s expert touch.

Water. I need cold water. My mouth feels coated with cotton as I stumble to the bathroom. There’s my cup. I drink down a full glass from the tap, splashing more on my face until I feel a little more human.

Seriously, what did that man do to me?

I don’t even remember coming up here. Did we sleep together? But I’m still wearing my clothing from last night. I peel down my wrinkled dress pants and shimmy into some loose sweatpants, letting my skin breathe a little. I open the curtains an inch at a time, slowly getting used to the early morning light. My phone says it’s barely seven, so at least I haven’t overslept.

I wonder how Ruby is. A wave of guilt washes over me as I remember our brief argument about Torrence, and how she left anyway. But I smell coffee, and the clink of a mug on the counter echoes from the kitchen. She won’t still be mad.

I pad slowly down the short hallway into the kitchen, yawning deeply. Ruby’s sitting with her back to the door, looking out the windows at the woods and the brightening day.

“Hey, you,” I say, pausing to stretch. She doesn’t turn, though, and I frown. “Ruby?”

She still doesn’t react, and I shuffle around to wave at her, guessing she has earbuds in. But even when I snap my fingers in front of her face, she acts like I’m not even there. Is she giving me the silent treatment?

I really didn’t think she’d still be pissed about the things I said about Torrence.

Chewing on my bottom lip, I fix my coffee and head to the chair across from hers. If she’s mad, we need to talk before the day gets going. I pull out the chair and take a scalding gulp of coffee.

“Ruby, I’m-”

“Holy shit!” she yells suddenly, her chair falling over as she stands too quickly, eyes wide as she stares down at me. “Christ on a cracker, Rosey. You scared me. How did you sneak in here, Invisible Woman?”

I frown, clutching the coffee mug to my chest, heart pounding. I’d nearly overturned it in my lap when she yelled. “I... just walked in. You were pretty zoned out.”

She smooths her hair and takes a few deep breaths, working to calm down. “And where were you all night, you sneaky bitch?” she finally asks, taking a deep drink of her coffee. I know she’s shaken up if she’s already cursing this early in the day, but relief surges through me that she isn’t mad.

“Uh, here?” I say, though neither of us misses how my voice goes up at the end. Please, god, no more sleepwalking.

“I checked your room when I got home,” Ruby says, frowning now. “Your bed was empty.”

I shrug, having no idea what to say. I don’t remember leaving.

“Maybe I was in the bathroom.”

She’s silent, and I can tell this answer doesn’t placate her, but I don’t have a better one. She takes another deep breath, and I can almost hear her counting in her head. “So, I just want to say I’m sorry about leaving last night. I totally should have stayed. I don’t need to see Torrence as much, and he was weird anyway. You were right, as usual,” she adds, giving me a sheepish smile.

“I don’t want to be right. I want you to be happy,” I remind her, but inside I’m glowing that she’s finally seeing what I do, even if it’s only a tiny bit. “But how was he weird?”

Ruby hides behind her coffee, and I see her cheeks pinken. I reach my hand across the table, snagging hers and squeezing, and she giggles. “We, um, had a bit of fun. He respected my boundaries without any question. But... well, Arlo interrupted us and Tor made me leave.”

I scowl, thinking of my similar experience. “What is it with those two? Maybe they should date each other.”

Ruby snickers, but when she sets down her mug, I see a familiar glint in her eye.

I groan. “You still like him, don’t you?”

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