Page 20 of The Caretaker
“You think I’m handsome now?” I asked, forgetting to keep my tone light. I’d dissected his looks and attributes, feeling guilty about it every step of the way. I hadn’t once considered if he’d been doing the same to me. The longer he took to answer, the more charged the moment became.
“You were handsome to begin with,” he said, “but now the world can actually see it.”
“The world, huh?” I glanced in the mirror again, angling my head this way and that way. “My size attracts too much attention as it is. I’m not sure I’m ready for the mayhem my good looks might bring.”
He considered me. “You’re right.” He ruffled my hair until the longish top layer curtained my eyes. “We don’t need the townspeople fainting on us.”
“Hey,” I said in mock outrage. “Don’t be jealous because you’ll no longer be the prettiest thing in town.”
I shoved my hair back, and he ruffled it again. I tugged on the thin elastic band keeping the braid draped over his shoulder together. It popped, sending the braid unraveling. I laughed, fixing my hair again, only to have him screw it up once more before attempting to dash from the kitchen. I snagged him around the waist as he reached the living room.
“Two can play that game,” I said, messing up his hair in return. He chuckled, twisting us and batting my hands away. The move caused me to trip on the living room steps. I ended up tumbling down and taking him with me. “Oof,” I groaned, landing on my back with him sprawled over my chest.
Solace pushed his hair away, looking down at me in alarm. I winked at him, letting him know I was okay, and then we exploded into a fit of laughter. We kept laughing until it hurt, until we forgot that life was hard and unfair and that we probably should’ve been crying instead.
Laughing with Solace felt like the most real thing I’d experienced in a while. It felt like a second chance.
Solace
Then
AFTER TIPTOEING TOthe guest room to find Noon gone, and the clothes I’d given him to sleep in last night still folded on the chair in the corner, I headed for the living room. “You’re up,” I noted as I descended the stairs. We’d stayed up for hours talking—and sometimes not talking—after he’d agreed to stay the night. We’d only gone our separate ways a few hours ago, promising each other we’d get a little shuteye. Looked like neither of us held up our end of the deal. “Did you sleep at all?”
Noon spared me a glance before turning his attention back to the window. “No, but at least now I know what I’ve been missing by sleeping in all these years.”
“Sunrise?”
“No,” he replied contemplatively. “Dawn. The moment right before.”
“You’re leaving,” I said, noticing that he’d put on his suit jacket and shoes.
“The roads are closed, so you’re stuck with me a while longer. I’d planned on at least taking a walk, though. Get some thinking done, maybe let out another scream or two. But aside from the insane amount of snow that accumulated overnight, I realized I didn’t want to get lost out here. I’m someone who needs a GPS to get to the same place I’ve been to a million times, and unlike thecity, there are no street signs or cabs to hail when I get turned around in the woods.”
We lived far enough away so it didn’t feel like we were near the city but close enough to access it. Hard line to straddle because Patrick needed to be close to work, but we’d wanted Gavin to grow up similar to how we did, surrounded by woodland and with plenty of outdoor space to play freely. “I would’ve found you,” I said.
“I’m gonna hold you to that tomorrow.” He looked more exhausted than he had yesterday. Even his tone seemed tired. “I suppose I could walk along the shoulder of the road,” he mused, still staring beyond the boundary of trees along the house.
“But it’s not the same,” I said.
“No, it’s not.”
We didn’t have sidewalks like in the city, and there weren’t any sights worth seeing in the vicinity. Gavin and I would roam the woods as well, choosing nature over neighborhood.
“Did I wake you?”
“No. I couldn’t sleep either.” I tightened the sash on my robe.
“You need sleep, Solace.”
I almost reminded him of the extended nap I took on his chest yesterday, but I’d have to relive my mortification to do it. Besides, I was still so damn tired, so in the end he was right. “And you don’t?” I asked. “I’ll sleep when you do.”
“That might be the motivation I need,” he said softly. “How are you feeling today?”
“Not much better.”
“Yeah, me either.” He scratched at the scruff covering his jaw. It had grown during the hours we’d been apart.
“I was going to make some tea. Would you like some?”
