Page 65 of Honey Undone
“Everyone that’s lived in Harbor long enough knows about my family, I’m not used to having to fill in the gaps,” I said to her, snaking my hand behind the covers on her bed to find her thigh. I brushed my thumb across her hot skin as we both went quiet and she finished her cup.
“I grew up all over the place,” she said when she finished, setting the mug on her side table. “My parents divorced and we sort of bounced around for a while before Mom settled in Harbor and got remarried.”
“You didn’t grow up here? You and Kaia make it seem like you’ve been friends since you were kids,” I said to her, and it was true. If she hadn’t told me I would have just assumed she was a Harbor native.
“Kaia beat the shit out of a high schooler on my first day of school after he almost hit me with his car in the parking lot. He was twice her size and up until that day I’d never seen a man cry that hard,” Adeline smiled at the memory. “We’ve been attached at the hip since.”
“So you have a step-dad?” I asked her, desperate to get into the bed with her but waiting for the invitation.
“I’ve hadfour, she's on… boyfriend number six?” She said, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t even remember their names half the time. I think this one is Ronald? Or Roger?”
“Ronald is a horrible name,” I teased and it brought a tired smile to her face.
“It is, but at least he has a first name. Unlike you,” she chuckled.
“I have a first name, you just haven’t figured it out yet,” I shrugged.
“I know it starts with an M,” Adeline said, sniffling.
I reached out and handed her the box of tissues on the table.
“Is it Matthew?” she asked, blowing her nose, “or Marcus?”
“Nope,” I said. “Way off base.”
“Are you going to give me any hints?” She asked.
“Nope,” I smiled at her.
“Fine… I’ll figure it out eventually… Martha,” she added, making me smile but I shook my head no. “Can I have more?” She asked after a minute, and the question was simple, but the admission to being looked after was clear. I nodded, pushing off the floor, grumpy about having to remove my hand from her skin but happy to look after her. “It’s the first thing I’ve eaten in two days and I think it’s actively fighting this cold single-handedly,” she said to me as I wandered across the apartment.
Looking over my shoulder at her I watched as she flipped through her phone, the screen lighting up all my favorite features on her face. She tossed it aside, seemingly frustrated as she slumped against the headboard.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her knowing the chances of her lying to me.
“I’ve missed two practices, and the season opener is right around the corner. The scouts are coming down this week. I need to be back on the field but my entire body feels like it’s made of brittle bones and open wounds.” She took the mug from me and closed her eyes as she inhaled the smell again. “It’s my last chance to impress them.”
“Finish that,” I said to her and wandered away from the bed before she could start asking questions. The bottom half of the grocery bag I had brought was full of random craps that had landed in my cart while on call with my mom.
“Get her Epsom salts, and nothing that stinks… do scentless and then go over to the flowers and get her eucalyptus, but you have to roll it out to get it to work with the steam,” she bossed me around through the phone. “And stop by the house before you go over and get the herbal honey in the cupboard above the counter, by the tea.”
“Mom,” I groaned and she tutted in my ear, silencing my protests before talking to someone on the other end of the phone.
“Get her new socks too…” she mumbled between instructions to her assistant. “Are you listening to me Kai?”
“Yeah Mom,” I stifled the laugh that bubbled up in my chest. “New socks, honey above the counter, eucalyptus and Epsom salts. Now is there dill in Ya-Ya’s soup?” I asked the question that had started the phone call in the first place.
“My soup, and no.” She said, “I have to go,” she mumbled, “fresh eucalyptus Malachi, nothing synthetic,” she scolded like she knew I was standing in the bath aisle looking at the selection of scented bubble baths. “I love you,” she said quickly, waiting for me to respond before she hung up.
“What are you doing?” Adeline asked as I collected the rest of the supplies and walked toward her bathroom.
“Finish your soup,” I ordered her, ignoring the question and clumsily flicking on the light in the bathroom. I started to follow all Mom’s instructions and it wasn’t long before I could feel Adeline’s eyes on my back. I rolled up my sleeves and checked to make sure the water was hot, the steam in the bathroom tangling with the eucalyptus and making it smell incredible.
Adeline looked like she was going to cry when I came face to face with her.
“Arms up,” I said to her, ignoring the way her thankful, sick expression made my heart clench in my chest. Her grip on it was growing tighter and I was afraid of what would happen if she ever let go. She listened without protest, letting me pull her sports bra off. Careful to respect her space and how achy her body felt I helped her out of her shorts only pausing to kiss her hip bone with tenderness that made her body shiver.
“I’m not taking a bath with you watching,” she scowled.
