Page 93 of Wandering in Darkness
“When did the pig get up here?” Grayson asks.
“He has a little ramp on the other side of the bed. Felix got him ramps for everywhere since he can’t jump and ‘wants to be included.’”
“I’m trying to pretend like it’s normal to have a hoof dug into my back.”
“It is if you plan to stick around this place,” I say as his fingers trail down my arm, brushing over my skin lightly while his fingers gently drift over me.
Grayson asks, “How are you feeling today?”
“Haven’t thought about burying you yet, but I’m also pretty lethargic when I first wake up. Physical activity is never on my list of things to do when I open my eyes.”
“Understandable.”
“I just… I want to keep moving forward. I don’t know what that means, but all I know is that I want to outrun the monsters that are coming for me, no matter what it takes.”
“And I’m here to help you do that.”
I nod as I feel his hand slide over my back, rubbing it gently. “Then I guess that means I’m ready to hear you out. But you can’t tell me until Felix and Lane are present because if we chat about shit without them, we will never hear the end of it.”
“I’ve noticed that.”
“I guess that means I should get up.”
“Yeah?”
I grip him tighter, not really wanting to let go. “It’s really hard to get up.”
“Well, you barely got any sleep. Do you want to sleep longer?”
“I really shouldn’t,” I whisper as I find myself wanting to tuck in closer to him but feeling like I don’t know how. As if he can read my mind, he wraps an arm around me and pulls me closer. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
This time when I wake up, I realize I really do need to get up. Grayson is reading something on his phone, and I can hear activity outside of the bedroom. Just because I want to sleep the day away doesn’t mean everyone else does.
“Urgh,” I moan as I stretch. “Drag me from this bed and into the bathroom.”
“I can carry you. Sounds significantly more romantic than dragging you.”
“Nah, you might as well drag me.” I roll onto my face and smother myself in the pillow for a second before I can muster enough strength to push myself up. I clamber over the dog and the pig before finding some clothes.
“I guess you don’t have clothes, do you? I probably have something you can wear.” Grayson’s similar in build to me but probably wears a little larger shirt, so I find one among the pile of clothes that I’ve left at Felix and Lane’s and toss it at him along with some sweats.
“I’m a little afraid that the moment you walk out that door, we’re going to go back to the tension that has been smothering us,” he says quietly.
I stop with my hand on the doorknob and look back at him. He’s squeezing the shirt I gave him so tightly that his knuckles are white.
“Life keeps moving, no matter how much you want it to rewind or change. I’m a different person than the Cal you knew back then… but no matter how much I change, the one thing that doesn’t change is that you give me comfort unlike anyone else. Now let’s go destroy Lt. Allen’s life like he destroyed mine.”
Grayson nods. “Would you stay here and let me do it?”
“I don’t need someone to protect me, Grayson. I need someone to support me. From a young age, I learned how to protect myself.”
“I know you did. I know it’s hard for you to rely on others and trust them. So I’ll do everything I can to support you. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Okay. Then let’s go.Together.”
“Got it,” he says.
I walk out and use the bathroom to brush my teeth and get ready, but the moment I emerge from it, I nearly run into Felix.
