Page 43 of Finding Her
“What happened?” she asked, not directing her gaze from the pot she scrubbed.
“What?” I played dumb while I bitterly dried plates as if taking offense to their wet sheen.
“You guys aren’t exactly passing the vibe check right now.” Her nostrils flared, and I wondered if she could smell my stress. Was I giving off the pheromones of a scared animal upstairs? If so, I hoped she could smell that I was pissed off now.
“It was a long trip back.” Lie. The trip back had been nothing but pleasant. Graysen told me about sea creatures, described dragons we hadn’t come across, and talked about his favorite customers at work. I would have been happy to travel the world together if it meant listening to his stories, and I looked forward to the day I would have enough of a past to tell my own.
“Try again, babe,” Mykie huffed. “Graysen is gone. You can tell me. What’s on your mind?” Her head tilted to the side, curious eyes blinking in my direction.
“What’s the room across the hall from the bathroom?” I blurted out. Maybe if Graysen wouldn’t fill in the blanks for me Mykie would.
Her head rolled back in the direction of the sink with realization. “A towel closet.”
“The other room.” I set my current dish down with some force and turned my shoulders in her direction. Surely a fellowwoman would have sympathy for my situation—secret rooms in men’s houses were bad news.
She sighed and let a bowl drop from her hands into the soapy sink dramatically. “Honestly, it isn’t anything you should waste your thoughts on.” Our eyes locked in a standstill. “Really—Don’t. Worry. About. It.”
“But what isit?” I clenched my teeth into a frustrated smile. “If I shouldn’t be worried, you should be able to tell me.”
She rubbed her entire face with her hands in exasperation. “Look—” She took in a deep breath of air. “I’m not going to tell you that it’s nothing because you aren’t stupid. Here’s the thing, your life won’t be improved by knowing. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll just let that room be. Graysen isn’t hiding dead bodies or anything else you should fear. It’s just best that that room is ignored and not brought up or thought of by anyone.”
“Have you been in there?” Jealousy burned the back of my neck. He had clearly let her past his barriers, and I wanted to be a part of that elusive club. So what if we just met, and he’d known Mykie for years? Logic didn’t matter when everything in my heart yearned for him to let me in.
“How could I promise you he isn’t hiding dead bodies if I hadn’t seen the room myself?”
“Was he mad that you went in?”
She blinked blankly at my face, her husky tone shifted softer. “No. The situation was different.” Her mouth twitched to the side in an empathetic twist. “Faeryn, you have to let it go. It’s best for Graysen, it’s best for me, and most importantly, it’s best foryou.” She turned to the last couple of dishes, ending the conversation with her body language.
“Sorry for all of the questions,” I mumbled reluctantly. Although hardly guilty, the shame was threatening to set in. It wasn’t my house. It wasn’t my business.
“It’s okay.” She let out a short laugh. “Shit, if it was me I’d storm in there regardless of what anyone said. I can’t really blame you for wanting answers.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Would you stop me if I broke in now that he’s gone?”
“Fuck yes I would.”
Dinner was a variety of vegetables and grains. One of the dishes was a creamy orange chowder garnished with tiny chopped-up leaves that tasted like basil. As usual, it was a culinary masterpiece. It would have been an immaculate meal, if my frustration didn’t taste so bitter.
Mykie cleared out quickly upon Graysen’s return. Discomfort twisted in my gut. I knew I was valid in my feelings, but hated to be antagonizing my only two connections in the world. I was reliant on them. Today had been all the proof I needed that branching out wasn’t just the ideal next step, but a necessary one. Establishing a life in this world would be a security blanket for if shit ever hit the fan, which I couldn’t rule out the possibility of. I hoped that I could stay in this house and grow closer to Graysen and Mykie, but I wasn’t naïve enough to assume it was a foolproof plan. I needed more independence, more social connections, my own funds to spend, and a sense of purpose. If the voice wanted me back on Earth, she would have to provide some useful information, because I had shit to do.
“Is it good?” Graysen asked, looking up from his plate with his stony eyes. We had begun our meal in continued silence. From his bowed brows, I could tell he was feeling down. At least I wasn’t the only one.
“Everything you make is wonderful,” I said sharper than intended.
He looked back to his plate. “Thank you. It’s just something I’ve always done.”
“I should start doingsomething.” I pushed my food around on my plate absent-mindedly.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m probably going to be on Trebianna for a while. So maybe I should find something to occupy myself.”
He thought for a moment. “I’d love to teach you how to cook.”
“Maybe something I don’t need you or Mykie for.” I looked at him carefully.
“What do you have in mind?”
