Page 8 of Anchor Grey
“As long as we have food and firewood, I’m fine with it too. Let’s go see what it looks like.” Leaving the trunk open but taking his guitar, I led us up to the door. I tried one key before Johnny took the keychain from me.
“Here let me try,” he said and got it first time. He flung the door open and we stepped inside. “Wow, this is nice.”
It was small but neat and comfortable, with a big couch in front of a television hung over a big fireplace. Wood was stacked to the side with a small container of kindling and matches. Johnny walked over to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator before continuing to explore. I knew he’d find three small bedrooms and two bathrooms, one of them off the master which I hoped would be where we spent lots of time while we were here. “I hope you like it. I tried to find a place that was far away from everything but still wasn’t too rustic.”
“It’s perfect,” he said and stepped close enough to wrap his arms around my waist. “Are Mateo and Jeremy still joining us?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure when. It sounds like they have a lot of work to do first.”
“I’m glad we’ll get to spend some time alone.”
“Me too, I really want us to get to know each other better,” I said, and hoped that didn’t bother him. He was so guarded with his life outside the band but if we were going to be together, I wanted to know more than I already did. He smiled and brushed my hair back from my forehead but didn’t speak. “We should probably unload the car. As soon as I sit down, I’m not getting back up.”
“You’ve got that right,” he said and we walked back out to the car and starting unloading it.
“We can play cards later if you want. I know they have a lot of board games here too if you like that.”
“I could go for a game of Scrabble,” he said.
“You look more like a Monopoly guy to me,” I said.
“And what exactly does a Monopoly guy look like?” he asked and loaded his arms with as much as he could carry in one trip. I took out my suitcase and two bags of groceries and headed back to the cabin.
“Like you,” I finally answered and dumped the suitcase by the door before carrying the groceries into the kitchen. “Don’t worry, I’m a Monopoly guy too. Well, I used to be. I haven’t played in years.”
“We should start a game and just play it through the day and see how long it takes us to finish,” Johnny said.
“Great idea. I can’t remember ever finishing a game.”
“Me either. First challenge while we’re here. Finish a game of Monopoly, no matter how long it takes.”
I put the groceries away and was about to go back outside when Johnny pulled me into his arms and buried his face into my neck but didn’t say a word. After a deep breath and a tight squeeze, he pulled back enough to meet my eyes. “Come on, let’s get the rest of it and relax.”
“I love that idea.” That was also why we were here. To relax and let the rest of the world fade away until there were only me and him.
Eight
Johnny
After shoving our bags into the bedroom and putting the groceries away, we both sat on the couch. For a few moments neither of us spoke and the quiet of the cabin soothed me. In the distance I could hear the rushing of the river nearby and the wind as it blew through the tall pines that surroundedthe cabin. The smell of pine was everywhere and just a glance outside reminded me we were nowhere near anyone else.
“I could almost go for a nap,” Devon said and relaxed deeper into the couch.
“Come here.” I held my arm out and he lay down on the couch with his head in my lap. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“I really wanted some alone time with you,” he murmured as his eyes closed.
“I always want more time with you.” I ran my fingers through his hair as his breath evened out, and he fell asleep. It was so quiet here, something I wasn’t used to, but I enjoyed. It wasn’t long before I was nodding off too.
Devon stretching woke me up with a start. “Sorry. babe, I need to use the bathroom,” he said before hopping up off the couch and hurrying down the hall.
Stretching and working the kink out of my neck, I walked over to the window and looked outside. It was beautiful here, and, so far removed from the real world and all the stress and choices I wasn’t willing to think about.
“Hey, did you want to go for a walk around the area?” Devon asked as he wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my shoulder. “There’s a trail that goes along the river.”
“That sounds nice. I can’t remember the last time I went for a walk,” I said and realized it was true. Everything in my life was about the band and any free time was spent either writing music or practicing. It didn’t leave me any time to do something for myself.
He slipped my coat over my shoulders and put on his own. “Let’s go. We can finish unpacking later.”
