Authors: Nora Flite
Her
eyes found it, it was impossible not to notice the giant display of
comfortable wealth.
Does
she feel strange, being around all of this?
The
staircase led us to the long hallway upstairs, lights dimmer there,
the huge house strangely quiet.
“
In
here,” I said, pushing into the closest doorway. The bedroom
was disturbingly like I had left it last time I'd been home, my bed
still by the window and covered in that dark green blanket.
When
was that... last Christmas?
Has
it really been a year?
The
addition of another bed on the other side was the only major change.
A place for my brother to sleep, apparently. It made the room
resemble a hotel with twin beds.
My bedroom, the first time I'll be sharing it. Pursing my lips, I
dropped my luggage, turning to grin at Leah. “This is where
I'll be. Want to see your room now?”
“
No,”
she said, stunning me with her pouting face. When no other words
came, her chin tilting down so her hair cascaded across her eyes, my
heart throbbed.
Gingerly,
I gripped her jaw, guiding her to look at me. However, she denied me
even that. Her dark orbs hid away behind heavy lashes. “Hey,”
I whispered, loud voices feeling inappropriate for the mood, “what's
wrong? Are you upset about that... that whole thing with the scarf?”
As
if summoned by being mentioned, she lifted the long knitted stretch
of red cloth between us. “No, I—yeah, okay. It's some of
that, I guess it's a few things.”
“
Talk
to me,” I coaxed her, feeling the pulse of her energy beneath
my fingers. Carefully, I slid my hand around, feeling the length of
her neck where the bruises were displayed. Leah grimaced, starting to
pull away.
I
wouldn't let that happen.
Firmly,
my arms coiled around her stomach, crushing her to my chest tightly.
“No, none of that. We should be able to talk about this, Leah.”
“
I
don't know how to talk about it,” she murmured, tense as brick
in my arms.
“
Just
tell me what you're thinking, please. I can't help otherwise.”
“Deacon,” she sighed, her muscles relaxing, though she
still didn't hug me back, “you can't always help, some things
aren't for you to fix.” I tensed up, broadcasting my dismay.
“Sorry, I'm just... this whole situation is a lot to take in.
Your parents seem very polite. Almost too polite. It's making me
nervous.”
Pulling
back enough so I could see her face, I chuckled. My smile must have
been contagious as it quickly broke her worried frown. “Too
polite, yeah. That's sort of how they handle things they aren't sure
about,” I admitted.
Her
forehead wrinkled. “They aren't sure about me?”
“
About...
the bruises,” I finished, not confident in how to answer her.
They
aren't sure about you, Leah. You called it. But that doesn't matter.
Only, I don't think you should have to handle that burden yet. So,
for now...
“They
don't know what happened, and they won't ask about it.”
“
So
they'll never know if I don't want them to?”
“
Bruises
heal,” I shrugged, running my thumb over her collar bone
softly. “If you don't want to talk about it with them, then
yeah, the marks will fade, and so will their curiosity.” That
last part wasn't exactly true, I knew my parents would wonder. I also
knew they'd ask me eventually, though even that would take some
working up to on their part.
I'll
tell them it isn't their business, if it gets that far.
Leah
looked to the side, seeming lost in thought. “And the rest of
it?”
“
What?”
“The rest of me. My history,” she said, her tone growing
hotter by the second. “If I don't tell them, will that fade as
well?”
“
Leah,
wait, what do you—”
“
It's
just like before,” she whispered, balling the scarf up tightly
at her chest. “Pretending to be someone I'm not, by not talking
about what got me to where I am now in the first place.”
Surprised
by her sudden burst of anger, I cupped her cheeks, looking straight
into her boiling gaze. “Hey, hold on there. I never said you
couldn't tell them. Leah, you can tell them whatever you want. I
accept you for who you are, and that's independent of if my parents
feel the same way. Understand?”
Before
me, her face fell, to the point I thought she might start crying.
Those shining eyes watered, her mouth becoming a genuine smile as she
dropped the scarf to the floor and hugged me around my shoulders. The
kiss was soft, electric; yet all too brief.
“
Careful,
you could make a girl fall for you with words like that.”
Inside
of me, something sparked, a hot flare that felt like a warning. The
sort of reaction one would have if they suspected they hadn't turned
the oven off, and they were already miles down the road, too far away
to check.
“
It's
a curse,” I murmured, pulling her back for another taste. My
mind was working, though, trying to piece together why I had been
struck so hard by what she had said.
'You
could make a girl fall for you...'
“
So,”
she pulled away with a light giggle. “Do I really need to sleep
in a whole other room? What year is this, again?”
“
My
parents are old fashioned,” I apologized, smoothing her hair
behind her ears. “They would lose their minds if we even
mentioned sleeping in the same room, let alone sharing a bed.”
“
I
figured they were old fashioned, considering your dad called himself
as much.” She leaned into me, dragging her fingers down my
back, sliding them under my shirt. The sensation made me inhale, my
head foggy. All thoughts about my weird reaction, the one bothering
me that I couldn't put my finger on, vanished away.
She's
so forward, definitely not what my parents are used to. Compared to
Bethany, especially. They really approved of her chaste ways.
Wait,
why am I even thinking about her?
“
You
sure they'll get upset?” Leah breathed into my ear, standing on
tip-toe to manage it. “Maybe if I just sneak in tonight, before
your brother gets in tomorrow and we lose the chance?”
“
No,”
I huffed, frustrated by the situation. “No, sorry, as wonderful
as that would be, my parents would shun us both forever if they
caught us.”
“
That
long?” She mused, wrinkling her forehead. “Maybe I could
deal with that.”
Chuckling,
I gripped her forearms, sliding her touch away from me regretfully.
“Forever and a lifetime, to be precise.”
“
Oh,”
she pouted, “fine. I guess that might be a bit much. Show me to
my room, then.”
It
was a quick trip; the bedroom was down the hall, but even that was
just a few paces away. My mother had set up Nicholas's old room
differently, leaving his bed but replacing the blankets with new,
bright white ones I was unfamiliar with.
“
It
isn't exactly a five star hotel,” I said, “but I hope
it'll be okay.”
“
Are
you kidding?” She asked, staring at me dubiously. “I've
been sleeping on a couch, in a car, and in a hospital bed. This is
extremely nice, Deacon.”
Scratching
my neck, I looked around the room with a different opinion. “You
didn't mention sleeping in
my
bed in your list.”
Something
about that made her blush, and considering how she had been all over
me minutes before, I couldn't understand why. “That's
different,” she mumbled, sitting on the mattress.
Looking
her over, wondering at her reaction, I brushed it aside as smoothly
as the kiss I placed on her forehead. Leaning over her, my hands on
either side of her thighs on the bed, I smiled. “I guess I
should say goodnight. We have an early morning ahead of us.”
“
Do
we?” She mumbled, lashes fluttering as she lingered in the
moment, our foreheads touching.
“
I
have a suspicion Dad will want us to go to the church service.”
“
The—the
what, now?” Leah leaned away, staring at me in disbelief.
“We're going to
church?
”
“
Most
likely, it's Sunday after all.” Catching the flicker of worry
in her dark eyes, I kissed her cheeks, one after the other. “Relax,
it'll be fine. We'll stand around, sing some songs, then go eat a
huge brunch.”
“
I've
just... I've never been to church.”
“
Not
once?”
“
Nope.”
Her voice wobbled, I could feel the anxiety wafting off of her.
Crouching
in front of her, so that for once, she was looking down on me, I
smiled. “It doesn't matter, it'll be a group of people singing
and praying and having a good time. You don't need to believe any of
it or join in, I'll be next to you all the way until it ends.”
“
Will
your parents be offended if I just... don't go?”
My
heart jumped, surprising me with how quickly I felt that jolt of
fear.
Yes,
they will be.
Swallowing,
trying to ease the tension on my brow, I gripped her hands where they
were balled on her knees. “Honestly? Yeah. Can you try and
handle it, just this once?”
Leah
watched me, silent for a long moment. Eventually, she nodded; brisk,
short. “I'll try.”
“
Thanks,”
I said, relief flooding me. Lifting her hands, I pressed my lips to
the backs of them, then stood up. “Alright, you should sleep. I
know you haven't been getting much.”
She
didn't say anything, her eyes just followed me as I walked towards
the door. “Deacon,” she abruptly blurted, making me twist
to see her concerned face. “We're only here for a week, right?”
My
mouth opened, my hesitation taking over for a split second. “Yes,
just a week.”
“
I
can promise I'll try my best to handle church tomorrow,” she
said, soft enough I had to strain to hear her, almost reading her
lips. “But... I can't be sure I can handle sleeping apart from
you for that long.”