bright as it had been. Curtains or blinds were a no-show in this place so I could see the burnt orange of the sky just about to migrate into darkness. For a few moments I sat on the edge of the bed just looking at the beautiful sight, forgetting how crappy things in my life had quickly turned.
“Are you hungry?”
He’d been sitting across the room for I don’t know how long, but I’d felt his presence the moment I opened my eyes.
“Yes, a little,” I replied, not looking at him.
“The kitchen is stocked. I can fix you a salad or something,” he told me.
I shook my head. “You only cook microwave food and cereal.”
“I think I saw some of that soy milk you like in the refrigerator.”
I couldn’t help it, I smiled, and minutes later I was downstairs with Brayden mixing a salad for myself and boiling two disgusting-smelling hot dogs for him. He sat at the island, arms folded over his chest watching every move I made in silence. It seemed oddly domestic and much more comfortable than I wanted to admit. So I did what I do best, I ignored it and him for as long as I could.
CHAPTER 10
Brayden
I’d watched her sleeping. She lay on her right side, curled up like a baby, hands cushioning her face as if the pillows just weren’t good enough. Her damp hair fanned behind her, long lashes resting against the olive tone of her skin. My fingers itched to touch her, mouth watered at the idea of climbing into the bed and spooning my body against hers. Her scent filled my mind until even if I ran out of this house, down to the beach, and thrust myself into the waves, she’d still feel like she was right next to me. I’d want her just as strongly and need her just as badly.
This feeling wasn’t going away, it would never subside and I’d always need my
companheiro
with me. What did that say for how this current situation between us would turn out?
Now that we were in the kitchen and she was moving around, keeping herself occupied with fixing something to eat, she would convince herself that it was all settled, that there was nothing else for us to say or do. But she was wrong. There was still so much between us, like a huge barrier that I could neither climb nor knock down, no matter how strong I claimed to be.
“Aidan says the Assembly is worried about the rise in the number of rogues coming Stateside,” I said as a form of broaching one of the touchy subjects.
There may be a barrier between us but I wasn’t going to let that intimidate me, I couldn’t.
I could see her shoulders drop as she stood at the stove, forking each hot dog out of the pot and placing them onto the slices of bread she’d put neatly on a plate.
“Wherever there’s good, bad will always follow,” she said quietly.
“Your mom tell you that?” I asked, already knowing the answer. After her brother had defected, Adelina Morales had gone into a sort of depression, only talking to her husband and Lidia, who was too young to really understand what was going on, but old enough to know that something was horribly wrong. I’d always been amazed at how much Lidia had managed to retain from that time, the words she remembered, the snickers and theinsults, all of which she endured until my parents took her away.
“Yes,” was her reply. “It’s inevitable. Whether it was someone I knew or was related to or someone you knew or were related to. There are always those that want more, that are guided by greed and opportunity. There’s nothing any of us can do to stop that.”
This was her defense, the one she’d practiced over the years. It was a casual indifference to what was going on in our world, a resolute demeanor that didn’t land her on either side of the cause. I was used to it and normally ignored it, but this time, I was afraid that maybe it was time for Lidia to chose a side.
We ate in silence and I cleaned up the dishes since she’d prepared the food. Of course she hadn’t stayed in the kitchen with me so I’d had to
“Are you hungry?”
He’d been sitting across the room for I don’t know how long, but I’d felt his presence the moment I opened my eyes.
“Yes, a little,” I replied, not looking at him.
“The kitchen is stocked. I can fix you a salad or something,” he told me.
I shook my head. “You only cook microwave food and cereal.”
“I think I saw some of that soy milk you like in the refrigerator.”
I couldn’t help it, I smiled, and minutes later I was downstairs with Brayden mixing a salad for myself and boiling two disgusting-smelling hot dogs for him. He sat at the island, arms folded over his chest watching every move I made in silence. It seemed oddly domestic and much more comfortable than I wanted to admit. So I did what I do best, I ignored it and him for as long as I could.
CHAPTER 10
Brayden
I’d watched her sleeping. She lay on her right side, curled up like a baby, hands cushioning her face as if the pillows just weren’t good enough. Her damp hair fanned behind her, long lashes resting against the olive tone of her skin. My fingers itched to touch her, mouth watered at the idea of climbing into the bed and spooning my body against hers. Her scent filled my mind until even if I ran out of this house, down to the beach, and thrust myself into the waves, she’d still feel like she was right next to me. I’d want her just as strongly and need her just as badly.
This feeling wasn’t going away, it would never subside and I’d always need my
companheiro
with me. What did that say for how this current situation between us would turn out?
Now that we were in the kitchen and she was moving around, keeping herself occupied with fixing something to eat, she would convince herself that it was all settled, that there was nothing else for us to say or do. But she was wrong. There was still so much between us, like a huge barrier that I could neither climb nor knock down, no matter how strong I claimed to be.
“Aidan says the Assembly is worried about the rise in the number of rogues coming Stateside,” I said as a form of broaching one of the touchy subjects.
There may be a barrier between us but I wasn’t going to let that intimidate me, I couldn’t.
I could see her shoulders drop as she stood at the stove, forking each hot dog out of the pot and placing them onto the slices of bread she’d put neatly on a plate.
“Wherever there’s good, bad will always follow,” she said quietly.
“Your mom tell you that?” I asked, already knowing the answer. After her brother had defected, Adelina Morales had gone into a sort of depression, only talking to her husband and Lidia, who was too young to really understand what was going on, but old enough to know that something was horribly wrong. I’d always been amazed at how much Lidia had managed to retain from that time, the words she remembered, the snickers and theinsults, all of which she endured until my parents took her away.
“Yes,” was her reply. “It’s inevitable. Whether it was someone I knew or was related to or someone you knew or were related to. There are always those that want more, that are guided by greed and opportunity. There’s nothing any of us can do to stop that.”
This was her defense, the one she’d practiced over the years. It was a casual indifference to what was going on in our world, a resolute demeanor that didn’t land her on either side of the cause. I was used to it and normally ignored it, but this time, I was afraid that maybe it was time for Lidia to chose a side.
We ate in silence and I cleaned up the dishes since she’d prepared the food. Of course she hadn’t stayed in the kitchen with me so I’d had to
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