Chapter 32
Kallie
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Kallie chopped vegetablesat the counter, humming softly, as the late afternoon sun spilled across the kitchen floor.She loved staying in the house with Finn.The safe, warm, lived-in area was a peaceful pocket carved out of the strangeness of Everstill.
She had grown used to the rhythm of their days together.The quiet mornings while Finn wandered around town were spent inside, dreaming about their life when the veil let them leave.He would return to share lunch with her.Then they kept each other company until dinner and spent each evening loving one another.
Finn had changed so much since she first arrived.Softer.Warmer.More open.He smiled now.Really smiled, and every time he did, something inside her lit up.
Finn wandered in from the living room, sleeves pushed up, hair a little messy from running his hands through it.He paused in the doorway, watching her with that look he always got when he thought she wasn't paying attention.
"What?"She tossed a carrot slice at him.
He caught it midair."You're beautiful."
"Because I'm in love with you."She caught her lower lip between her teeth.
He stepped closer, sliding an arm around her waist from behind."I love you, Kallie with a K," he murmured against her neck.
She sighed, leaning against him.Those were words that came easily from him now.
"I love you, too."She elbowed him lightly."But you're distracting me."
"I'm helping."He kissed the spot below her ear.
She laughed, swatting at him with the wooden spoon."Finn!"
He dodged the weapon, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around to face him.She landed against his chest, her hands splayed over his shirt, and he dipped his head to kiss her.Her toes curled at the slow, warm way his lips lingered on her.
When he pulled back, she smiled hard enough her cheeks ached."You're a wonderful kisser."
"Only with you," he said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear."I don't ever want to know a world without you."
She kissed him."You won't, because I'm never going to leave your side, honey."
She turned back to the counter, and Finn stayed pressed against her back, stealing pieces of chopped vegetables, rubbing her stomach, and kissing the side of her neck.Being with him bolstered her spirit.
Throughout her whole life, she craved physical touch.Foster parents were hands-off, probably because of the plethora of rules they had to follow.There were no hugs, no kisses, no comforting hands when the world got scary.
Then, she reached her teens, and every foster brother and boy at the school seemed to go out of their way to poke her arms, shove her, and snap her bra.For the longest time, she wondered if that was all there was to life.
She often wondered whether, if she'd confided in friends or had an elder to guide her, she would've learned how wonderful and special it was to love someone.
Maybe that's why she had bonded with Finn at such a young age and remained determined to find him again.With him, she understood that he would never hurt her.He was safe.He would protect her.
Loving him was easier than she'd imagined.Slipping into a physical and mental relationship with Finn was exciting and brought her more contentment than she'd ever known.
Inside the house, Everstill didn't feel dangerous.It was just them, loving each other.
Kallie stirred the pot of stew on the stove, and Finn reached around her to grab a spice jar.She leaned into him without thinking, her head resting against his shoulder for a moment.He kissed the top of her head, and warmth spread through her chest.
This was the kind of life she wanted.A future where he responded to her love with his own.
She turned in his arms, looping her hands behind his neck."You know," she said softly, "you're getting really good at this whole domestic thing."
He raised an eyebrow."Domestic?"
