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Each day, I go into my room to grab clean clothes, and she does the same. Then we leave like it’s not weird or anything that we switched spaces. She’s not so tired in the mornings, but I still hear her crying sometimes late at night. The urge to comfort her is so strong that I often find myself on the other side of the door ready to let myself in. But then I think better of it and force myself to step away and leave her be.
Now Lennon is on summer break and sleeps in, so I tiptoe into my room, grab my things, then quietly leave. I should really just move my shit over, but until Lennon’s ready, I won’t. I don’t want to overstep my boundaries. I think she likes coming into this room and seeing his things where he left them, but she’s not quite ready to stay for more than a couple of minutes. I can’t imagine how painful it is.
“Morning,” Lennon greets me while I’m in the kitchen. “Coffee. Now,” she mutters. The sleepiness evident in her tone.
“Why are you up so early?” I ask, filling the coffee pot with water.
“Couldn’t fall back asleep after someone’s loud ass woke me up,” she says, but I know she’s teasing me by the way she’s grinning. I hit the brew button and wait.
“I beg to differ!” I say as if I’m offended at her accusation. “I was being very quiet.”
Lennon looks over at me, then down at the floor. “You have loud feet, Hunter.”
“What does that even mean? Loud feet?” I wrinkle my nose, walking to the fridge for the bottle of creamer for her.
“I don’t know, but your feet are massive and clunk against the floor.” She waves a hand around as if she’s trying to think of the right words. “Clammer? Clank? Whatever. You know what I mean.”
She gets all flustered, which makes me laugh. “Okay, sorry. I can grab my clothes before bed from now on. Unless you want me to just move them over to my room? Your room. I mean.”
I study her face, hoping I didn’t upset her. “It’s okay. I was only teasing.” Her face holds no expression as she reaches for two mugs and sets them on the counter. “I think I’m gonna read today.”
“Oh yeah?” I ask.
“There’s a new book I’ve been hearing about that releases today, so I’m hoping Barnes & Noble has it in stock.”
I love hearing her talk about getting out of the house without being told or reminded.
“What’s it called?” I ask, genuinely interested.
The coffeemaker beeps, and Lennon fills my mug first. I don’t use creamer, so I start blowing on mine right away. When I finally take a sip, Lennon answers, “Snitches Get Stitches.”
My mouth isn’t fast enough to move away from my coffee before it spews from my lips. She starts laughing as I try to hold the cup away from my body. I wasn’t expecting that response at all.
“Are you okay?” she asks, though she’s still chuckling at my expense.
“Um…besides burning the fuck out of my lips, yeah.” I set the mug down and grab a paper towel to wipe my chin and shirt. “That’s a weird ass title I wasn’t anticipating.” I start laughing then too.
“I know, but that’s what makes it fun. It’s an MC romance,” she admits.
“MC?” My brows raise as I think about it. Wait. “Motorcycle?”
“Motorcycle club,” she confirms. She turns and pours herself a cup, then adds creamer.
“Lennon.” She looks up at me. “You sure that’s a good idea? I mean, considering?” I’m shocked she’d even have an interest in that because of Brandon’s accident.
She shrugs as if she’s unsure. “I think it’ll be a way to face my fears or something. I’ve read the other books in the series, so at least I know what to expect.”
Licking my lips, the tip of my tongue feeling burnt, I stay silent as I watch her expression. She wants my approval, to tell her it’s okay to enjoy reading even if she thinks she’s supposed to be miserable for the rest of her life.
“Then I think you should get it.” I flash her a smile, though I feel hesitant. The last thing she needs is to spiral down again to where she was weeks ago. After finally making some progress, I’d hate to see her beat herself up again. “Only if it doesn’t upset you.”
Lennon takes a sip of her coffee like it’s nothing, probably because it’s more creamer than anything else, and flashes me a grin. “Don’t worry. If it becomes too much, I’ll put it in the freezer.”
I furrow my brows, wondering if she’s serious. “Huh?” I grab my to-go mug and pour the rest of my coffee into it. I have to leave for work soon.
