We stayed like that for a moment, my hand gently on her chin, barely touching it, and our eyes locked, like I was trying to read her mind—searching her soul for answers.
My phone buzzed across the room, breaking our focus from each other. I walked over to it and unlocked the screen. I couldn’t help but let out a laugh. “Well, at least we know the cameras are working!” I turned the screen towards her and Rae giggled as she saw a chicken on the porch.
“What's it pecking at?”
“Oh, that's right. A delivery person brought two small packages up while I was out front.” I opened the door and walked onto the front porch. “Hey, chicken, I'm gonna need those packages, please.” Rae stood in the doorway giggling while watching chicken peck me. “Maybe you don't need cameras after all. All you need is a guard chicken.”
Still giggling, Rae walked onto the porch and picked up the chicken. She spoke sweetly to it while running her fingers over its soft feathers. She then walked into the yard and placed it under the tree. I watched her the entire time, smiling at this sweet moment I had the honor of witnessing. “Okay, Miss Animal Whisperer.” We both laughed as I carried the packages inside for her.
Our hands brushed against each other as I passed her the boxes, and a blush appeared immediately on her face that she tried to hide by looking down at the shipping labels.
“Oh, great! This is my shampoo and body wash! The store was out of my favorite scents so I had to order them online. I've been using a different scent that I wasn't a big fan of since I got home.” She opened the bottle and took a deep breath while smelling the body wash. “Here, smell this.”
I stepped closer to her, smelled the familiar scent, and then looked at her. “That smells good. Peaches?”
A small glimmer of happiness appeared on her face. Smelling her favorite body wash brought her joy. Maybe it was the sense of normalcy it brought. Seeing her like this, finding the joy in something so simple, made her happy and turned me on.
It smelled how her favorite perfume smelled when we were in high school. She always liked the light fruity scents. The smell of the body wash lingered and my mind wandered to the idea of her being in the shower, getting out and wrapping herself in a towel, her hair wet—.
I immediately hated myself for that thought. She has obviously been uncomfortable a few times tonight, and while I was sure it wasn’t because of me, I couldn’t be so selfish. “Yup. It's called ‘Peaches and Sunshine.’” Her words broke up my thoughts.
I let out a chuckle. I attempted to quickly shove the thought that was just in my head away and stood behind a kitchen chair, hoping she had not noticed the crack in my composure.
“That name is fitting for you.” I smiled at her, and my smile only got bigger when she smiled back.
We both looked at the clock at the same time. “I should probably get some sleep,” I said. “I'm sorry. Offer is still open if you want to come stay with me.”
“Thank you. I think I’ll be okay. Thanks again for everything, Ranger.” She took a step towards me and immediately looked shy. Did she want a hug but didn’t feel comfortable asking for one?
She glanced up at me very briefly, and then down at the floor again before she began to take a step backwards. I couldn’t let that happen, so I extended my arms, offering a hug. She quickly stepped forward and placed her hands on my chest as I wrapped my arms around her.
“If you need anything, you call me. Anything at all. Okay?” I felt her nod and then she wrapped her arms around me. “I will always be there for you if you want me to be.”
She pulled back and whispered her thanks. I smiled at her and stepped out onto the porch. “Please lock up before I step off this porch. I’ll be watching the cameras. Goodnight, Rae.”
She thanked me again and smiled. This one finally reached her eyes. She then shut the door and locked it. Only then did I leave the porch and walk to my car.
I scanned the street to look for anything that stood out, looked back at the window and caught Rae peeking out at me. I smiled and waved, then got in and started the engine.
In the safety the darkness of the car brought, I let out a huge breath, willing the heat she’d caused when she hugged me to simmer down. As I drove home, the thought of Rae, even just being in her presence, drove me wild.Gosh, I don’t know what she has been going through, but she does not need this from me.
Another thought quickly rushed through my mind.Something had changed in her. Something had scared her.The thought of anyone hurting her infuriated me, and I just knew I had to help her feel safe again. Somehow.
