“I'm not scared of the dark. I'm scared of what's in the dark. When I wake up from a nightmare, it helps me realize that I'm awake and nothing...and no one...who can hurt me is around. Ethan used the dark to hurt me at times.” I let out a long sigh and his brows knitted together as soon as I said that last sentence. Talking to Caleb about everything was easier than I’d expected it would be—difficult still, but easier than I expected.
“I’m so sorry. That sounds like a good reason to me, though.” He gave me a small smile. “Can I tell you a secret?”
I nodded and sat next to him, genuinely curious about what his secret could be.
“I have a small night-light in my bathroom, one in the guest bath, and one in the hallway. Reason is, I just flat out don't like the darkness. The farm is dark at night, so when my parents died, I put more lights up around the farm and a few night-lights around the house. I do still need to get cameras, but I haveplentyof lights.” He smiled at me in a way that took my breath away. That smile, paired with his confession, made my heart speed up.
“Really?” I tried to hide the fact that his confession ignited something inside me. I knew my cheeks were probably pink right now.
“Cross my heart, Sunshine.”
His smile confirmed what he’d been telling me all along: that I wasn’t alone in this. That thought both scared me and made me want more.
Chapter 23
Caleb
The front porch wasquiet besides the occasional creaking of the porch swing and the crickets in the grass. The air was warm and still, and the stars were glowing so brightly tonight.
Rae sat with her legs crisscrossed with a glass of sweet white wine in her hands, her eyes focused on the sky. I sat next to her, a glass of whisky in my hand, watching her, and Duke lay at the porch steps, watching the yard. After we had come back to my house, she wanted to go change and ended up taking a nap as well. I made dinner for us while she slept. She’d woken up with a smile that I hadn’t seen much of since she’d come home.
She seemed relaxed during dinner and happy when I suggested sitting outside for a bit afterwards. She was wearing leggings and an oversized hoodie and looked stunning, but there was now a storm in her eyes that made me realize she was not as calm and cozy as she looked.
"Feels like I lost you to your thoughts. Where’d you go?" I asked with a low and gentle voice. I wanted to pull her back from where her mind was, not scare her out of it.
"Y-yeah, I’m sorry. Just tired. It's been a long day." She stretched and rubbed at her shoulder, probably feeling all of the tension she’d been holding onto.
I nodded, understanding that. I twisted the whisky glass around in my hands, wanting to offer to rub her shoulders, to help her relax, but not wanting her to pull back from me. I didn’t know if offering that would be too much for her, for us.
A minute of silence passed.
"Want me to rub your shoulders?" I decided to just ask. I would work every day to let her know she can trust me, so if she retreated a bit, I would work to regain her trust.
Rae stiffened almost immediately, and I noticed the change. Crap. Her body tensed the way it did when she told me her secrets the other night. However, her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply. I watched her take a few deep breaths, and then she looked at me. She seemed nervous, like she didn't know how to answer without possibly disappointing me.
"It's just your shoulders, Sunshine, and no pressure at all. I promise.”
