It was just a turn of phrase.
It meant nothing.
Yet try telling that to my skipping heartbeat.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Alara
I had no idea what my expectations were for Christopher’s apartment, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.
The general base of it was masculine, understandably. It had rich leather couches, dark woods, and a fundamental lack of fabrics (carpets, curtains). But there was warmth around, evidence of the kids scattered about: shoes near, not in, the shoe cabinet behind the door; two of those big, extra-soft stuffed animal creatures as pillows on the couch; books on the coffee table; book bags sitting on the round dining table’s chairs; a forgotten cereal bowl on the counter.
I liked the details, the texture that said a family lived here—not perfectly, but happily.
“This is Char’s room, obviously,” Christopher said.
I’d insisted he put me down when we got into his apartment, but he was lending an arm for me to lean on as I hobbled through his space.
The whole space screamed Charlotte. The bright colors, the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, stuffed animals, collection of blankets and pillows, and the overall neatness.
“And Liam.”
Liam’s room was definitely messier and without a real theme to it. His bed was unmade, with a sketchpad, headphones, and a random empty plate on top. His nightstand had three cans of different sodas, a coffee cup, and an empty snack bag of chips. And, yeah, most of the clothes were near instead of inside the laundry basket. But overall, it wasn’t awful. Just a typical kid who likely needed to be nagged to clean up. And a guardian with a lot on his plate.
“And this is where you’re staying.”
The room was significantly smaller than the other two. So much so that the queen-sized bed took up most of the floor space and still had to be bumped up against two walls to make room for a small dresser. But there was a TV and a tiny nightstand with a lamp. It would definitely do. Plus, the whole space smelled like him.
“Wait, I should change the sheets,” he said as I dropped onto the side of the bed.
“Are they dirty?”
“No, but I slept in them last night.”
“I’m not that nitpicky,” I said, pulling myself up, my foot immediately throbbing once the pressure was off.
“I only have one extra pillow,” he said, fetching it and sticking it under my foot. “I’ll send Liam out later to get something to prop it up higher.”
“Is it nice?”
“Is what nice?”
“Having little live-in servants?”
To that, he snorted.
“When I can convince him to do something, yes. I haven’t needed to see the inside of the grocery store in a week. How about I get you some coffee so you can take one of those pills? And don’t say you don’t need them; your face is all tight.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” He handed me the remote and moved out of the bedroom.
The apartment was unusually silent for the city. So much so that I could hear him taking the cups down from the cabinet and opening and closing the fridge. And, of course, the front door as the kids came home.
“Tuna!” Charlotte cheered. In my mind, I saw her crouching down to give him love, even if he would barely tolerate it.
“Why is Tuna here?” Liam asked, immediately suspicious.
