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“I’ll be Jack and you’ll be Sally,” I joke, and she huffs out a reluctant laugh.
“Thank you for bringing him here. I’m sorry I snapped at you. I hate feeling helpless. It makes me ragey.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” I lean down to kiss her on her forehead, and her eyelids flutter shut. “Did you know there’s no heat or power at Henry’s?”
“What?” She pulls back. I figured she wouldn’t just leave him there like that. I nod, running my hands up her arms to keep her warm.
“Let’s talk inside. It’s cold as fuck.”
“Wait,” she says, stopping me. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. It was dark inside. Figured maybe he was just going to sleep. But it was freezing in there. I had to talk him into coming with me.”
She shakes her head. “I didn’t know. I mean, it’s not the first time this has happened. But we’ve never lived in the arctic fucking tundra before.”
I pull her inside and shut the door behind us. Jess sits on the couch, looking half-asleep.
“Help yourself to whatever food you can find if you’re hungry. There’s a bed for you upstairs. First door on the right,” I tell him.
“Thanks, man.”
“I’ll be up soon,” Lo says as I walk up the stairs to give them some time to talk.
“How…domestic,” Jess remarks, and I hear Lo tell him to shut up right before I close my door.
I take off my clothes, leaving my boxer briefs on since Jesse’s staying over. I fall onto my bed, thinking about how much chaos has fallen into my lap since Lo entered my life, but even more troubling is the fact that I don’t mind the mess. It’s a nice reprieve from my own.
When I wake up, it’s still insanely early. Too early. My own personal furnace is lying halfway on top of me, one of her legs between mine, cheek smashed against my chest. I brush the hair out of her face with my fingers, noticing how young and innocent she looks in her sleep. Sometimes I forget she’s only twenty-one.
Slipping out from underneath her, I walk quietly to my bathroom, making sure not to wake her. She had a long night. Shit, this girl has had a long life. I take a piss and brush my teeth before throwing my black jeans and hoodie on. My cabinets are pathetically bare, so I decide to stop by Sissy’s and Belle’s for some coffee and breakfast to bring back.
Jess is still asleep, if the colossal fucking snores coming from his room are anything to go by. Once I’m downstairs, I glance at the time on the stove. Six thirty. I don’t remember what the fuck time high school starts, but I’m guessing around eight, so I have time.
Sissy and Bella are elderly sisters, and two of the small group of people who never treated me any differently. Sissy runs the coffee shop while Belle runs the diner. You’d think they hated each other with how much they bicker, but that’s just how they’ve always been. Ever since I’ve known them anyway. I grab a couple of orders of waffles before heading over to get coffee from Sissy. You can’t go to one without the other.
Sissy hands me a drink carrier full of coffees, then walks out from behind the counter with a bag of extra pastries, like always, as she gives me shit about seeing “that old hag” next door before coming to see her. When I remind her that she’s the older sibling, she flips me off.
“Nice to see you, too, Sissy.”
* * *
WHEN I WOKE UP THIS morning, Dare wasn’t here. A sense of panic rose inside of me. Then I panicked even more because I was panicking. Panicking equals falling for someone. Depending on someone. And as soon as that happens, they leave. Everybody leaves.
So much for not getting attached.
As I wash my hair—helping myself to Dare’s shower—the rational side of my brain starts to wake up. He probably had an errand to run, or something. Last night, he implied that he wanted a relationship. Nothing happened to change that in the middle of the night, and he did go out of his way to make sure Jess and I had clothes to survive the winter that we severely underestimated, fucked me like he worshipped me, then bailed my little brother out of a potentially dangerous situation.
Those aren’t the actions of a man who plans to leave.
Once I’m finished, I step out, my wet hair dripping onto the cold floor. I wrap myself in a towel, then brush my teeth with my finger, which is about as effective as it sounds, but it’s better than nothing. Remembering the clothes downstairs, I run to grab the bags and dump the contents out onto Dare’s bed.
Jesus. He really went all out. Beanies, leggings, thermals, boots, long-sleeved T-shirts, a pair of gloves, more of the socks that I plucked off the top of the bag last night. Something lacy catches my eye, and I fish it out from underneath one of those puffy vests. I hold it up in front of me. It’s strappy, black lingerie, and I can’t help but laugh. So maybe his motives weren’t purely selfless.
I decide on a light gray fitted hoodie with the black puffy vest and leggings. I’m surprised to find that not only does it fit, but it still feels like…me. I pull on the pair of tan boots with a black toe. They’re fur-lined and probably the most comfortable thing my foot has ever been inside. They’re maybe half a size too big, but with the right socks, they’ll be perfect.
I hear the alarm on Jess’ phone go off, so I scoop his stuff up and make my way to the room he stayed in. He’s sitting on the edge of bed, shirtless, hands in his hair, appearing to still be half-asleep.
“Hey. Got some things for you,” I say, lifting the bag. He eyes it suspiciously.
