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Becky typically slipped in, and the first couple times, he caught her lying on the floor.
Then, once he removed all of the dirty clothes, school papers, and a basketball that had been covering the chair, she started lying on it. Then, he got a little smarter and thought about setting out the blanket and pillow.
She still hadn’t told him where she came from or what she did. Where she went.
But he felt like she was trusting him more. Even though he couldn’t go help her every day. His parents expected him to do all the things that a kid from a family like theirs did. Golfing, going out in the sailboat on the lake, whether with their friends or with his dad.
He had his summer pretty much scheduled.
But he’d gotten off when he could.
His bed sagged, and his eyes flew open.
This was new.
He held his breath. He realized now it was raining outside, and he could hear teeth chattering as Becky leaned over, her other leg coming up silently.
He hadn’t even considered the rain. Despite the summer day, or night rather, it was chilly.
He should have slid over more, but it was too late now. If he did that, she’d know he was awake.
Carefully, she slowly moved down until she was lying beside him. Her back to his front. Thankfully, he was under the covers, and he’d taken to wearing a pair of sweatpants to bed. He hadn’t put on a T-shirt, but he determined that from then on, he would.
This was not a good thing. He could be in serious trouble if he got caught like this. But her shivering teeth got to him.
She must have grabbed the blanket from the chair, because she pulled it over top of herself and curled up in a ball, touching him for the warmth he could give.
He supposed, if he was in for a penny, he should be in for the whole pound.
His arm came out and went around her.
“Be still. You’re freezing,” he said softly, his chin at the top of her head as he tucked her closer to him.
She must have been extremely cold, because she didn’t protest. It was very seldom that Becky didn’t protest about something. It seemed to be her nature to never accept anything at face value. To always question.
Maybe it was just her upbringing or the way she’d been raised.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you up.” Her words came out between the clacking of her jaw, pinched, like she was pulling herself as tight inside as she could, to conserve heat.
“You didn’t wake me. You never do. I’m always up, listening.”
She stiffened, if that were possible, and he pulled her closer, willing her to get warm. He didn’t want her to catch pneumonia.
“You sneak,” she hissed, her teeth not clacking quite as much as they had been.
“That’s you. You’re the one that’s sneaking into my bedroom. Do you know how much trouble I would be in if anyone caught you?”
“I always leave as soon as the sun comes up. Sometimes before.” Her words were still hissed, but the anger wasn’t in them anymore.
“I know. Tell me why,” he finally said at last, after she paused, hoping that he wasn’t pushing her and she wouldn’t jump out of the bed and run off into the rain. That was the last, very last, thing he wanted.
She was quiet for a while, though her teeth still chattered, and he knew she wasn’t asleep. Her hair was wet, and it soaked into his pillow, making his chin and neck wet with big, cold drops that clung to him. It only emphasized how cold she must be.
Summer in Michigan could get hot, but the nights often chilled down no matter how hot the days were. Especially with the breeze off the lake.
“You can’t tell anyone. Promise?”
“Promise,” he said casually.
