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In a blink he had me pressed into his chest, his head tucked on top of mine as he held on as tightly as he could. I cuddled into his shoulder, soaking in the pure happiness that being in his arms brought. This was my home and without a doubt, nothing would make me leave him now.
We’d only been together a few months, but sometimes things didn’t have to make sense. Emotions rarely did, and I wasn’t about to drag my heels with him because we weren’t moving at everyone else’s pace.
He was mine, and that’s what mattered.
"Thank you. I'm glad you're staying, and I'm even more so that you told me." He said, voice vibrating with the emotions all but pulsing through him.
Pressing a hand flat to his chest over the steady thrum of his heart, I nodded.
"There was no point in keeping it to myself. Besides, you've probably worried about it, right? I don't want to put you through that for any longer than necessary."
In his place it would have driven me crazy, wondering if he was staying or going. Not once had he so much as pressured me to choose him, and it only made me adore him more for it.
His arm tucked around me, nose brushing my pulse point tenderly before pulling back with clear reluctance. Once there was space between us, he sighed.
"As much as I'd love to hide in your neck and never leave, we should move to the bed. My everything is already cramping, and it's only going to get worse the longer we stay here."
Our little happy bubble popped, and I finally took in our positions. He was using the table to support most of his weight and the angle didnotlook comfy in the slightest. Even from here I could see the strain it was putting on him and I straightened, pulling us upright.
"If you'll grab the plates and head to my room, I’ll join you after checking the mail. There's nothing more comfy than breakfast in bed."
He dipped his head in agreement, but before he moved to grab the plates, he bent low and kissed my cheek.
Warmth tingled out from the skin, and he smiled. "That was just because I could."
I couldn’t think of a better reason to be affectionate.
He went to pull away but I caught his arm, dragging him back into a deeper, longer kiss. When my lungs burned in protest, I stepped back and grinned.
“You can’t be the only one doing things just because you can,” I said and he chuckled, cheeks turning the slightest shade of pink as he did.
“That’s more than fair. I’ll…go bring the food into the room and wait for you.” There was an almost dream-like daze to him as he left with the plates, and I shook my head fondly. He made me into a giddy teenager again, and I had no complaints.
Turning for the front door, I focused. Get the mail,thengo melt into a pile of happy mush with him.
Peeking out the window to be sure no one else was awake this early, I darted out and snagged the mail. My trek back inside stopped cold when the scent of rot shoved into my nose, the putrid cloud all but covering the area until I gagged on it.
Covering my mouth and nose, I looked for the source, only to freeze when I found it.
In my rush to leave, I hadn’t noticed the blood.
There wassomethingnailed to my door, the steady drip of red on the ground all I could focus on as my stomach rolled.
I couldn’t speak–couldn’t scream–and my lungs locked as if refusing to take in air. This was awful, cruel in a way I’d never seen before. This animal, whatever it’d been, had suffered before I’d found them. Who could-?!
The answer came as quickly as the question did.
Harvey.
He’d always hated animals, sneering over my love of them, and now he’d chosen to leave a message. Sliding down the opposite wall, I fought to wheeze in enough air to make the world stop tilting on its axis.
Dimly I heard Oliver’s voice, his footsteps coming closer, but I couldn’t respond. All my attention was on the mess Harvey had made of my door.
When he made it to me, I could finally make out what he was saying through the buzzing in my ears.
“Jen! What happened, are you hurt?”
He knelt in front of me, hands carefully prodding along my chest and sides. Swallowing around the bile rising in my throat, I shook my head and held onto him like a lifeline.
