Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Kanan doesn’t ask me what I’m talking about because he knows when I press my hands to the floor-to-ceiling windows and look outside. “Kanan, this is amazing. It’s beautiful.”
He drops the suitcase to the side and comes to stand beside me. We both just stand here and look at the bright moon and the mountains. “This is a perfect place to write. I would sit out here all the time if I lived here.”
He flips on the back porch light. “There’s a couch, chairs, and a table on the deck. You can sit out here while you’re here.”
I’m hoping he skipped over what I confessed, but I should have known Kanan pays attention to everything. “What do you mean, write? What are you writing?”
I tilt my head to the side, hiding my face from him. “I write stories. I haven’t had any published or anything. It’s just something I enjoy doing.”
He moves closer to me. “What are your stories about?”
I’m still not looking at him. I can’t. “Love stories… romance.”
I see his reflection in the window, and he’s nodding his head. “If it’s something you like to do, you should do it. I’ve learned the last couple years that life’s too short to waste. Do what makes you happy, Emerson.”
I close my eyes and try to remember the last time I did something that makes me happy, but nothing comes to mind. I’m twenty-four years old, just got kicked out of school, I have no idea where my mom is or what she’s doing, my father was killed two years ago, and I have no car or place to call home. “Right now, I don’t have the luxury of doing what makes me happy. No, right now I need to find a job and a place to live.”
Kanan puts his hand on my shoulder, and the comfort I feel under the weight of his hold is instant. I want to lean into him, but I don’t. “Emmy, I know it feels like your world is falling apart, but I’m here, and I’m going to help you.”
I turn and look up at him. “I’m not your responsibility, Kanan. I wasn’t thinking by coming here. You have so much you’re dealing with already, I don’t need to add to it—”
He cuts me off. “You’re not.”
I shrug. “Well, thank you for that. Really, it means a lot, but I’m going to stand on my own two feet. I’m going to find a job tomorrow and a place to live. I’ll be out of your hair.”
He opens his mouth and then shuts it. I wait for him to say something, but when he withdraws into himself, I walk away, putting some distance between us. “Do you care if I take a shower? I feel disgusting after riding on that bus for twenty-five hours.”
His jaw tightens, and I regret bringing up the bus again. He obviously has issues with the fact that I rode it all the way from Texas to here. He grabs my suitcase from where he left it and starts wheeling it toward the bedroom.
“You can have the bedroom.”
I’m following behind him and am shaking my head. “No, I’m not kicking you out of your bed, Kanan. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“You’re not sleeping on the couch,” he says.
I grab my suitcase from his hand and pull it toward me. “Well, I’m not kicking you out of your bed. If you tried sleeping on the couch, your feet would hang over the edge, and you’d be uncomfortable. That’s ridiculous. I’ll sleep out there,” I tell him as I point toward the living room.
I say it with finality, but Kanan just laughs. I think he’s as surprised as I am when the sound escapes from his mouth. We both stare at each other before he walks over to the door. “You’ll sleep in here, Emmy.” He holds his hand up when I start to talk. “Trust me, I won’t be able to sleep in here, knowing you’re out there on the couch. That will make me uncomfortable.”
I want to argue with him. I really do, but I can’t. I brought my problems here, and it’s too late to do anything different. All I can do is get a job and get out of his way as quickly as possible. “Okay,” I mutter to him.
He must be expecting me to argue because he looks at me, confused. “Okay?”
I shrug. “It’s one night… tomorrow I’ll be gone.”
He grits his teeth, shakes his head, and then pulls the door closed behind him. I keep myself busy, opening my suitcase and getting some pajamas out. When I sit down on the edge of the bed, I take the time to look around the room. There’s no pictures on the wall, no trinkets on the dresser, nothing.
I spread my hand across the bed, feeling the softness under my palm. How many times have I thought about sleeping with Kanan? At least a hundred times. But in my dreams, he was always here with me. I would be in his bed with his arms wrapped around me, and for the first time, I wouldn’t feel completely alone anymore.