Page 8 of Hidden By the Gargoyle

He set my duffel bag on the end of the bed and walked to the door closest to us, distracting me from my racing thoughts.

“The bathroom is through here,” he said, opening the door.

I came forward and peered inside. The bathroom was spacious. There was a soaking tub against the left wall, beneath a window, a double sink against the wall directly across from the door, and a big, glass-walled shower was against the right wall. It was a nice bathroom but utterly devoid of any sort of décor or theme. The walls and tile were white. The only touch of color was the finished pine floors and the grey bathmats in front of the shower and tub.

That was it. Even the towels were all white.

“The closet is the other door. There’s plenty of space and I have a few empty drawers in the wall system if you want to use them.”

He walked away from the bathroom and to the closet. It was a nice-sized walk-in closet with rails, shelves, and built-in drawers, and he hadn’t been lying when he said there was plenty of space. It was nearly empty.

Hanging on one of the rails were a few flannel shirts, some t-shirts in white, grey, and black, and one warm winter coat. There were probably eight or nine pairs of jeans next to them, also on hangers. In the shelves next to that rail were two pairs of beat-up sneakers, a pair of scuffed work boots, and a pair of black dress shoes.

That was it.

Other than the flannel shirt, jeans, and work boots he was wearing now, that was the sum total of clothes Dax had in his closet. The rest of the shelves and rails were bare.

“Those drawers are empty,” he said, gesturing to a column of four drawers on the other side of the closet.

“Okay,” I said, my voice faint. “Thanks.”

“Well, I’ll let you unpack while I make lunch,” he said.

I nodded without looking back at him. Once I heard his heavy steps retreat down the stairs, I opened the drawers to my left. The top two held underwear, socks, and what looked like athletic shorts and pants. The bottom two held nothing. My heart sank as I walked back out into the loft area and looked around. Then, I went into the bathroom.

In the medicine cabinet, he had the basics—deodorant, shave gel, razor, and a comb. Nothing else.

With a sigh, I went back into the loft bedroom and unzipped my duffel, pulling out my toiletry bag. It struck me as sad that, once I unpacked, I would have more stuff in Dax’s bathroom than he did.

I knew he’d lived in this cabin for several years, probably close to ten or fifteen, yet it looked like a temporary living arrangement rather than a permanent residence.

I cared about Dax. I had since I’d gotten to know him. I’d always thought he was so much older and more sophisticated than I was, that he had so much more life experience than I did. But this didn’t seem like the home of a well-traveled, content man. It seemed like a crash pad.

It made me wonder if Dax was truly living at all.

My chest ached and my heart felt heavy. Dax was a good man…male. He deserved to be happy and to have a full life.

Yet I got the impression that he was merely existing here.

I finished unpacking my clothes, hanging up my pants and shirts in the closet and tucking my underwear, socks, tank tops, and sleep shorts in the drawers.

I wish I’d known that we were sharing a bedroom because I would have packed actual pajamas instead of skin-tight tank tops and tiny boxer shorts. I usually slept in the least amount of clothes possible because I hated feeling tangled up in my nightclothes.

My heart rate sped up again because I remembered that there was only one bed. We weren’t just sharing a bedroom, but a bed.

I couldn’t think about this right now, because if I did, I’d freak out. I’d have to save the freakout for later. When I had a moment alone.

No, I wasn’t going to freak out. I’d already decided we were both adults and I wasn’t making a big deal out of this.

Great, now I was in a mental argument with myself. Less than a half hour into my stay with Dax, and I was already on the verge of insanity.

I heard Dax moving around downstairs and smelled something delicious cooking, which made my stomach rumble. Insanity would have to wait until I didn’t have an audience.

I finished putting away my clothes and toiletries and tucked my duffel away in the closet. Once I was done, I headed downstairs and found Dax pouring tomato soup into a couple of bowls. The bowls were on plates and there was a grilled ham and cheese sandwich on each one, cut on the horizontal so they made two neat triangles.

Grilled ham and cheese with tomato soup was one of my favorite comfort meals. I always ate this when I wasn’t feeling well, or if I was having a bad day.

Considering that I’d already dealt with a warlock throwing around dark magic and finding out there was only one bed in this cabin, I’d say it wasn’t the best day so far.

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