Page 40 of Stoker's Serenity

“Thanks, Marlin.”

“No worries.”

“Night.”

“Night.”

We disconnected.

I sighed and went in to be with my girl.

13

Serenity…

I woke to the sounds of Stoker shuffling around my apartment in the dark, his footfalls thudding dully against the kitchen tile. He was trying to be quiet as he poured a travel mug of coffee at my kitchen counter, but there was only so much he could do with steel-toed boots against a hard floor in the quiet wee hours of the morning.

The sun was making an effort to rise, but it looked like it needed some coffee of its own. I blinked, willing my eyes to adjust in the diffuse light and sat up sharply.

“Hey,” he murmured, looking back at me over his shoulder.

I felt hungover without the pain. Whatever he’d given me to take had been a powerful drug.

“Hey,” I whispered back, putting a hand to my head. “What did you give me?”

It was hard to think, like my head was stuffed with clouds and my thoughts sluggish. I was as relaxed as could be, but it wasn’t a good feeling. It was like trying to think through thick molasses.

“Ativan, one of Faith’s. Marlin said it was an elephant tranquilizer dose and it looks like he wasn’t joking. You want some of this?” He lifted the coffee pot so I could see it and I nodded.

“’K, hang on. I’ll get you fixed up.”

He opened cabinets until he found the one he wanted and lifted down a coffee cup. He added creamer and poured the coffee, stirring it gently with a spoon, the sound the metal made against the inside of the ceramic cup sharp in the hushed quiet of my place.

“Here you go.” He came over and sat gently on the side of the bed and handed me the cup. I wrapped both hands around it and breathed in the steam rising from it, trapping the sheet to my body, raising my knees beneath it for modesty’s sake.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, and he put a hand on my knee, giving it a squeeze.

“I followed you,” he said. “Found you on the side of the road with Linny.”

I frowned. “I remember that, but what I meant was: why are you still here? Don’t you think I’m a crazy person?”

He sighed and shook his head. “No, I think you maybe been through some shit. Linny filled me in a little, about the shooting…” he trailed off. “I was hoping you might be willing to talk it out with me.”

“What is there to talk about?” I asked miserably. “You know now…”

“I know you were there, I know you were dating the guy that did it, and I know people have been giving you a ration of shit for it ever since – but the finer details? Not so much.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I uttered, and hid behind my coffee, taking a drink.

“You know what?” he said. “I can respect that. You ain’t got to talk about it. I mean, I’m still pretty new to you and I get it. I really do. Maybe someday, but today isn’t that day.”

I stared at him in open-mouthed disbelief.

“So, I guess that’s it then?” I squeaked and he leaned forward and put his mouth against mine.

My eyes fluttered shut unbidden and I tried not to wish that this wasn’t goodbye. I mean, what guy in their right mind would stick around for this?

“For now,” he said, and my breath caught in my throat. “I’ve got to get to work, but I’d like to come back here tonight. Do something low-key, maybe watch a movie or something. Cuddle.”

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