Page 55 of Bliss: Part 1
It was around eight-thirty, the sun was slowly setting. After a full day of watching the guys work on clearing out the barn, arguing, sweating, and barely getting along, this little barbecue felt like the perfect way to end the day.
Odin didn’t look away from the grill. “No, I’ll eat out here. With all the damn food you all eat, I can’t step away from this thing for more than a minute. Soon as I do, someone’s yelling they’re still hungry.”
I studied him for a second. He looked tired but satisfied.
Without saying anything, I walked over and sat down on the porch swing across from him, balancing my plate on my lap.
He glanced over. “What are you doing, kid?”
“Eating out here so you’re not by yourself. Unless you’d rather be alone, then I’ll move.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Then, after a second, he added, “But I don’t mind your company.”
I gave him a little smile and started eating, picking up a sausage and taking a bite. It was still too hot, so I had to puff out some air, trying not to burn my tongue.
We sat in silence for a bit, the only sound coming from the low sizzle of meat and the occasional clink of the tongs against the grill grate. It felt comfortable, and there was no pressure to say anything.
“What’d you do today besides cook for everyone?” I asked after a minute.
“Cleaned this old thing,” he said, patting the grill with the tongs like it was his prized possession. “Figured it was about time. Damn thing was full of old grease and buildup. I’m surprised it didn’t catch fire last time we used it.”
“Oh, sothat’swhy the food tastes different,” I said.
“What do you mean, different?” He turned his head to look at me.
“Well, before you cleaned it, the meat always had this…greasy, smoky aftertaste. The meat was more…flavorful before. Now it just tastes like regular old meat.”
His face froze. “You telling me I made it worse by cleaning it?”
I stared at him, my face dead serious. “Yes. Ruined it completely.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, not entirely sure if I was joking or not. After a moment, he shook his head and muttered something under his breath that I didn’t catch.
“You messing with me?”
I grinned. “Absolutely.”
He rolled his eyes and turned back to the grill, though I caught the corner of his mouth twitching in amusement. “Alright then. More eating, less talking.”
I giggled softly and focused on my food. Every now and then, the others came out to grab more food. They didn’t question me sitting out here, and after coming back out the third time, Rhys—surprisingly—asked if I wanted his company.
I shrugged at his question. “If you like,” I told him with a sweet smile.
Rhys wasn’t usually the one who needed to be close. But ever since we kissed, I’d noticed a difference. He didn’t act overly obvious or weird about it, but his eyes lingered on me more. Sometimes he touched my waist when he passed behind me, or his arm brushed mine, and he didn’t bother to move away. It felt intentional, and I enjoyed it.
Earlier, while I was sitting near the barn watching everyone work, Rhys came over to take a break. He had a beer in one hand and stood next to me for a minute. He reached out and put his hand on the back of my neck. His fingers started rubbing slowly, massaging that spot at the base of my skull, and I could barely focus on anything else. He didn’t say anything. Didn’t look at me. Just drank from his beer and kept his hand there.
He stood there for a second before deciding to sit down next to me on the swing. His plate was had another sausage and two wings on it. I looked over at him and smirked, shaking my head a little. I didn’t know how he or any of them could eat that much and still look like they had room for more.
I didn’t comment on it though, and continued to eat until he spoke again.
“We’re watching a movie later,” he said, then took a bite of one of the wings.
“Who’s we?” I asked.
“All of us.”
Odin turned his head toward us. “Yeah? What are we watching?”
