Page 16 of The House Guest
“Lily. The first great tragedy of my life.”
“Not the last unfortunately, huh?” He exhaled.
“No.”
“Well, that certainly explains your reaction.”
“Sorry for freaking out. I realize therewas nothing to freak out about.”
“No apologies needed.”
“Thank you for risking your life to grab me a blanket.” I smiled.
“You evensleepin crop tops, I see.” Dorian gave me a once-over, sending a chill down my back.
“What else is there?” I smirked.
Our eyes caught for a long moment before I went toward the kitchen.
“You’re not going back to bed?” he called from behind me.
I turned, walking backward. “I’m wired now. I won’t sleep. Just gonna make some tea.” Stopping, I tilted my head. “Wanna join me?”
He chewed his bottom lip for a moment. “I should try to get some shut-eye. I have to leave early in the morning.”
Disappointed, I turned away from him again. “Okay, then. Goodnight.”
“’Night.”
Still feeling on edge as I made tea, I watched as the steam began to rise from the kettle, trying to catch it before the whistle went off. I removed it from the stovetop and poured the hot water into a mug.
After moving over to the breakfast nook, I sipped my tea while looking out at the dark ocean. It had been years since I’d been spooked by a fire alarm like that. I thoughtI’d gotten over it, but trauma was a bitch. Dorian had been super sweet to go inside to get me that blanket. Despite my nerves, wrapping it around myself had felt like a warm hug.
About twenty minutes later, I heard footsteps and Dorian appeared, now wearing a black T-shirt over his gray sweatpants. Goose bumps peppered my arms at the sight of him.
His hair was tousled, his voice groggy. “Hey.”
“I thought you were gonna try to sleep.”
“Turns out I’m pretty wired, too. I guess it’s contagious.”
“Want some tea? I can heat up the water.”
“Sure.”
Dorian took a seat at the breakfast nook as I walked over to the stove.
I reached for the canister of teas and turned to him. “Darjeeling or Earl Grey?”
“Actually, got any whiskey? I’ve had that kind of week.”
I couldn’t tell whether he was serious. “Sorry, no.”
“English Breakfast, then?”
“Don’t have that, either.”
“I’ll take the Earl Grey.”
