Page 50 of Tower
“It wasn’t that funny, was it?” I sigh as he starts stroking my pounding head.
“The idea of me havin’ the get-up-and-go for sex right now is abso-fuckin’-lutely funny.”
I giggle and close my eyes because his fingers on my scalp feel so good. He’s searching for the bruise, but he’s being gentle about it, caressing more than prodding. “You must still be kind of upset.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re still swearing every other word. You only do that when you’re upset.”
“I do?”
“Yes. But it’s okay. We’re okay. We’re okay now.”
He sighs thickly and moves one hand to cup my face. “Shit, sweetheart. I lost you and then lost you again.”
“I wasn’t really lost.”
“Sure felt like it. Talk about havin’ a heart attack. Came running back all determined to make it right, and you’d dropped off the face of the fuckin’ earth.”
“How did you even know how to look for me?”
“I saw the truck was gone and then followed the tracks in the direction it went. I didn’t know it was Sick, but I figured whoever was stupid enough to kidnap you couldn’t’ve been too smart, so I guessed they’d prob’ly stay on that road until they were out of the region. At least I was right about that. You coulda got real hurt tryin’ to make your way back on your own.”
“I know. I couldn’t believe it when I first heard your voice. I thought you’d still be at the river.”
“I’m sorry I left you this mornin’. I’m sorry for everything. I’m never gonna do that to you again.”
“Good.” I smile up at him groggily. “That’s done then.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I’m sure.”
I feel his body relax. “And you’re sure you’re happy with me here? I could always take you to that farm in Kentucky. You’d be safe there. You wouldn’t even need a man with their setup. If you’d be happier, I’d get you there. I’d hate it like nothin’ else, but I’d do it. For you.”
“Thank you for the offer. I actually thought about that.”
“Did you? You think… you think you’d be happier there than with me?”
“If I’d known that was a choice after my dad died, I might have chosen it. But it wasn’t on my radar then, and with what I know now, I wouldn’t change anything anyway. I love you, Levi. I want a life with you more than I want any other life I could have had, even in the old world. As long…” My voice breaks at a tiny sliver of fear. “Unless you’re rethinking things yourself for some reason.”
He does that huffy laughing again. Strokes my cheek with his knuckles. “Never gonna happen. I never been in love before. Not even once. Spent most of my life convinced I didn’t even have it in me. But I do. Knew I was a goner pretty soon after you got here, and every day since I been gone on you even more. So for the rest of my life—in any time, in any world, in any goddamn universe—I’m always gonna choose you too.”
A couple of tears slip out of my eyes and stream down the sides of my face into my hair. I sit up enough to kiss him, clumsy and emotional, until he settles my head in his lap again.
“Now you close your eyes. Looks like you still got that headache. I’ll still be here when you open ’em again.”
I sniff. He swipes away a couple more tears.
Then he adds, “To tell the truth, I’m so beat I might be asleep too, but I’ll still be here. I promise.”
And that’s all I need to hear.
It’s autumn now, and the morning air is a lot cooler than it was three months ago. Everything has been pushed later in the day because the sun rises later and sets earlier. I’ve started doing my communal yoga session after dinner instead of in the morning because I didn’t want to give up my trip to the river with Levi, and there isn’t time for both anymore before breakfast.
This morning is the coolest one yet. The water in the river is tolerable after the first minute, but the air on my wet skin when I get out makes me shiver. I wrap myself up in a towel as Levi finishes scrubbing his beard and hair and then rinsing out the suds.
I’m not about to wash my hair this morning. I only do it twice a week, and I can easily move that task to the afternoons.
