Page 54 of Frost
I don’t think I’ve ever caught him sleeping before. He’s always awake when I fall asleep and either gone when I wake up or attacking me with kisses as soon as my eyes open.
I gently brush a strand of his silver hair off his forehead before tucking another behind his pointed ear. He looks so much younger when asleep. His sharp pixie features are softened, and he’s just so goddamn beautiful I can’t look away.
“Don’t leave me again,” I whisper, resting my head on his. “Please.”
Jack sighs and cuddles more into me, breathing slow and heavy. I hold him for a while, caressing his skin and placing occasional kisses to his cheeks, neck, and lips. I’ve been so sick ever since he’s been here that I haven’t been able to really enjoy being with him. Soon, though, my lack of appetite catches up with me, and hunger pains knot in my stomach.
Careful not to wake him, I pull from his embrace and get out of bed. My whole body feels like I got hit by a truck. Every muscle is sore from lying down for so long, and there’s one hell of a crick in my neck. Slowly, I make my way down the stairs and into the kitchen.
All the lights are off in the house, but the many windows let in an abundance of moonlight. Too tired to cook or put much effort into a meal, I pour a huge bowl of Captain Crunch cereal and sit at the island to eat with a view of the kitchen window straight ahead.
The cereal is nothing but sugar and carbs, but I love it. Jack does too. It’s one I got him hooked on while at the cabin. An ache fills my chest. What will happen now? Jack’s adamant about “giving me a normal life,” but doesn’t he see that the only life I want is the one where he’s by my side?
“Luka?” Jack calls from upstairs. His voice sounds a bit frantic.
“In the kitchen,” I try to call back just as loud, but my hoarse voice is barely more than a harsh whisper. I don’t even hear his footsteps. One moment I’m alone, and the next, Jack is appearing beside me. I shriek. “Jesus!” It sends me into a coughing fit.
He puts a hand to my back. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. When I woke up and you weren’t there, I panicked.”
“I’m okay.” I lean over on the barstool and rest against his chest as he kisses the top of my head. “Hungry?”
“Always,” he says before grabbing a bowl from the cabinet and pouring himself cereal. He comes to sit beside me and starts eating. “Food of the gods.”
My laugh is scratchy. “Better than ambrosia?”
“Almost.” He winks before shoving a large spoonful into his mouth. His playful attitude fades as a serious expression surfaces. “It’s strange.”
“What is?”
“I don’t get sick like you do. But like I told you before, if I’m in warm weather for too long, I can get gravely ill. Which is strange because ever since the day you left, that’s exactly how I felt, even while standing in the snowy woods.” Jack lifts his head to the window and stares at the tree in the backyard as a breeze picks up. “Getting out of bed was too much most days. I just sat in my cave, not eating, not drinking. I didn’t even go out at night. The only time I left was to see you, and when I returned to the cave, I curled into a ball and didn’t move for days.”
No wonder Págos was worried. Jack wasn’t sick. His heart was just broken.
“Is that why all the snow has basically melted here?” I ask. “Because you’ve been too sad?”
Jack shakily inhales and turns to me. “All the things I love… flying through the night sky, bringing winter to the sleeping world below… it didn’t bring me the same joy it once did. But the moment you came back into my life, it’s like the sickness left me. I feel stronger now. Happier. More likeme.”
I grab his hand. “I feel more like me too.”
“If you weren’t still recovering, I’d ask you to come flying with me tonight.” Jack slides off the barstool and steps up to me. “However, I’m putting you right back to bed as soon as you’re done eating.”
“I’m not a child, Jack.”
“Then why are you whining like one, little light?” Jack kisses the tip of my nose. “Fret not. Once I undo the damage I’ve done and bring more snow to your home, I’ll return to you.”
“Promise?” I ask, tangling my fingers in his crocheted sweater. “You said earlier the next time you left, you’d stay gone.”
“It depends.”
“On what?”
His eyes soften as he touches my cheek. “Is this what you truly want, Luka? To be with me even though I can’t meet your family or your friends? Even though I can’t be with you in public?”
“You could always wear a hat to cover your elf ears,” I suggest, trying to keep a straight face.
“I’m not an elf, damn you.” He nips at my nose with his teeth, putting a new meaning to the phrase. “And the frost on my lashes? The snowflakes etched into my skin? How would you explain those?”
“You’re a superfan of my books and you turned yourself into Jack Frost with makeup and tattooing?”
