Page 36 of Love Hollow at Last
“We have a problem,” he said.
Aya eyed him steadily.“Yeah, I know.And we were supposed to have found a solution by now.”
“It’s not that.”
“Great,” she said.“Another problem.”
“Yeah.”He shifted from one foot to the other.Aya was trying not to pay attention to what he was wearing.He’d put on a light-green sleeping yukata with matching pants, and his gorgeous hair was soaked from the shower.Noah never had much facial hair, but he was clean-shaven, which suited him.
Aya got to her feet.“You may as well show me.”
33
Noah
Noah gestured toward the full-size bed in what used to be his parents’ bedroom.“I guess Nobu left this for himself.Everything else has been cleared out.”
“There’s the bunk beds in the kid room,” said Aya.“I’ll just take one of those.”
Noah shook his head.“The other bedroom is empty.I don’t know why it would need to be.Mom said something about wanting a play space specifically for Hana, but what baby wants to play in an empty room?”
Aya bit her lip.She was already starting to shiver, but she tried to hide it.“Is there a rug in there, at least?”she asked, pretending to be braver than she felt.
Noah sighed.“N-No, he really cleared this place out.There’s not even a sleeping bag, and it’s freezing.”
“Don’t you have emergency supplies in your car?”Aya asked.The Katos were fanatical about that.They always had first aid kits that were better stocked than anyone else’s.
Noah gave her a look.
“Oh yeah,” she said.“No car.”
He rubbed his eyes.“Do you mind if I lie down just for a bit?You can get me up, and I’ll go in the living room after a few.”
Aya took a step back.“It’s fine,” she lied.“I’ll just get ready.We can share it.”
Noah didn’t answer, and she started to walk away.
“It’s not a big deal,” she said.
“Wait,” he called, and Aya turned around.
Noah had gone into the dresser drawers and offered her a matching yukata set.“I think they’re all the same s-size,” he mumbled.“We just keep them around so we don’t have to bring pajamas up here.”
“Thanks,” she said delicately.
Aya went back out to the kitchen, biting her lip.If she was going to work it out with Noah, she would definitely need some dessert first.
With her dessert finished, she had her own shower, though she kept her hair dry so she wouldn’t be cold all night.She’d never properly slept with Noah, and now she had to worry about whether he would steal the covers.It didn’t quite seem reasonable.
When she got to the bedroom, the light was out, and Noah’s breathing was even.She picked up the edge of the bedding as if it would scald her.At least the bed seemed fairly well equipped, with flannel sheets and a heavy down comforter on top.She was still a little warm from the shower, though she could feel the air around her getting colder.It might be summer, but the nights could be extremely chilly at that elevation.
The rain slowed on top of the roof until it was just a gentle patter.Aya listened carefully to its rhythm.If the rain would stop, she could leave in the morning, just as soon as she could convince someone to come get her.Until then, all she had to do was sleep.
34
Aya was jolted awake by lightning outside the window.It threw everything into a strange half-light, and she gave out a low moan.Without knowing what had happened, she had grabbed Noah.She could feel the cotton of his yukata, and she forced herself to release her grip.But she couldn’t slow her breathing.
“Are you okay?”he asked.
