Page 11 of Serenity & the Hermit
"Yeah," she whispers, her eyes studying the artwork on her mug. "I don't understand how that happens. Just different people, I guess."
"Relationships take work. Even siblings."
"You're right. I should try harder to find some common ground with him outside of complaining about the discomfort of family gatherings."
"Not all families are close the way we are. I don't think there should be any shame in that."
We share a smile and a lingering look, and I can feel some of the tension dissipating between us. I'm having visions of taking her up to my cabin and keeping her. I want to wake up next to her every morning. I don't think I'll feel complete unless that becomes a reality. But would she feel complete that way? She seems so bubbly and ambitious. Would being with me hold her back? A million reason for and against pursuing something with her tear through my mind, and I almost don't hear her when she again speaks.
"So, besides the bear thing, what do you like to do for fun?" she asks, setting her mug aside and turning to face me fully.
"I read," I say, surprising even myself with how easily the words slip out. "And...I hike."
"Hiking is nice. I love being outdoors, but I'm not very good at hiking. Or camping for that matter."
"You're not into roughing it?"
She wrinkles her nose in distaste. "Not at all. I like my creature comforts."
"That's fair," I say with a chuckle. "I'm not much into camping either. I like my cabin, so I never stray more than a few hours hike from home."
"Have you ever lived anywhere besides Whisper Valley?"
"I’ve traveled a bit and experienced the world all over," I reveal with a nod. "But I’ve always made Whisper Valley my home."
"That must be exciting. I’ve only really seen Candy City and Whisper Valley. But we went to the Grand Canyon once as a family. That was OK, but that’s when I discovered I hated camping.”
“I woke up to a scorpion on my forehead once,” I share. “That’s something I never want to repeat.”
"Oh my god. That’s horrifying," she gasps.
“Hence why I don’t enjoy roughing it either.”
"Well, I'm glad you just told me something about your life. I feel closer to you already." She smiles at me over the top of her mug as she lifts it up to take another sip.
"Is that..." I swallow down the lump that's formed in my throat. "Is that what you want?"
She nods. "You're probably the first friend I've made since moving here, Nelson. So I intend to keep you."
"So we're just ignoring the part where I was an ass who scared you and you hurt yourself because of it?"
"No. We're not ignoring anything. But since I understand why you did it, and I know that your intention wasn't to hurt me, then I can look past it to the man who's been nothing but kind to me since."
Lifting my mug, I drain the contents and quickly stand, emotion hitting me at the backs of my eyes as her words sink in. I don't know what to do with it, so I just start moving and change the subject. "We should probably get back to work if you want to have this routine right for tomorrow morning," I say, holding my hand out for her mug as well.
"OK," she says, handing it to me. "We can put our focus back on the work."
I can feel her eyes on me as I walk away, and I have a feeling that something big is happening between us. Whether we want it to or not, life is about to change...
SERENITY
“How am I even supposed to shower and change with this?” I ask, gesturing to the sling when we finish our final practice and it’s time to call it a night. I’m not sure how much I’ll sleep, but with these pills making me drowsy, they might just counteract my nervousness. It helps that I have Nelson helping me too. He’s been a godsend.
“I can help you,” Nelson says, his voice a little thicker than usual. I’m pretty sure my nipples pebble in response.
“You sure about that? I mean, it won’t be weird for you or anything?”
“Helping a beautiful woman out of her clothes, weird?” He gives me a cheeky grin and shakes his head. “Not at all,” he adds, holding his hand out to me to help me up. “However, I promise to be the consummate gentleman. I won’t even take a peek.”
