Phoebe
He yanks up my leggings and steps away from the table, like I’ve gotten on his last nerve.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
I twist around to watch Evander snap off the surgical gloves and exit through the tarps.He slaps the clear plastic closed behind him.
A blast of cold hits me and I shiver.I’m not sure if the frigid wind is coming from the storm or off of Evander.
“Are you headed up on the roof?”
“Yeah.”
Something has just happened.I said or did something wrong.I probably asked too many questions.Did I?Maybe.Honestly, I’m not certain I did anything wrong.
He seemed to be enjoying our conversation.I really thought he found me entertaining.He entertains me, that’s for sure.
Evander is a lot funnier than I ever suspected.He’s always hidden it well under the layers of grumpiness.
All I know is that in an instant, everything has changed.He’s grumpy again.
He’s angry with me.
I push myself up to sit on the edge of the table.Yeah, the stitches sting a little.They’re going to bug me for a bit.But I can live with it.
I swing my legs over the end of the table, watching Evander’s blurred figure move behind the plastic sheeting.I want to say something to him.Not an apology, really, since my intention wasn’t to be nosy or annoying.But I could ask him to tell me what’s bugging him.
I don’t.
He doesn’t say anything to me, either.Not a word.Soon, he’s slamming the door shut and he’s gone.
I glance outside the window in the kitchen area.The snow continues to race sideways across the white landscape and the narrow sliver of gray sky that I can see.
Suddenly, a sense of dread moves over me, landing with a thud on my spirit.I want to stay hopeful and cheerful, but I’m worried.About several things.
We’re in danger here, no question about it.I’ve lived in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas my whole life, and I’ve never once seen a winter system like this one.I know that my family is seeing it too, and they’ve got to be absolutely crippled with worry.
I only hope my stupid brothers, who think their sports careers give them some kind of superhuman, death-defying protection, aren’t trying to find me.
Please, no.
I hope my mom can convince them to not leave the house.I hope my dad isn’t completely devastated that I’m not safe at home.
But the truth is, I have no control over any of those things.Or the storm’s path.Or whether this shack will stay upright.
And I sure don’t have any control over what’s going on in Evander’s head.There’s no point in trying to shape what he’s thinking or feeling.That’s for him to do if he chooses.
Or, he can continue being a grumpy ass.
I slip off the table until my sock-covered feet hit the cold wooden floor.I pull my leggings up to my waist, then touch the cushion of square bandage on my butt.With just these few movements, I can already tell that Evander did a really good job patching me up.The skin isn’t pulling, but the sutures feel secure.
Not for the first time, I’m thankful that it’s Evander that I’m stuck with.I’m incredibly lucky.
I need to keep busy so I can stop thinking about what is and isn’t going on with him.I retrieve my toasty warm coveralls and boots from their spots near the fire and put them on.All the while, I try not to ask myself why I’m not keen on removing Evander’s sweater.
The man has a right to his own clothes, after all.
It’s just…I smile sadly to myself.I can be pretty ridiculous sometimes.The truth is, I don’t want to give up the sweater because it’s his.It smells like him.And it may be the only thing of his I can have.
