Even loved.
15
MATTIE
Mattie stood back, hands on her hips, surveying their handiwork.
The room was finally starting to look like somewhere two people could actually live together. The two beds had been pushed together against the far wall, creating a sleeping surface that was luxuriously spacious compared to the narrow single they'd been sharing. A nightstand was created from a filing cabinet they had brought from the lab below, and on top of it sat a desk lamp.
It wasn't much, and it was far from homey or cozy, but it was their little sanctuary in this hellhole of an island.
A place of safety.
A place of love.
"What do you think?" Dimitri asked, stepping back to stand beside her. "Better?"
"It's nice." She leaned into him. "If I close one eye and squint really hard, it almost looks like a real bedroom in a real home."
"It's getting there." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Give me a few more days, and I'll find us some proper furniture. Dave told me that there is a lot of discarded old furniture and artwork in the mansion's basement. Maybe I will ask him to get us some."
She turned to look at him. "Are you having those sorts of conversations with Dave? You told me that they are like one computer brain."
"Not exactly. The surprising thing I found is that Dave likes it when I engage them in conversation. In a way, they are like a very smart child, and they mostly answer my questions truthfully. It was long before the explosions, and we somehow got talking about the contemporary decor of the mansion. Dave said that it was decorated in the style of a Mediterranean villa before, and that all the quality furniture and artwork that used to be in there was now stored in the basement. I bet there is a treasure trove of stuff in there."
Mattie felt her good mood evaporate with every word coming out of Dimitri's mouth. "Are you insane? Don't even think about it."
He looked surprised. "Why?"
"Do you really want them to have a reason to accuse you of stealing?"
"I won't be stealing if Dave allows me to take stuff."
"Those things do not belong to Dave, and when it is discovered that someone took them, do you think they are going to blame Dave for it? They will come after you."
The same could be said about her transfer to the lab, but at least that couldn't be framed as stealing.
He turned to face her and wrapped his arms around her. "You worry too much, my love. But if it upsets you so much, I won't do it."
"I don't worry too much. I've been on this damn island much longer than you. I don't claim to know much, but I know enough to know that it's each person for himself, and no one will stand up for you and assume responsibility when the shit hits the fan. They'll feed you to the dogs."
Dimitri was giving her that annoying look that was half condescending and half pitying, and she felt like smacking his arm and telling him to separate the beds because she was not sleeping with him tonight.
Why had she allowed herself to get so worked up?
Was she overwhelmed by this step they had taken?
Was it fear that this sanctuary they had created for themselves was going to be taken away from them?
"I'm sorry." She let out a breath. "It's just that this is precious to me and I'm afraid of losing it over something as trivial as a picture to put on the wall, or a chest of drawers. We have all we need here."
He chuckled. "We have two beds and a filing cabinet, but you are right. Who needs anything more?"
They'd moved the beds at least four times, trying different arrangements against different walls, searching for the configuration that felt right. Dimitri had done most of the heavy lifting, and by 'most,' she meant all of it. He'd picked up the metal bed frames like they weighed nothing, maneuvering them around the small space with supernatural ease.
It was hard to ignore the fact that he wasn't human anymore.
She'd watched him fussing with the bedding, smoothing out wrinkles in the sheets, adjusting the blankets until they lay perfectly even, all mundane activities that shouldn't have stood out in any way, and they had not. But what had stood out was how effortless it had all been for Dimitri.
