Unfamiliar smells startle me from my sleep, forcing my eyes open when the wrong notes of pine, smoke, and something distinctly male reach me. My surroundings don’t register at first, but when I recognise traces of Caleb’s scent, it all comes flooding back.
Reaching over for Astrid, my hand meets the cool sheets, and my stomach drops.
“Astrid?”
I sit up fast, pulse roaring in my ears as I glance around. But the room is empty, and the blankets on her side are rumpled.
Panic sits heavily in my chest, and I’m on my feet before I can waste another moment, stumbling towards the door.
All rationality goes out the window as too many possibilities swim in my head at once, reminding me that we still aren’t safe, that there are few people on this island I can trust.
Throwing the door open, I hurry down the hall, rounding the corner to where I remember seeing the kitchen branching off from the living room.
“Astrid—”
Then I freeze, heart still thundering.
Astrid is sitting at the kitchen table, swinging her legs and humming absently to herself while warm light pours in. There’s a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her, along with fruit and juice. She pokes at it before taking another bite.
Relief nearly knocks me to my feet as I pull in a deep breath. Then I see him.
Caleb’s by the stove with a spatula in hand, and the muscles in his arm flex as he flips something in the pan. The familiar, overwhelming scent of him permeates the room, making me feel woozy for a beat. He glances over his shoulder at me the moment he senses me there.
“Morning,” he says simply, like nothing is out of the ordinary here.
I don’t answer, and I can’t. Not while there’s so much happening inside me at once, caught between the relief, along with irritation, resentment, and something too similar to how I used to feel. Seeing him standing there in that form-fitting tee is enough to make me stumble.
“I have eggs, Mama,” Astrid says, grinning as she waves her fork.
Forcing a smile for her, I take a breath and move in behind her, putting a hand against her back, more so to reassure myself. “I see that, sweetheart. Are they good?”
She nods without hesitation. “Mhm… better than yours.”
I huff to myself at that in feigned irritation, but my smile becomes more genuine then. “Traitor.”
She giggles and continues eating, and I swear, even with his back turned to us, Caleb’s lips pull in amusement.
“She was awake early,” Caleb eventually says while turning the burner off. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
My brows pinch together. “So you just took her?”
“I didn’t take her,” he says directly, looking barely ruffled by the subtle accusation. “She was hungry, so I obliged.”
Something ripples through me while I look at him, feeling the iciness between us. I know I’m being unreasonable, but mypulse hasn’t fully settled, and it’s hard not to let that bitterness out.
Astrid is unbothered by the conversation, still happy with her meal, so I exhale slowly and gently brush a hand against the back of her head.
“Next time, wake me up.”
His expression shifts, looking almost apologetic.
“Noted.”
Gazing at him a moment longer, I notice his hair is still damp, like he recently showered, and when he turns, carrying two plates of food, he reveals the tattoos along his arms I don’t remember him having.
He looks older now, which is a given, yet he’s still reminiscent of the boy who once made my heart race even when it never should’ve. And the one who shattered it all the same.
It’s all so confusing, but I push it down and look away to help Astrid with her fruit.
