Her father had passed away only three months ago and the void he left behind was still evident. I walked toward her and wrapped my arms around her waist, resting my chin on her shoulder. She let out a shuddering breath as a tear slid down her cheek.
“I miss him so much,” she whispered, her voice trembling with grief. “Still doesn’t feel real, ya know?”
“I miss him, too.”
Tears welled in my eyes as I remembered the first time Casey invited me over. Her dad answered the door, his blue eyes filled with a warmth I’d never seen from an adult before. He treated me with kindness that I had never experienced from my own father, filling a deep void in me that I hadn’t even realized was there.
“He always made me feel welcome and loved in his home,” I whispered, tears sliding down my cheeks. “I’ll be forever grateful for that.”
Casey smiled as she turned to me, her hands gripping my arms.
“He loved you like his own, Lila. I hope you know that.”
“I do.”
We stood there silently for a few more seconds, looking out over the boxes that held her father's stuff, then grabbed our suitcases from the car and went inside. The air was cold and stale since the cabin hadn't been used in over a year. Casey walked ahead of me, heading straight for the thermostat, dropping her suitcase in the living room. I headed for the bedroom we’d always shared, the wooden floor creaking under my feet.
When I entered the room, I turned on the light, bathing the walls in an orange hue. I pulled my suitcase behind me as I stopped in front of one of the double beds, dust and cobwebs covering the surface. I reached down and pulled the blanket and sheets off the mattress, tossing them to the side of the room, then repeated the same process with the other bed. Gathering them in my arms, I made my way toward the laundry room, hoping like hell there was some detergent.
“Lila?” Casey yelled from somewhere in the cabin.
“Laundry room!” I yelled back.
Afew seconds later, she appeared in the room, her brows knitting together.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
I plopped the sheets and blankets into the washing machine and searched the cabinets overhead for detergent. Just as I was losing all hope, I opened the last cabinet and there sat half a bottle. I sighed with relief as I grabbed it from the shelf.
“Thank fuck,” I breathed.
Casey walked up beside me and watched as I poured the detergent into the washing machine, a smirk playing on her lips.
“Washing laundry already?” she laughed.
I rolled my eyes as I started the machine, closing the lid with a loud bang.
“Well, unless you want to sleep with dust and cobwebs, I think doing laundry is called for right now.”
Her face turned up in a grimace, and she shuddered.
“Yeah, no thanks. Good idea.”
The cabin was finally warming up, the windows now coated with fog. I slipped off my coat and walked into the living room, placing it on the wall hook by the front door. We walked over to the couch and plopped down, dust flying into the air. I waved my hand, trying to shoo it away, and Casey laughed.
“I think this place needs a bit of a clean-up,” she said.
“You think?”
She smiled as she leaned back, resting her legs on my thighs. I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, finally feeling some semblance of safety.
“Perry’s coming Friday after work to stay the weekend,” she said casually.
Perry was Casey’s boyfriend. He was an okay guy, but definitely not someone I could see her settling down with. Perry was geeky, obsessed with Lord of the Rings and Legos. He was scrawny and nothing like the men she’d datedbefore. His only saving grace was that he treated her with respect, whereas the men before him never did. I’d watched too many times as she’d gotten her heart broken, and for once, I was glad to see her happy and smiling instead of crying.
“Good,” I said with a smile. “Maybe he can bring some of his movies.”
She laughed and kicked me gently, knowing I was making a jab at him.
