Light shone through the small gap of the blackout curtains that hung on the wall, and it took me a second to get my bearings and realize where I was. The heavy black comforter wrapped around me and the copper dog next to me made me certain that I was in Knox’s bed, with him nowhere in sight. Eugene stood up and nudged my shoulder with his wet nose.
“Good morning,” I croaked as I scratched his head. My throat was still on fire from all the throwing up I did the night before. I needed water and to brush my teeth as soon as possible.
I got out of the bed and went through the door to the ensuite bathroom. Sitting on the counter was a new toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, and a note:
I thought you might appreciate having this whenever you wake up. Flip the switch on the far left for the heated floors. I already put a towel in the warmeragainst the wall, just press the power button on the top. Use whatever you need in the shower. Brushes and combs are in the drawers of the vanity.
Oh, and you can grab whatever clothes you’d like out of my closet.
-K
I started the shower and let the water get warm as I brushed my teeth. I took off Knox’s flannel, my jeans, underwear, and socks and folded them into a neat pile on the vanity. He wasn’t kidding about the floor warmer; the tiles were so fucking cold I was afraid I was going to get frostbite. I flipped the switch, and the floor slowly started to heat up. I pressed the button on the towel warmer as I stepped into the massive stone shower.
Water rained down from the head in the center of the ceiling above me. I reached for the knob to increase the pressure and jets started hitting me from all angles.Damnit, Knox, I don’t know how to work this high-tech shower.Jets hit my back and thighs, and…
Wow! Hello. That feels nice…
Birdie! Snap out of it. Focus.
Finally, I hit enough buttons and turned enough knobs that I got the temperature right and the jets offthingsso I could focus on washing my hair and body.
As I lathered the shampoo in my hair, I realized this was where Knox got part of his signature scent. The shampoo smelled of mint and made my scalp tingle. It was amazing. After I rinsed it out and ran the conditioner through my ends, I opened the soap, and the smell of pine filled my nose. As I soaped up my body with his loofah, I realized that Ialways figured that the pine smell was from Knox working outside with the trees, when really it was his body wash.
I closed my eyes and let the water run over my body as I recounted everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. It had been such a shitshow. I felt like I was transported back to middle school, getting sick in front of my crush. Instead, this time my crush cleaned me up, made sure I had a new toothbrush, and let me sleep in his bed with his dog.
I turned off the shower, grabbed the towel from the heater, and wrapped it around my body.
“Holy shit.” I pulled the towel tighter around my body. “It’s like a fluffy warm hug.”
After I went into Knox’s attached closet and snagged one of his many flannels and a pair of black boxers that had to be rolled up a few times to fit, I combed out my hair and ran the blow dryer over it.
I heard a little whine come from the bedroom as I walked out. Eugene sat next to the bedroom door and scratched gently at the frame.
“Oh my gosh! Eugene, I am so sorry. I should have let you out to potty before I got in the shower.” I barely cracked the door open, and the lean copper dog jetted out through the living room and to the attached sunroom. He let out a bark, letting me know that this was where he wanted to be let out.
I unlocked the door and was hit with an icy blast of air and snow. I knew a blizzard when I saw one, and this was a monster. I shut the door for maybe a minute before Eugene was at the door scratching to come back in.
Knox was nowhere to be found in the main living area of the house, so I assumed he was still asleep in the second bedroom. I walked into the small kitchen and opened the refrigerator to see if there was anything to drink. On the shelveswere sandwich fixings, fruits and vegetables, butter, condiments, beer, and a pitcher of water. I found a glass in a nearby cabinet and filled it with the water, downing half of it in one go.
I headed into the living room and to the built-ins that lined the far wall, the shelves filled with books upon books. All of the classics likeThe Outsiders,The Great Gatsby,To Kill a Mockingbird, andPride and Prejudicesat on the highest shelf. They looked worn and well-loved, my favorite type of books. The next shelf was lined with history books, and the bottom shelf held all of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, including about ten different copies ofThe Fellowship of the Ring. Mixed in among the volumes sat a few pictures.
In the top picture was an older gentleman with glasses who had Knox’s dark hair and broad shoulders, and a woman with Knox’s cerulean eyes, matching the water behind her. The couple looked at each other with such love, much like the love that I had seen in my own parents before my mom passed away. These had to be Knox’s parents. In the picture on the middle shelf, a young Knox stood with his back to a football field, decked out in Steelers gear with his dad. I ran my finger over the frame that sat on the bottom shelf. A teenage Knox stood between his parents, their arms wrapped around his shoulders as they stood in front of the palace. Something in my gut told me this was probably one of the last pictures he had of his parents.
“That picture was actually taken the day before my parents’ crash.”
I jumped and knocked the picture over. Quickly standing it back up, I turned around to see Knox standing at the front door of the cottage with a canvas bag full to the brim.
“Jesus. You scared the shit out of me.”
“Sorry. I thought you heard me come in.”
He kicked off his snow-covered boots and made a beeline to the kitchen to set the overflowing bag on the countertop.
“How do you feel this morning?” he asked, giving me a once-over.
“Good. Thank you for the toiletries and clothes.” I waved my hand over my outfit.
“No problem. I went up to the palace. While I was there, I ran into Oliver, and he said that they’re declaring a state of emergency. The roads are closed. There isn’t a way to get you back to Lexington Manor right now.”
