By the time we pulled into the driveway, it was after noon. Everything still looked the same, but it felt much different. Kraven was out of the car first, and Julius opened my door before he could.
As soon as I was sitting on the couch, Kraven grabbed a blanket, draping it over my lap. I didn’t sleep much at the hospital, since I hated that place.
This time, I didn’t argue when they told me I needed to rest. From then on, Kraven did what he’d been doing for me this past month. He brought me water, some food, and my prenatals. It wasn’t on purpose. It was instinctive for him, trying to maintain some normalcy and consistency amid the disaster.
Julius watched his every move, standing in the corner of the room. This wasn’t about me anymore. He wasn’t experiencing sadness over what had happened; he was going through the motions of what occurred while he wasn’t there.
Waiting for I don’t know what.
“Julius—”
“I’ll be back.” He interrupted me, going right out the front door.
My heart was in my throat as I heard the car pull out.
“What was that?” I asked Kraven, fully aware that he would know.
He didn’t answer right away, his gaze fixated on the door that Julius just exited.
“He just needs space.”
My heart dropped. “From me?”
“From everything.”
His reply didn’t make me feel better. “Where did he go?”
He studied me for a second, searching for answers he wasn’t asking. “I’m not sure.”
Time moved more slowly after Julius was gone. I couldn’t help but notice how much Kraven watched me without making it obvious. I should have been used to the way he stayed close to me, the way he was taking care of me, but I wasn’t.
Especially after Julius saw it for the first time.
“Try to rest,” Kraven suggested.
“I’m not tired.”
“You are.”
I exhaled because he wasn’t wrong. “Kraven…”
He stilled for a second before he responded, “Yeah?”
I wavered. “He’s not okay.”
His gaze flicked to the door again. “I know.”
Kraven stayed close to me, but not in an overbearing kind of way. He moved through the house like he always did, as if nothing had changed when everything had.
I watched the way he refilled my water before I even asked.
I watched the way he adjusted my blanket again.
I watched the way his eyes tracked me, following me wherever I went.
I watched the way he cooked for me.
The way he smiled at me.
