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Chapter

Thirty-Three

Soren

Sawyer stood frozen at the sink, water running but not an inch of her moved. Her pantry was stocked as if she were a prepper concerned about food shortages. Everything was in perfect order, all the way down to the cans of veggies with the labels all turned the same way. I was organized and tidy, but this put my pantry to shame. I called her name, but she didn’t move. The flowers sat in the container, but she hadn’t turned the water off. Slowly, I walked toward her, unsure of what was happening. At her side, I leaned to see her face as a single silent tear slid down her cheek. I reached to turn off the water and gently grasped her shoulders to turn her toward me. Her eyes were fixed on a button on my shirt.

“Did I tell you that my dad and mom used to dance in the kitchen when Abel and I were kids?” I asked, pulling her trembling body toward mine in the middle of the tiny kitchen. I wrapped her in a hug, cradling her body to mine, and slowly rocked side to side. After a minute, her arms found their way around my waist.

“We used to think it was gross as kids, but I think maybe I've changed my mind,” I continued. She’d talk when she wanted to. We continued gently rocking back and forth. I ran my hand down her silken hair as her body molded to mine. A tiny hiccup emitted from her body before she spoke.

“I never want to be hungry again,” she explained in a quiet, raspy voice. Damn. I willed my heart to continue to beat normally. I hadn’t planned on going to the gym tonight, but those seven words changed that. I wanted to beat the hell out of everyone that had ever treated her as less than the angel of light that she was. I would never let her want for anything as long as there was air in my lungs.

“Never again,” I vowed as I pressed my lips to the top of her head.

After a few more minutes, we loaded our plates with Chinese food and settled at her small round dining table and talked about our days. I had even earned one of her beautiful smiles. She was telling me about babysitting Ava, Rob and Talia’s daughter, when I heard it. It sounded like running water. I tilted my head to the side to listen better. I could see the kitchen sink from where I sat, and the water was off.

“Is there water running?” Her cheeks pinkened at my question.

“Yeah, the toilet is making that noise,” she answered. “I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Is this a rental?” I asked. I thought she had mentioned she lived in a rental.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to bother the landlord.” Every single thing in me wanted to make the case that this was his responsibility, but deep down I knew there was more to it than that.

“After we finish eating, I’ll take a look at it,” I offer, tipping my fork, wrapped in lo mein noodles, at her.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” she protested.

“Pretty Girl, let me show you my sexy plumber skills.” At that, I was rewarded with a laugh at my ridiculousness, and that was exactly why I stopped by. I needed to see my girl happy, and I was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen.

Soren:

How’s the toilet holding up?

Sawyer:

About as well as the three other times you’ve asked? :)

Soren:

Okay. Just making sure you don't need another sexy plumber demonstration. ;)

Chapter

Thirty-Four

Soren

It’d been two weeks since the first time Sawyer came to my house to watch baseball. We had unofficially deemed Sundays as our day to spend together because we both had jobs that required a high level of commitment. She sat on the countertop, scrolling through her phone, searching for another song to make a case for. Her heavily distressed jeans encased her legs, except where her smooth skin shone through. Her oversized cream sweatshirt hung off one shoulder. My thumb itched to brush across her collarbone. Her chunky blonde braid had loosened to the point that a few waves brushed her slender neck and cheek. It made me think about what it’d be like to kiss a path down the smooth skin of her neck to her pulse point and taste her there. I finished putting our plates in the dishwasher, trying to ignore my increasing attraction.

“Oooohhhh. I found a good one!” Her eyes lit up as she tapped the screen. A country song about dirt roads filtered through her phone speaker. It had a nice beat, I’d give it that, but it wasn’t Johnny Cash.

“I’m gonna win you over,” she declared.

She didn’t realize it, but she already had. I’d sell my soul to keep her light near me. She didn’t know how beautiful she was, not only physically, but deep down she was the most beautiful person I knew. If anyone else told me this, I’d poke at them teasingly, but even her soul was beautiful. I was afraid that if she knew how I truly felt, she’d run. I’d continue to play this part of holding her on my finger like a delicate butterfly until she caught up to where I was.

I crossed my arms over my chest, tipped my head to the side, and leaned back against the opposite counter, pretending to evaluate the song. I was three feet away from her smooth tan legs that I could see through the patchwork distress of her loose jeans. I wouldn’t be able to remember a single lyric to this song under the threat of death. The song ended and her eyes found mine, her eyebrows raised expectantly.