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Chapter Eight

Valli

I wake to the sound of the shower running. I haven’t slept well since Cave has been gone, and it’s nice to have slept in, though both Cipher and Noa are no longer beside me. Cipher never sleeps in, ever. He is always up at five, starting and finishing any island work early, and then he is on call the rest of the day.

Rolling out of bed, I decide to join whoever is in the shower, as I need to get my day started anyway. I have to convince Nixie to let me come back to work; doing nothing is driving me crazy, though I want to spend some time with Leni now that she’s here.

Testing the bathroom handle, I find it’s not locked, so I know it’s Noa. With a guest staying here, Cipher would lock the door, and so would Leni—so that leaves Noa, who has next to no concept of privacy or private space. And that also applies to himself.

I push the door open and steam billows out, then I step inside and lock the door behind myself. The screen is cloudy, and the silhouette of his naked body is outlined behind the glass. I watch as he washes himself, eventually pausing as he realizes someone is in the bathroom.

“If you’re here to tell me we are out of conditioner, I already know. It’s on the list already. I didn’t forget to add it this time.”

“I’m not here about the conditioner.”

“Shit, is breakfast ready? I thought we could take Leni out for food, so I wanted to shower first and then let her eat. I was hoping she would want to dig a hole with me today.”

I laugh. “Noa, I’m not sure Leni is the hole-digging type, but if you bring a chair, she will supervise. However, that is also not why I’m here.”

I strip off my clothes and wait.

“What’s wrong then? Shit, I have shampoo in my eyes.”

I chuckle. “Rub the glass and look for yourself.”

He makes a circle shape on the glass and peeks out. “Oh! Well, this is going to be a great day.”

I take a step closer, and his eyes follow my every move until he slides the shower screen open, and I step inside.

“To be clear, this isn’t just a shower, right?”

I snort. “Correct, this is not just a shower.”

“I just wanted to make sure, because Cipher told me last week I had the awareness of a golden retriever.”

That makes me laugh because that conversation was after he’d bumped into Cipher’s workbench. Noa had been excited to tell him something and had knocked all the parts on the bench out of order.

“You are my golden retriever, and I will take you how you come.”

He reaches out and grasps my hand, using it to pull me into his body. The warm water falls over my skin, and I gasp at the sudden heat. “Too hot?”

“No, it’s nice,” I reply as I tip my face up into the water and close my eyes. When I open them, I find Noa watching me. He reaches over and pushes my wet hair back from my face with both hands.

“You doing okay?” he asks.

“Better,” I say. “Right now, while I’m here with you, I am better.”

“That’s good. You know I would do anything for you, right? Like anything. I would dig a thousand holes or listen to Vero talk for an hour. I would even eat Cipher’s cooking, even after he poisoned me that one time.”

“He did not poison you.”

“I beg to differ . . . I was sick for two days.”

I chuckle. “He told me you ate three servings.”

“Because I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. But the point I am trying to make is whatever you need, I’m always here.”

I put my hand flat against his chest, over his heart, his beat solid under my palm.