His pupils dilate from the unexpected compliment, and his cheeks turn pink beneath his beard. We both feel super uncomfortable with the deep but short conversation, so we look around.
“I’m Alicia, by the way.” I give a small wave with my hand.
“Hi, Alicia.” He swallows nervously and says, “I’m Mark.”
“I know,” I admit with a smile.
“How so?” His eyes narrow, but there’s no malice.
“The other night, the firefighter called you that.” I wave behind me like the other night is right there.
“Oh. Austin.” He nods in understanding.
“Is he your friend?” I don’t know why I’m asking, but I’m curious to know tiny bits about him.
“Yeah, he’s a good guy. Set to be the next chief. A well-deserved promotion.” He nods and steps back when Ghost bumps into his legs, looking for daddy’s attention.
“Cool.” I don’t know what else to say. It’s more than I’ve spoken to anyone besides my family and Josie. My social skills are nonexistent at this point, and I forgot how people usually do small talk.
He feels awkward too; I can tell. Maybe he’s reconsidering his offer.
“Look, I can just go home. It’s fine.”
“No.” He cuts me off and pauses before adding more gently: “No, stay. It’s fine. You can take my bedroom. I just changed the sheets.” He points at the bedroom door. I know because mine is made the same way.
“No way,” I answer, carefully eyeing him. This close, he looks even more massive than he was entering my door sideways. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”Because the couch is closer to the door.
“Take the bed.” He pinches the bridge of his nose, looking tired. “We can spend all night arguing, or you can go to bed, and I can sleep here.” From his body language and the true exhaustion written on his face, I can tell he’s being a knight by offering me his bed, not a creep.
“All right. Thank you.” I contemplate saying something else, anything to dissolve this awkwardness, but nothing comes to mind. “So it’s in there?” I nod toward the bedroom door.
“Yeah.” He lets out a loud yawn. “I’m wiped. If you can let Ghost out to the backyard tomorrow and let him back in, that would be great.”
“Of course,” I promise, but he’s already headed toward the couch. He falls on it, folding his arms under the pillow and turning away.
Well, I guess this is it. I search for a switch and find it in the same place as mine, by the kitchen. I turn it off and walk to the bedroom, curious to see what will greet me there.
I can’t help but gasp when I step into the room. Where did he find furniture like this? It’s amazing! A huge king bed takes up almost the whole room, which is tiny to begin with. The headboard is made of dark oak and has the most incredible and detailed artwork. I walk closer, wanting to see what it is.Are those Celtic symbols engraved into the dark wood?It’s the most beautiful bed I’ve ever seen, and I’m actually happy he didn’t let me argue. Even if I felt bad—still do—about taking his bed when he clearly isn’t very comfortable on the couch, it is clearly a little too small for him. I’m glad I got to see this. There’s no other possible scenario where I can witness his bedroom.
No. Other. Scenario.
I will not be seeing anyone else’s bedroom beside mine, and I’m okay with it.
I kneel on the bed and touch the carvings, tracing the symbols with my finger. Its smooth, lacquered surface speaks to my skin. It’s gentle and sexy and calm and passionate. I feel like I’m reliving the days the carver had. Closing my eyes, I feel how their callused fingers moved along the edges, smoothing it with every stroke. I’m overcome with the urgency to sniff it, so I bring my nose to the wood and breathe in.
The calmness of a forest with a hint of lightly burned chemicals envelopes me in a hug. That combination shouldn’t be so wonderful, but it is.
I lean against the headboard and look around. Two nightstands with the same Celtic carvings as the bed adorn each side. A tall, skinny eight-drawer dresser sits in the corner. All of them are clearly pieces of the same set, made by a person with golden hands.
Suddenly I feel a weight on the bed, and I jump. Ghost’s whine anchors me back to the present. He settles next to me on top of the covers.
“What are you doing? Are you even allowed up here?” I rub his ears as he crawls closer. “You look too guilty, so I’ll go with no.”
He hides his nose under the comforter and wiggles his big tail while looking up at me with the biggest, most adorable eyes. I never really knew what people meant by puppy-dog eyes. Now I do.
“Fine. Stay tonight.” I settle into the fluffy, comfy pillows and warn him. “Don’t make me stink like wet dog tomorrow.”
He lets out a cute doggy fart and falls asleep.
