Northern Lights

13. Dominic

My dreams were interrupted by the abrupt shrill of what sounded like school bells. Mumbling to myself, I tried to find the test paper I’d been diligently working on. Only, my fingers found the thick cloth of a blanket instead of paper, and the hard surface beneath it was my knee, not the desk.

My eyes opened and adjusted to the low light filtering through the window. Bleary and confused, I gazed around to get my bearings. The last of the odd dream I’d been having filtered away and I remembered where I was.

To my left, a small lump lay beneath the blankets. A shock of bleached blond hair stuck out in several directions from the top of the mound. I smiled, leaning over Cielo’s sleeping form to kiss the top of his head. His hair smelled of apples and leaves, and I nuzzled his soft locks for a moment, appreciating the warmth coming off him.

The sound of the bells shrilled through the house again, bringing me up and reminding me what had woken me in the first place. Sighing, I heaved myself out of bed and went rummaging for my clothes. Finding pants and a shirt that would be serviceable, I padded out in the hallway yawning. I reached for the light switch, stopping when I remembered the power was out.

When I opened the door, it was to reveal a slightly impatient Aldo. The morning light shone on his close-cropped dark brown hair and he smiled when he caught sight of my expression.

“Woke you up, huh?” he asked.

I grunted. “Too much light out, so I’m guessing I needed to get up a while ago.”

“Not like you to sleep in.”

I shrugged. “Need somethin’ Aldo?”

He smiled. “You’re not much of a morning person, huh? You called me last night, left a voicemail.”

I took a minute, blinking owlishly until I remembered. “Oh, right. Yeah, the power lines were knocked out of the tool shed juncture last night.”

Aldo whistled. “Good way to get yourself electrocuted, thought I told you to watch out for that.”

“Accidents happen, couldn’t be helped.”

A thump drew our attention behind me. Cielo had stumbled out into the hallway, looking disheveled and confused. Before I could say anything, he walked toward me and Aldo, trying to peer curiously around my body. I glanced at Aldo, my heart sinking as I caught the man’s raised brow.

“Woof, are all the men in this town good-looking?” Cielo asked in a sleep-thickened voice.

I didn’t know what was more shocking, his blunt words or the fact that Aldo chuckled at it in good humor. Worse was the roil of angry jealousy which burned hot in my gut as I saw what looked like Aldo sizing Cielo up speculatively. My face burned with my annoyance as I glanced between the two of them, trying to decide what I should say.

The only thing I could think to say was to remind Cielo of what we were. The problem was, I didn’t actually know what to call us. Before, our relationship had been simple, me as the host and supervisor, with him as the guest and temporary employee. That a friendship had cropped up between might have been unlikely at first, but I had been comfortable with it. I didn’t know what had changed last night, if anything at all.

Cielo shrugged, standing on the tips of his toes to kiss my cheek. “Doesn’t matter, I’ve got what I need.”

I stood stock still as he walked away, humming another of his songs as he made his way down the hallway. Aldo was watching us both, his amused expression aggravating me further.

“Don’t say anything,” I warned.

He held up his hands, still smirking. “Wasn’t going to.”