As You Lay Dying - Alfie Solomons

19

(I'm alive, I swear! I'm worried my fanfic days have all but vanished. I just have such a hard time writing it lately and I'm afraid the plots are stale. So who knows where this goes but we'll see!) 

            Once Lily took Argos off his leash, the sheepdog made himself right at home in the hotel room. He trotted around, sniffing around the new space with his little tail wagging.

"Shoulda warned you 'bout Douglas. That kid's got soup for brains."

Lily only smiled. "It's okay, I understand."

Alfie removed his hat and propped it up on the rack by the door. He scrubbed a hand over his face and tried to fend off exhaustion from all the traveling. "Can't believe m'fucking here."

"Why don't you take a rest?" Lily kissed his cheek as she helped him out of his coat. "There's nothing to do now but rest."

He tucked two fingers under her chin. "There's always time in the world to do sin, love."

She couldn't help but smile. "Sometimes it's hard to tell what sort of sin you're talking about."

Alfie bent his head to rest his forehead on her shoulder as he let out a weary laugh. "Am I that fucking predictable?"

"I'm afraid so." She used her leverage to coax him toward the bed.

"Lil..." He protested aloud but let his feet shuffle toward her until they were collapsing onto the bed.

She held him close, carding her fingers through his hair until she felt him drift off. With Alfie's brain turned off, Lily let her own brain wander back home. She thought about her mother. How strange it was that her two lives had become so severed. The sheltered, polite woman who always walked the line with precision. And the more confident woman who allowed herself to fall so deeply in love with a dangerous man.

Her eyes tilted down to see Alfie fast asleep with his cheek against her shoulder. He didn't look very dangerous in this state. There was no denying he wore his past on his face. The bullet wound, the scars, it was all plain to see.

But that meant there was very little for him to hide. Sure, he had concealed things before, but he had since surrendered his heart to her.

Luke was refined. His family was smooth and untouched like porcelain. But they hid so much grief only to unleash it on Lily when she was at her worst.

Alfie began to snore softly like a content bear.

"She would have to like you...wouldn't she?" she whispered, stroking her hand down the side of his face.

With their journey to America, Lily was starting to see how it was becoming harder to hold herself together with her two lives diverging.

Jane always said the only thing she wanted was for her daughter to be happy.

And Lily was happy with Alfie.

~~~

Alfie was out cold for nearly three hours. Lily managed to drift in and out of sleep with him but had to get up to let Argos out. She donned new clothes and made her way out of the hotel. She let Argos putter around for a bit as she took in the unfamiliar city. The sun was starting to set, and Lily wondered if it would be best to just go to bed and call it a day.

But the growl from her stomach said otherwise.

"Lil!" Alfie's call interrupted her musing about dinner.

She turned with a small smile, but it vanished when she saw how frantic he looked. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Yeah, fucking woke up and you disappeared." He caught up to her and touched her arm.