Another side of Heartland

Chapter 2

-Mallory-

I was freezing as I went up to the loft, I clicked the lights on and closed the door and then started stripping off my wet nasty clothes. Luckily my jeans weren't too wet and I instantly felt warmer as I slipped Caleb's dry button down on. Looking down his shirt was almost like a dress on me, I guess I'm that short. I tied the tails of his shirt up around my waist and tugged his hoodie on. Not even bothering to look in the mirror I trudged back down the stairs to find Caleb sitting on some hay bales watching the storm. I sat down next to Caleb still shivering a little, Caleb looked over and noticed that I was sitting there shivering and wrapped his arm around me. I don't know what I was thinking but I laid my head on his shoulder and dozed off. I don't know how much time went by but loud thunder made me jerk awake. I sat up and stretched, looking around I realized that I had used Caleb's lap for a pillow. Caleb was still asleep so I got up and busied myself in the tack room, I was so absorbed in what I was scrubbing off of a silver Concho that I didn't notice when Caleb walked up behind me. When he spoke he was so close I could feel his breath on my neck, I jumped and scooted away from him in surprise and tripped over a bucket and fell backwards. Waiting to smack the ground I closed my eyes and braced myself but instead of hitting the cold ground I felt a warm body around mine. I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at Caleb and He looked down at me. Caleb leaned in closer and then he straightened up and smiled at me. He said

'Watch your step there shorty'

and chuckled, I nodded my head and said

"sure thing legs".

Later that afternoon after I made a mad dash to the house I was in the kitchen heating up all the leftover that were in the fridge when I heard the front door squeak open, I heard Caleb taking his boots off and I heard him trying to be quiet going down the hall to the bathroom. I laughed quietly and kept heating up the leftovers.

-Caleb-

Finally warm and dry I thought as I gathered up all my nasty clothes and shoved them into my bag. I opened the bathroom door and I smelled the food in the kitchen, I walked down the hall and saw Mallory sitting on the counter eating left over mac n' cheese. I grabbed a plate and put what I wanted on it and went and sat at the table. Mallory didn't move, didn't speak, nothing. I looked at her back as she picked at the pasta she had scooped up for herself, she sat the bowl down in the sink and hopped off the counter heading to the living room.

"Mallory"

I called after her

'yea?'

She answered quietly.

"Did you eat before I came out of the shower?"

'No I was just heating everything up'

"are you feeling okay?"

'Yea Caleb I'm fine'

I swear her voice cracked when she said

"fine"

but I sure wasn't an expert at understanding Mallory. I pushed away the nagging thoughts that kept running through my mind about how She suddenly looks skinnier that normal or how it's unusual for her not to eat. 

I finished up my plate of food and then decided I would put everything away so Mallory didn't have to do it. Just as I was putting the last container of food in the fridge I heard the bathroom door close down the hall, not thinking anything of it I headed down the hall to the living room. The door didn't catch when it was slammed closed and as I walked by I could see Mallory on her knees in front of the toilet getting sick. I opened the door and held her hair and rubbed her back as she started to cry. When she decided she was done being sick she rocked back onto her behind and leaned against the tub. I wet a cool rag and handed it to her and then handed her a cup with mouthwash and her toothbrush. After she cleaned herself up we just sat in the bathroom floor, an awkward silence building between us.

'Please don't tell anyone'

Mallory said so quietly I wasn't sure that she had even said it in the first place. At first I was confused

"what's to tell you just got sick..."

and then it hit me, all at once like a ton of bricks.

"Oh Mallory"

I moved to sit beside her and wrapped my arms around her. I could feel her starting to break down, tears running down her face, sobbing, shaking. I pulled her over into my lap and rocked her gently as I rubbed her back and played with her hair. I have no clue how long I sat on the bathroom floor holding onto her but eventually she ran out of tears and drifted off to sleep. Very gently I picked her up and carried her down the hall to Marions old room and gently laid her down on her pink bed spread. I walked back into the bathroom and cleaned up any sign that anything was wrong and I headed to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and some Tylenol for Mallory when she wakes up.