Salvation (Joseph Seed)

22. Dancing

Evelyn had been staying with Joseph for about a week now and everything had been perfectly fine. They had been getting along like they had lived with each other forever. Of course, they had shared some 'too close for comfort' moments but they never let it bother them in the long run. Joseph noticed when he got her flustered, and whenever he noticed he would try to back away but he found that increasingly difficult.

Joseph woke up in a cold sweat, sighing tiredly as he pushed his hair our of his face and lay on his back. Yes, the voice was a blessing in many ways but it was also a curse, a tortuously heavy burden for a man to carry.

The Father knew that he wasn't going to fall back to sleep so he climbed out of his bed and made his way downstairs. He walked into the living room and headed straight for the bookshelf. On the bottom shelf was a box filled with vinyls, some where ones that John had bought for Jacob, knowing that his eldest brother was a fan of The Platters and other artists that he insisted are 'classics', others were more the picks of John. Joseph was pretty sure that a handful of them were first edition records, it hadn't been easy convincing John to leave some features of his more extravagant life behind.

Joseph selected one of the records before beginning to play it, making sure it wasn't loud enough to wake Evelyn. After choosing some music to play, Joseph stood in front of the bookcase again, this time looking for a book to read. He was certain that he had read each book in his collection at least once but that wouldn't stop him from rereading them.

Evelyn tossed and turned in her bed, a bed that she now considered her own. Every night since she moved into Joseph's house, he had been sleeping perfectly fine but tonight she couldn't even seem to get comfortable. Eventually she gave up and fell down on her back, staring at the ceiling above her. The woman sat up and glanced around the dark room before leaning over and turning the lamp, that sat on her bedside table, on. She threw her legs over the edge of the bed before standing up.

Deciding that there was no way that she was going to get to sleep anytime soon, Evelyn walked out of her bedroom and headed down the stairs. Her brow furrowed at the soft sound of music coming from downstairs, it hadn't been loud enough to disturb her while she was in her room but now that she was descending the stairs she could hear it getting louder.

Evelyn followed the sound of the relaxing music, walking into the living room and pausing in the doorway at the sight in front of her.

Joseph stood with his back to the woman, scanning the bookcase, obviously he wasn't aware of her presence. He was shirtless, something that Evelyn had only seen once. Despite living with Joseph, every time she saw him he was freshly showered and dressed. His hair was still tied up in a bun but it was much messier than usual, like he had just woken up. He wore a pair of sweatpants, hanging loose and low on his hips.

The woman took the time to admire the large tattoo on his back, the same symbol beginning to spread through Hope County. She also took the time to process his scars, something that once scared her and unsettled her now endeared her even more. Maybe it was wrong but she found herself falling for his scars and tattoos as much as she was falling for the man himself.

Evelyn stepped further into the room, this time catching Joseph's attention. He turned around to face the woman, realising that he had been lost in his own little world. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Joseph asked as he turned his body to face her.

"Oh, no. I just couldn't sleep. I was actually coming down to find a book or something, then I heard the music" Evelyn explained, trying and just about succeeding at not letting her gaze linger on his bare chest.

"How come you couldn't sleep?" he asked, hoping that she was alright.

"I don't know, I just couldn't get comfortable" Evelyn shrugged, shuffling her feet slightly. Not nervously but perhaps shyly. "Why are you awake?" she asked, stepping further into the room, moving closer to Joseph since it felt a little weird to be speaking to each other while they stood at opposite sides of the room.

"...bad dreams, but nothing for you to worry about" the preacher shook his head, not wanting to worry her with such trivial matters. Not that anything to do with his situation was trivial, far from it actually.

"Are you alright? Do you want to talk about it?" the woman asked sympathetically as she reached a hand out, resting it comfortingly on his forearm.

"I'm fine, it was nothing that I haven't seen before" Joseph assured her with a warm smile, smiling to put her at ease but also because she cared.

"It was the...the collapse, wasn't it?" she asked with a small frown forming on her face.

"It was, how did you guess?" he asked, reaching a hand up and pushing her hair behind her ear.

"It must be so difficult, being the only one who knows and having people not believe you. It's a lot of responsibility for one man to have, I can't imagine what that is like. The nightmares must feel so real..." Evelyn sighed sympathetically, making Joseph smile sadly as he ran his thumb across her cheek.

"They do...because they are real. You're right, it is difficult to know that your nightmares are just insights to the future. But that burden is easier to carry when you know that you are helping people" Joseph assured her.

The next song on the record began to play and Evelyn noticed the way that Joseph's face brightened and softened at the same time. This was a song that Joseph enjoyed, it was an instrumental and it was often the song he played after a particularly vivid vision. Joseph took one of Evelyn's hands in his and placed his other hand on her waist.

At first Evelyn furrowed her brow in confusion, but blushed anyway at the contact. She soon realised what was going on, letting her free hand rest on Joseph's shoulder.

"I can't dance" Evelyn told him with a shy blush as she lowered her gaze.

"I don't care" Joseph spoke softly, making Evelyn look back up at him and smile.

Evelyn just nodded as she relaxed against Joseph's touch, letting him lead her as they swayed to the music. It was extremely difficult for the young woman to not think about her hand against his bare shoulder, feeling the muscles move under her hand. She was so close that she could feel the heat emitting from his body, her chest close to his bare one.

The pair had started at a friendly distance but it wasn't long before their bodies where only inches apart. Joseph bowed his head, resting his forehead against Evelyn's as they swayed gently to the music.

Evelyn's eyes fluttered shut as she completely melted against Joseph's body, losing herself in the moment. This is definitely the most romantic scene she had ever been apart of, it was like a dream despite being so simple, she could live in this moment forever.

"Let's go to bed" Joseph whispered, his breath fanning against her lips, making a shiver run down her spine. Evelyn opened her eyes at his words, seeing an affectionate and sincere look in his eyes. Tenderly, she nodded.

Joseph smiled at her before hesitantly pulling away, realising her to turn and put the record away. Evelyn just stood and waited, a million thoughts running from her mind at the connotations behind Joseph's words.

Once Joseph was finished putting the record away, he turned back to Evelyn and took her hand in his. He waited for any sign of hesitation but she just smiled so he led her up the stairs and to his room instead of her own.

The door was closed behind them as Joseph led the woman further into the room, letting go of her hand before walking around the bed. They both shared a glance before pulling the sheets back and climbing into the bed.

That night Evelyn fell asleep under white sheets instead of blue, with two toned arms wrapped around her waist, her head tucked under Joseph's bearded chin, and her face buried comfortably into his chest.

It had been a long time since Joseph had held a woman in his arms, it had been a long time since he had felt so strongly for a woman.

Their sleep was undisturbed for the rest of the night, Evelyn feeling no discomfort all night and Joseph didn't have a single vision. They both slept peacefully in each other's arms.