Safe and Sound

Safe and Sound - Chapter 14

Chapter FOURTEEN

"So, can I give you a tour of the house?"

   Rowan waited until a minuter or two after my mom drove away to speak to me.

   I could tell he was as nervous as I was. He kept smiling at me, like he couldn't believe I was really there. I couldn't believe it either.

   "Okay," I answered quietly.

   "Well, this is our formal room, no one uses it," he started. "Tiffany is an interior designer... that's why it's all fancy."

  I gave him a half smile.

  "The kitchen and dining room are through there," he said, pointing to where his dad had come from. "But you'll see those rooms after." 

   When he turned, he brushed against me slightly, shooting hot waves through my entire body. I didn't know if he meant to, but I knew he felt it, too.

  "C'mon," he said again, "I'll show you upstairs."

   I followed him up the stairs and down a hallway.

   "Dad's room, spare room, bathroom," he told me, as we passed the rooms. "And my room," he finished, pushing a door open.

   It was big, and clean. Spotless, actually. There was a large bed, perfectly made with a brown duvet and too many pillows, a large closet and a few shelves with books. On the night stand, there was an open laptop.

   I swallowed hard, stepping into the room after him. He closed the door behind us and I felt like I couldn't breathe. I had never been in a boy's bedroom before.

  "Cassidy... you look really good," he said to me, walking towards his bed. "I mean... you look-"

  "Less like a giant, broken mess?" I asked, then laughed.

  "You never looked like a mess, to me," he grinned. "But yeah, I guess the circumstances were different."

  "Definitely," I agreed. "You look different, too."

  "I do?" he asked, then ran a hand through his hair.

  "I think it's the dress shirt," I smiled.

   He pulled at the bottom of it. "I'm so... glad you're here. I can't explain it... I just didn't think you'd come."

   "Why?" I asked, surprised.

   He was practically across the room from me now. "Cass... I literally haven't stopped thinking about you... about us, together that night." He paused, not looking at me. "It's like burned in my mind." 

   "Yeah," I replied. "I know."

   "When I left your hospital room, I was freaking out. I thought I'd never see you again. I couldn't believe it when you texted me that night," he went on.

   "Really?"

   Rowan nodded, taking a step closer to me. "I was so happy. And when you came to the motel... we were together, you know? I wanted to say so much to you. I wanted to have more... time."

   I nodded, but I didn't know what to say. I wanted him to know I felt the same, but I couldn't find the words. I didn't have any words.

   "You want to sit?" he asked, lowering his body onto his bed.

   I nodded again, crossing the room to sit, too.

   "At the motel," he went on, but then stopped, as if he couldn't finish the sentence.