37. Dustin
Chapter 37
Dustin
Last night was something I have never experienced before. Violet is an enigma. I’ve said it before, but now I can’t help but feel the noun is perfectly her. This time in a different context though. I’ve been in relationships before, but never has anything felt like this. Like an enigma, she is difficult to understand. No, maybe I’ve got it all wrong. She’s not an enigma; the mystery is the bond that we share. I’ve never ached to be near someone as badly as I ache to be with Violet. In every other relationship; surely, I’ve been happy, but not so utterly incapable of functioning without the other. When Violet and I are apart, I feel like a part of me is missing. She is the missing piece that I have been searching for years to find. Now that I’ve found her, I’m not letting go.
“Good morning sunshine.” I smile at the beautiful woman walking down the stairs in my T-shirt. It fits halfway down her legs, draping like a dress. Damn, I can’t believe she’s mine.
“Good morning.” She yawns, wiping the corners of her eyes in circle motions. Sardine hops from step to step after her. He’s so tiny that the action is funny to watch. The cat follows her every move. Once I got up this morning he took my place snuggling on top of the covers next to her.
“Did you get enough sleep?” I ask. I grab two bowls from a wooden cabinet above the counter. I fill each of them with ripped up buttered toast and over easy eggs.
“Yes, that was the best sleep of my life.” She looks down shyly at her hands. “I didn’t have any nightmares. It’s been years since I slept without one.”
That thought stings as I think about the trauma she experienced at such a young age. Losing her parents in an accident changed her whole world. I want her to stay every night so that she never has to dread sleep again. So that she never has to wake up alone. Or experience another night of restless sleep.
“You should stay here every night then.”
“I wouldn’t complain.” Her smile puts me at ease. I have a feeling she will be staying here from now on forever. If I have any say in it.
“Come eat. I made us dippy eggs.” Her eyes glow in excitement. I love the way they light up. It takes everything in me not to pull her into my arms and carry her back to bed so that we can spend the day in bliss. But she needs to eat something. And I do too—I’m starving.
We eat in comfortable silence as the sunrise peaks through the windows, reflecting across the table. Dark hues of magenta and orange backfill the sky. The colors are so mesmerizing, but they are dull in comparison to her. We’ve only known each other a little over two months, but it feels as if we’ve known each other much longer. I think we’re soulmates.
“Can I pick you up for lunch today?” I ask.
“Yes.” Her eyes light. “What do you have planned?”
“I can’t tell you, it’s a surprise.”
“You know I hate surprises.”
“It’s a good one I promise.”
“Okay,” She says hesitantly. “Do I need to change?”
“No, your overalls are perfect.”