Chapter 6 Aeri
Business has been pretty slow today, which means I passed the time taking stock and trying to stay busy. If I stop for too long, I end up thinking about Rome, and with him gone for at least the next week, I need to keep busy.
It doesn’t help that we’ve never been apart this long, not since we met back in middle school. No, we’ve always been connected at the hip; our parents used to tease us about how we would end up married someday.
I’d thought they were crazy back then. He was my best friend, but now here we are, married, with our own little shop and our dream house.
It even has a wraparound porch!
Once the shop starts giving us a more constant income, he’ll be able to quit his job, and we can focus on building a family together.
The thought of a little boy or girl with his dark hair and my light eyes… Just imagining it makes my heart skip a beat!
Life has been far from a cakewalk for us, but we're together, and that’s all I could ask for.
The guy who came in not long ago is still sitting in one of the booths, eating his cinnamon roll so slowly I’m tempted to ask if there's something wrong with it. Usually, people eat them fast, while they're warm.
But I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t a bit strange, so I leave him alone.
Something about him feels…off.
I don’t know how else to describe it. He’d seemed standoffish when he first came in, but the way he looked at me was almost as if he recognized me. Which is weird because I’ve never seen him a day in my life.
I gave him the benefit of the doubt, chalking it up to mistaken identity, but the longer he stood around, the stranger it felt. I’d been tempted to lie and tell him Rome was due back soon, but when I opened my mouth, I couldn’t do it.
I’m not stupid. I know admitting I’m alone here while my husband is out of town isn’t the best idea, but it was as if my mouth had a mind of its own.
Stuck in my head, I hurry to the back to grab the muffins for Ms. Danfire’s order from the oven and send Rome a quick text letting him know I love and miss him.
I know he probably can’t answer right now, but it settles something in me knowing he’s just a text away, even if he can’t be here with me right now.
My phone pings, and I almost drop the muffin tray in surprise. Scrambling back to the table, I quickly set it down and yank off my oven mitts as I fumble for my phone and find a big heart emoji from Rome.
My cheeks ache as a smile pulls at my lips, and my heart aches.
Fuck, I miss him, and it’s only the first day. How am I going to survive the rest of the week?
No, that’s not going to help.
Shaking the thought off, I tuck my phone back into my pocket and move to the front to find it empty.
What the hell?
I quickly move from one end of the counter to the other, searching for any sign of the guy who’d ordered the cinnamon roll, but come up empty.
How strange. I know I’d been a little preoccupied with my phone, but that was only for a moment; besides, I should have heard the bell when he opened the door, regardless.
Unable to accept that he’s just vanished, I check both the men's and women’s bathrooms before I have no choice but to admit he’s gone.
I need to pay better attention to my surroundings.
Thank God, Rome isn’t here; he would never let me live this down.
The thought of him has me fishing my phone from my pocket in hopes of hearing from him again because I have no self-control. I can’t help but huff in disappointment when I find no new messages despite knowing he’s busy.
Get it together, Aerilyn; you have plenty to do. I mentally scold myself.
Putting my phone back in my pocket, I move to the door, flicking off the open sign and locking the door. It’s just about lunchtime, and I need to box up this order for Ms. Danfire down at the library for the monthly book club she hosts.
She’d been my first real customer when I opened three months ago, and I’d hate to let her down. Usually, I’d just leave the store open and pop back and forth, but clearly, that wasn’t a good idea today.
I get the order to her with plenty of time to spare, so I grab myself a book to pass the downtime at the shop.
Walking back, I can’t help the skip in my step at the idea of reading a new book.
I stop at the deli a few shops down from mine and grab a turkey and cheese sandwich and treat myself to an energy drink since Rome isn’t here to tell me how bad they are for me.
I mean, I know he’s right, but they taste so good I can’t help but crave them, even if they stopped actually giving me energy somewhere in my sophomore year of college when I drank them like they were more important than oxygen.
To be honest, I’m pretty sure they’re the only reason I was able to graduate.
The rest of the day is slow, with people trickling in here and there. However, the after-work rush is big enough to hit our daily goal and then some. If this keeps up, Rome will be able to quit in no time!
The thought gives me a boost as I close up, cleaning tables and prepping tomorrow's bakes and the coffee machines. I head home with a pep in my step, excited to make more progress in my book, which is actually really good.
It’s about shifters and fated mates, and one of her guys has a piercing on his… Yeah, I didn’t even know that was a thing.
My happy mood melts away when I get home and close the door behind me.
Suddenly, the house feels a lot bigger and much lonelier without Rome here with me. He left this morning, and this is the first night I’ll spend alone in our new house.
“I’m a big girl. I can handle this,” I say out loud, hoping I’ll believe it…
I don’t.
I run through the house, flipping on every light before I check the back door to make sure it’s locked. With my book tucked under my arm, I run upstairs and close myself in my bedroom, jumping up on my bed and scurrying under my covers.
Our house isn’t exactly huge. It has three bedrooms, with one currently serving as Rome’s home office. Upstairs, there's a full bathroom, and downstairs, the living room, dining room, and kitchen all flow seamlessly together.
It’s everything I ever wanted, and someday I hope to have it full of the sounds of little feet, but for tonight, I hope to lose myself in this book and hear nothing at all.
It works. I changed into sleep shorts and a tank top and cuddled up on my bed not only to lose myself in the book, but apparently to finish it, too.
My only regret is not having grabbed the second one.
The ending was brutal, and if it weren’t so late, I would have messaged Janice, Ms. Danfire, to ask about getting it before opening.
As it stands, I’ll have to wait until lunch, which doesn’t sound terrible but feels like forever.
I stayed up way later than I planned, and even with all the lights on, I can’t help but feel the house is just a little creepy this late at night.
Why hadn’t I closed the curtains?
Our bedroom is at the back of the house, and our backyard sits up against one of the many beautiful state parks around here. The only problem with that is that while they're pretty in the sunlight but in the dark of the early morning hours, they’re definitely more on the creepy side.
I’m in the middle of trying to psych myself up to close the curtains and brush my teeth when I hear it.
A creek. The house isn’t new by any means, with wood floors throughout, and old houses like this settle from time to time…
Right?
I’ve almost convinced myself that’s what the sound was when I hear it again.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I know something is wrong.
I open my mouth to call out before thinking better of it and snapping it shut.
Phone!
Where is my phone?
I tear the bed apart, looking as quickly but also as quietly as I can while my panic grows, my breathing coming in harsh pants as the floor creaks again, this time much closer.
I freeze as I remember where I last had my phone, suddenly very aware that it’s not an option.
I’d slipped it into my bag when I unlocked the house, dropping it on the couch when I ran around turning lights on.
A lot of good that does me.
With nothing else to do, I don’t give myself a second to think about it; pushing to my feet, I make a mad dash for the closet.
“Aerilyn.”
Hearing my name makes me stop. The gruff baritone washes over me, feeling foreign yet somehow familiar, although I know I’ve never heard this voice before.
That fact is drilled home when I turn to find a huge man with long silver hair that falls down his back in a braid.
He stands in the doorway watching me, his face pinched in confusion as his eyes search mine for what, I’m not sure.
We stand watching each other for a moment, neither of us speaking, and I let my eyes roam over him since I’m trapped here, anyway.
He has to be at least six foot five, filling the doorway in a way that makes him seem otherworldly.
He’s huge! His hair falls down his back long enough that I spot it between his legs.
He’s wearing all black: black jeans, black shoes, and a black button-up shirt.
In any other circumstance, I might find him attractive, but right now, with him in my house late at night, blocking my ability to leave, he’s terrifying.
The longer we stand there, the more my panic builds, and when I take a step back, he mirrors my movement, taking a step into the room.
“W-what do you want?” I manage to ask, my voice only shaking slightly despite the fact that I feel like I might throw up.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Aerilyn.” Again, he says my name as if he’s trying to soothe me, but all that does is freak me out more.
How does he know me? I’m pretty sure I’d remember seeing him before, even if it was just in passing.
I look harder, trying to find anything familiar, but come up empty. The harder I look, the harder it is to breathe, and suddenly my head is aching. My vision blurs, and I swear I see wings and horns before they blink away again, leaving me swaying as I fight against the urge to pass out.
What the hell is wrong with me?
“Darling.” It’s impossible to miss the concern in his voice, but I can’t make myself care. He moves toward me again, and I hold out my hand, shocked when he actually stops.
Passing out right now is literally the worst-case scenario. The room spins, and it becomes impossible for me to pull in another breath. I realize that’s exactly what's going to happen, right before everything goes black.