Chapter 37
Aeron
The soft click of the door snapped me awake, alerting my senses. My eyes went to Astrid, still asleep on my arm, her breathing soft and even.
Footsteps slipped quietly inside the house. I'd locked the door, I was sure of it. Someone had broken into the house. Who, why, or how didn’t matter right now. All that mattered—the only damn thing I'd let matter—was protecting this precious wrapped securely in my arms.
The footsteps shuffled in the living room, pausing every few steps.
Cabinet doors opened—kitchen clearly, followed by the sound of someone rummaging through boxes and then slamming the doors shut with something suspiciously like a disappointed sigh.
Next, the fridge opened. A wrapper rustled, tore, and then a loud crunch.
Chewing.
Another crunch.
A rhythm of crunch and chewing filled the quiet.
Really? A snack burglar? And zero worries about being caught raiding someone else's kitchen.
The footsteps came closer now. I drew the blanket higher over Astrid, covering her all the way up to the top of her head.
The snack burglar moved to the window, pulling open the blinds. Pale early morning sunlight spilled into the room. Footsteps resumed, slower now, more careful, almost wary. The moment fingers touched the edge of the blanket, my hand shot out instinctively, grabbing the wrist.
Soft skin.
A slender wrist.
And a startled wince.
Not exactly the hardened criminal I'd expected.
I pulled the blanket down from my face and was greeted by Kelly’s wide-eyes, shock written all over her face.
“Aer—Aeron?” Her voice shook slightly. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Astrid stirred slightly at the sharp tone, mumbled something sleepy and incoherent, then drifted back to sleep.
“Shh, lower your voice. She’s still asleep.
” I warned her, carefully shifting my arm beneath Astrid without waking her.
My arm had gone sore from holding her in the same position all night.
Even the slightest shift would stir her awake and judging by how she'd curled into me, breathing softly, she obviously loved this spot. So I stayed still, ignoring the relentless pins and needles. If my sweetheart was comfy, I’d put up with a thousand sleepless nights.
“You and Astrid? How?” Kelly’s voice rose up three octaves. “Did you, oh my god, did you force yourself—” She was already pulling the blanket off Astrid, frantically checking her from head to toe, her clothes, her condition, before finally letting out a loud breath of relief.
I appreciated her protectiveness. But that barely-there sneer she gave when she noticed Astrid sleeping soundly in my arms—that, I definitely didn’t appreciate, and it certainly didn’t go unnoticed.
Her eyes snapped back to me, fierce and narrowed. “Either you start explaining what's going on, or I'm waking her up right now.”
I didn’t want to disturb Astrid, especially since her chosen pillow happened to be me, but clearly, I needed to deal with this motormouth first. I eased Astrid onto the bed, slipped a pillow under her head, and pulled the blanket up to her chin.
“Outside,” I told Kelly.
“You don’t get to order me around when you’re the one sneaking into bed with my best friend.” Kelly scoffed, crossing her arms.
I raised an eyebrow, letting the silence stretch a beat. “Interesting moral stance from someone who was raiding that same best friend’s kitchen.”
“Stealing from a best friend’s kitchen is called love—selfless love.”
Her voice was loud, but then again, expecting this motormouth to keep her volume in check was unrealistic at best. Astrid jolted awake, blinking at us in sleepy, startled confusion.
I knelt down beside her, searching her face carefully. “How are you feeling?” She looked better, the ghostly pallor from last night that had scared the hell out of me was gone now
“Much better.” she gave me a gentle, sincere smile. “Actually, I feel good now.”
“What is he doing here?” Kelly demanded, narrowing her eyes accusingly at Astrid.
“Better question.” I tilted my head toward Kelly but looking straight at Astrid. “Why does she have a key to this house?” First thing on my to-do list: confiscate that damn key and make sure it stayed permanently in my possession.
“I’m her best friend,” Kelly snapped, eyes narrowed at me. “I’ve full access to everything in this house.”
“Your friendship ends at her bedroom door,” I replied calmly. “Mine continues into her bed.”
“Did you hear that?” Kelly turned to Astrid, voice climbing to peak complaint mode as she pointed accusingly at me. “He’s crushing our friendship under his boots!”
“He’s just making fun of you, Kel. Don’t take him seriously.” Astrid reached for my hand. “She’s mostly upset because I haven’t told her about us yet. Let me talk to her first?”
“Don’t take too long,” I pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be outside.”
She smiled, giving me a nod so cute it almost made me reconsider leaving. Kelly stared at us, eyes widening, jaw dropping slightly, looking at me as if I'd suddenly sprouted three heads.