13. Piper
Chapter 13
Piper
I awoke abruptly to the sound of Nimbus yowling in the corner of my room. My heart pounded as I tried to shake off the remnants of sleep to see what he was going on about.
The room was dimly lit, shadows dancing on the walls from the moonlight outside. It didn’t make sense, but I was too afraid to turn on the light. What if I saw something terrible?
I squinted into the darkness. Usually, he just stared and maybe scratched at the walls a little bit. But this was different. His back was arched with his fur standing on end, eyes wide and fixed on something I couldn’t see. His ears were flattened against his head, and his low growl sent chills down my spine.
Smog was acting weird, too. He sat at my feet, alert as if he were guarding me.
My initial grogginess faded quickly as I became more aware. I strained to hear any other sounds amidst Nimbus’s yowling. That’s when I heard a faint, almost imperceptible noise coming from within the walls. It was a soft scratching, accompanied by a low, rustling sound.
My pulse quickened, and an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. I had to get the hell out of here.
Yeah, I joked about this house being haunted, but I never thought it really was, or I would have moved the frick out at the first sign. What the hell was going on?
I threw back the covers and swung my legs over the side of the bed, my feet touching the cold floor. With each step, I felt a growing sense of dread. Nimbus continued his vocal protest, his eyes never leaving the corner, drifting up and down the wall as he pawed at the baseboard and softly growled.
As I approached him, the scratching noise grew louder and more insistent. Nimbus hissed and lunged at the wall, scratching at it furiously as his growls turned into trilling yowls, a sound I’d never heard from him.
I turned, searching for Smog. He was still perched at the foot of the bed, alert and keeping an eye on everything.
“We’re getting out of here.” I gathered Smog in my arms, then bent to grab Nimbus, but he darted under the bed, hissing, spitting, and growling his fluffy brains out.
“I’ll come back for you.” He was completely freaked out, fur standing on end. If I tried to catch him, he’d probably scratch the hell out of me. “Shit, shit, shit,” I chanted as I darted out the door and down the stairs.
I threw open the front door and was met by the crisp night air. I shivered in the dark as Smog twisted in my arms, but I held him close as I hurried down the steps and onto the walkway.
I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart as I stood there. The faint glow of the streetlights cast long shadows across the yard. I turned to look at the house, the scratching sound still echoing in my ears. Nimbus’s yowling could still be heard faintly as I’d left the front door open.
Just then, the headlights of a car swept into the driveway. Ren stepped out, concern etched on his face as he took in my disheveled and freaked-out appearance. I stood there shaking, my cat held tightly in my arms.
“What’s going on?” He asked, voice low and steady.
“There’s something in there,” I replied, my voice shaking. “I heard it… scratching and rustling in the walls. Nimbus went wild. I’ve never seen him like that?—”
“I’ll check it out.”
“No! What if it’s a ghost? Wait, I have to get Nimbus. I can’t leave him in there. Oh my god?—”
“Get in my car. I’ll go inside, yeah?”
“But what if it gets you? You could be killed!”
“There’s no such thing as ghosts. It’s probably an animal, an insect nest, a beehive, I don’t know, something like that. There’s a rational explanation. This house is old, Piper. Not haunted. I was just teasing you the other day.” He gestured to his car. “Get inside, get warm. I’ll be right back. Promise.”
“No, I’m coming with you. I can’t ask you to go in there by yourself. You shouldn’t die alone, rescuing my cat, who has gone out of his mind…”
He smiled softly and held his hand out. “We’ll be okay.”
“Okay…” I took his hand, only slightly embarrassed that I held it in a vice grip. I was scared out of my mind.
We entered the house, and I opened the downstairs half bath, and put Smog in there. He protested loudly.
“Just for a minute, I promise. Shh , we have to rescue your brother.”
“Where was the noise?”
“In my bedroom. Nimbus woke me up, scratching at the walls and yowling. None of this feels real. Am I awake? Are you really here?”
“I’m really here, sweetheart.” He chuckled. “Let’s go upstairs.”
I followed him up the stairs, sticking close to his back, wishing I could call Ghostbusters or Sam and Dean, anything to avoid confronting the noise in my room.
We stopped in the hallway right outside my open door. Nimbus was back in the corner, staring at the ceiling where we could hear the same light scratching as before. But now that I was calm, I could hear it in the hallway above our heads as well.
“Tell me you hear it too, and I’m not stuck in a bizarre, haunted house-themed lucid dream.”
“I hear it,” he confirmed. “There’s definitely something up there. What’s above your room?”
“The attic,” I answered, with my eyes glued to the ceiling. “But I don’t go in there.”
He looked at me like he thought I was cute, and a smile played about his lips. “Why not?”
I met his eyes, glad for the dim light since my cheeks had gone up in flames. This night was embarrassing on so many levels. “Because it’s dusty and scary and old. Mrs. Fenwick, uh, the previous owner, left her porcelain doll collection up there when she moved out. She said I could keep it, but I don’t like how they look at me. I don’t want anything to do with them. I was going to hire someone to clear it out up there, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.”
“God, I’ve never met anybody as fucking adorable as you are, Piper.”
“Well.” I exhaled a surprised puff of air, completely charmed. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He reached out his hand and I took it, shivering softly as he clasped my fingers, pressing our palms tightly together. “Shall we?”
“Weirdest date night ever,” I said, cracking jokes to cover my nerves as usual. “But I guess so.”
We entered my room. “Wait here.”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“Keep an eye on Nimbus while I check the attic.”
“What? Wait! No! I don’t want to be alone in here! Wait, no. I’m fine. I’ll be okay,” I couldn’t stop the panicked rambling words from falling out of my mouth. I’d need an entire journal to document all the different ways I’d embarrassed myself tonight. “Go ahead. I’m fine, I promise.”
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
“It’s the door next to this one.”
“Thought so.” His eyes softened on mine. “It’ll be fine. Wait here.”
I looked around the room, spotting my phone on the bedside table. I swiped it up and got ready to dial nine-one-one. I trusted him, but one couldn’t be too careful.
I took a deep breath and listened as Ren’s footsteps echoed in the hall along with the scratching.
Nimbus must have accepted that something was being done about the noise. He snapped out of his kitty-cat rage fest and hopped up to join me on the bed. I scooped him up and cuddled him close but he was having none of that. He hopped out of my arms and sat next to me instead.
The hinge squeak told me Reb had opened the attic door, and I slammed my eyes shut in anticipation. Of what? I had no idea, but something was up there.
“Shit!” He yelled as his footsteps pounded across the hall.
I peeked out the doorway.
Raccoons.
So many raccoons.
One of them ran through my legs and into my room. Nimbus jumped from the bed to chase it. Around and around they went, knocking my bedside table to the floor before I managed to shoo Nimbus into the bathroom and close the door.
The raccoon ran out. I stumbled to the doorway, trying not to trip over the contents of my bedside table drawers as I made my way toward the hallway to check on Ren.
At the top of the stairs, I saw him open the front door and then run toward the kitchen, probably to open that door too.
“Is Nimbus okay?” he shouted.
“He’s in the bathroom.”
“Good, I’m going to try and herd them out of here.”
I watched him dart back and forth from the top of the stairs, trying to corral the raccoons through the open doors as I leaned against the banister, wondering how best to help. He was like a blur of determination, and the chaos seemed never-ending. I grabbed my broom from the small utility closet and joined him. Meanwhile, Nimbus’s desperate yowls echoed from the bathroom, adding to the cacophony. Smog, as usual, was quiet.
We walked through the house, checking all the corners and closets, pausing in the kitchen for a moment to rehydrate.
Ren insisted on going up and checking the attic and gave it the all-clear.
Finally, it seemed they were all gone. We closed the doors and met up in the foyer.
“That was something,” he said, huffing and puffing for air.
“I know it was only raccoons. But I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again.”
He let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall. “I guess we can let the cats out now,” he said with a smile, wiping sweat from his brow.
“Yeah, I think it’s safe.”
“Want me to stay here tonight? I can crash on the couch. Or I’ll sleep outside your door. This was a lot. You need some rest.” He tucked my hair behind my ear, his touch lingering as he slowly let the strands drift from his fingers.
“I, uh, yes.” Forget trying to be brave. There was no way I could sleep tonight. “Please. I can’t face being alone right now. But you don’t have to sleep outside my door. That’s silly.”
“The couch?”
“Do you mind? Are you sure?” My pulse fluttered so rapidly, I wondered if he could see it. I slid my hand up my throat just in case.
“I’m happy to.”
“Okay, help me let the cats out, then I’ll grab some blankets and a pillow for you. I appreciate this a lot. You have no idea.”
“It’s no trouble at all. I’ll check on Nimbus. I don’t want him to hurt you accidentally. He was pretty worked up.”
His gaze was warm and reassuring. And I was so, so glad I wouldn’t be alone tonight. I couldn’t help but notice how his eyes lingered on me. It wasn’t just concern, there was something more, my heart raced, and my cheeks flushed. It was magnetic. A connection hummed in the air between us. A lingering hint of something deeper.
“Thanks.” I headed downstairs to the half bath. Smog sauntered out as if an army of raccoons hadn’t just overrun us. I watched him head to the kitchen, probably to check on his food bowl. “Nice talk,” I muttered. “Glad you’re okay.”
“Oh shit.” I cringed and ran for the stairs, remembering my overturned bedside table and its spilled contents—spilled private contents.
Damn it, damn it, damn it.
Too late.
Ren was already standing in the doorway, his cheeks tinged with pink as he saw my collection of vibrators strewn all over the floor.
“Uh…nothing to see here,” I cracked, better to make a joke than die of humiliation. “Just my drawer full of fun. Hopefully, it will help me stick to my no-more-dating and never-falling-in-love-again-ever plans.”
“Ahh, I see.” He seemed relieved that I was joking and not embarrassed.
I fumbled to gather the scattered items; my face probably as pink as Ren’s. “Can we pretend this never happened?”
He righted the bedside table, and I managed to stuff everything back into the drawer. “Thanks,” I mumbled, maybe dying of humiliation was a good idea now.
“Sure,” he said, chuckling. “This never happened. No dating, no love, gotcha. But our fake dates are still on, right?”
“Of course,” I replied, closing the drawer with a decisive thud. “I never go back on my word.”
His smile was a mixture of genuine amusement and the kind of understanding that made my embarrassment slowly fade. He leaned against the doorway, watching me with those steady, thoughtful eyes.
“Seriously,” I finally said, once I had managed to compose myself somewhat. “Thanks for not making this even more awkward.”
“Hey, everyone has their secrets,” he replied lightly. “Yours just happen to be a lot more…colorful. Raccoons in the attic and an impressive collection of—fun.”
“Colorful.” I laughed, taking a slow step closer to him. “I guess you could say that.”
“By the way, about those fake dates, a gala at a children’s hospital is coming up.”
“You’re so amazing.” I tried to be cool, to ignore the fluttering in my stomach at the thought of another evening spent in his company.
“Thank you, but not really. I—um—like to help when I can, I guess. Anyone would.”
“No, I mean, look at what you did tonight. You drove right into my driveway, no questions asked, and single-handedly defeated the covert army of raccoons living in my attic. Where were you anyway?”
He huffed a laugh. “I couldn’t fall asleep, so I went on an ice cream run. It’s probably melted in the bag.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re more important. I couldn’t leave you, standing in your driveway, nowhere to go but back into a potentially haunted house. What kind of man would I be if I did that? Good thing it was only raccoons.”
“Wait. Stop. I think I’ve figured you out. Your love language is acts of service. But that’s totally obvious to anyone who knows you. You say you’re grumpy, which is a contradiction. I don’t think you’re grumpy at all. I think your job forced you to see the worst in people, and you closed yourself off and hid behind a gruff exterior for protection. You’re like a classic eldest daughter stereotype, if she were to take the form of a buff, badass, almost silver fox, grumpy-on-the-outside divorce attorney. You take care of everyone you know, Ren. So, yeah, you’re amazing. I will accept no argument on that fact.” I ran my fingers over the gray hair at his temple, then touched the tip of his nose, grinning when the cute pink flush reappeared above his stubble.
“I don’t know what any of that means.” His laughter was deep and rich, a sound that could fill a room and make everyone within earshot smile. It was infectious. And I felt pretty special because I knew he didn’t let many people see this side of him.
It was like a pressure valve releasing, the tension melting away as we realized we were more alike than we thought. Silence hung between us for a moment, comfortable and warm as we each realized that we were absolutely going to become—friends. Just friends, damn it. I was not dating anyone for real. No matter how amazing and kind and good-looking and built and—gah!
Forget it.
No.
Bad, Piper.
“Well, I think you’re pretty awesome, Ren, and I’m glad you’re here.”
“Thank you. And I think the same about you. You’re one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.” He grew serious. “I think about you more than I should.”
A flutter of emotions swirled in my chest, each one more confusing than the last. His words shimmered in the air, and I felt a magnetic pull toward him, like something was nudging us closer together, rewriting the lines between what was real and what was pretend. Or maybe I was just pretending this wasn’t real when deep down I knew that it could be.
“I do too. I mean, I think about you, too, Ren. Entirely too much for my own good.” I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper.
“What should we do about it?”
My pulse quickened at his words, and I took a deep breath to steady my racing heart. I didn’t want to lose whatever we had by not being honest.
We stood there, the silence wrapping around us like a cozy blanket. His eyes held a depth of sincerity that made my heart skip a beat. It was as if we were both acknowledging the delicate balance we were walking on, the fine line between friendship and something more.
Without breaking eye contact, I took a step closer, my breath catching slightly. “Show me.”
“What?”
“Show me what you think about when I’m on your mind.”
His gaze softened, and he reached out to gently tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear.
The air between us shifted.
Uncertainty was replaced by possibility.
Pretense by chemistry.
His lips met mine in a tender kiss.