Chapter 36
Thirty-Six
When Jal awoke the next morning, the bed beside her was empty.
She sat up a little too quickly, the sheet clasped to her chest, only to collapse right back onto the pillows.
She lay still with her arm draped over her eyes until the room returned to its normal stationary position and her temples finished their game of ping pong with her brain.
The blue walls that greeted her when she finally managed to peel her head from the pillow confirmed she was in Ciaran’s bedroom, as if the musky citrus coming from the buttery soft sheets hadn’t been enough.
The door leading out to the living room was closed, but the sun shone through the heavy curtains over the windows and around the door.
When she strained her ears, there was only the faint, but now familiar hum of the heating system. Her brow furrowed. Swinging her feet to the floor, she reached for her discarded clothes and dressed quickly, running her fingers through her hair as best she could on the way to the door.
The sunlight slapped her back a step. “Damn you, Elena, and your tequila shots,” she grumbled, rubbing her eyes. After a moment, the pain in her head eased and she looked around the empty room.
“Ciaran?”
She checked the bathroom, which was also empty. Frowning, she looked for her coat and found it draped over the back of a chair where she’d tossed it the night before. She dug her phone out of the pocket and noted the time before she saw the texts from Ciaran.
Ciaran: Good morning beautiful.
Ciaran: I had to get to work and you looked so peaceful sleeping in my bed that I didn’t dare wake you. I left you a muffin on the counter and you know where the tea is.
Ciaran: I promise I’ll explain everything tonight. I love you.
Jal spotted the small white bag sitting next to the electric kettle. She opened the bag and breathed in the tangy scent of a lemon poppyseed muffin. Her heart swelled at his thoughtfulness as she flicked the switch on the kettle.
She nibbled on the muffin as the water boiled and made herself a cup of matcha from the tin he now kept in the cabinet beside his Scottish loose-leaf black tea.
He’d told her once that his Gran, ever watchful from her portrait across the room, would roll over in her grave if he dared to use bagged tea.
Jal carried her breakfast to the sofa and saluted the portrait before taking the first sip.
For a while, she scrolled through her social media, watching meaningless funny animal videos and cooking tutorials until her phone dinged with an incoming message.
She pressed play on the video and realized that what she’d thought was just Elena having a shutterbug moment last night had been a little bit more.
Her temples pounded as she watched herself take a tequila shot and bite into a lime wedge.
The Jal on the video made a face at the bitterness and Elena laughed, making a joke about building her tolerance back up after all this time.
Then Elena flipped the camera and moved her arm so all three were in the frame.
“Sonrisas, bitches,” Elena cried, while Jal and Lexi huddled in closer.
Jal paused the video, her mouth dropping open.
From the screen, they all beamed at the camera, cheeks flushed from alcohol and dancing, but what caught her attention was her own expression.
Her fingers trembled as she swiped back to the home screen to the photo strip that was on her dresser mirror at home.
She studied her expression and then flipped back to the video.
Gone was the shadow of pain in her eyes, the smile that didn’t quite reach them. Instead, the woman wearing her face beamed at the camera with a smile that lit her up like a candle.
There was an ease to the way she looped her arm around Elena’s waist, the way she accepted Lexi’s arm around her shoulders without any hint of reservation or tension to keep from showing how much pain lurked just beneath the surface.
Tears prickled in her eyes as a smile slowly spread, until it resembled the one she wore in the video. Slowly, her hand lifted, and she traced her lips, the muscles in her cheeks quivering from long disuse.
A tear slipped free and slid down her cheek. She laughed in wonder as she brushed it away. Her phone dinged again.
Elena: Welcome back, nena.