17. Chapter 17
Lennox
T he evening sun peered through the curtains of Lennox’s empty room which colored it a light yellow. The leaves on the vines around her room shifted to catch the last of the sun’s rays and moved like a snake around her room. Music streamed from her laptop as her phone lay on the edge of her bed and chimed with the occasional notification. Black smoke started to appear in the center of the dorm and slowly became denser. In the center of the cloud, Lennox appeared. Her long ivy wings attempted to stretch, but the small room couldn’t accommodate the ten-foot span as it brushed ámpelos. With only about three feet of room on each side, they folded behind her. She adjusted the bottom of the emerald green ruffled dress she wore, the motion caused the smoke to dissipate.
Lennox moved towards her desk, she checked her phone for any missed calls, found none, and put her phone in her pocket. It was the first time since the semester had started she had been summoned by a witch in need. The ivy behind her slowly disappeared into her back as she went to her closet with a grimace as it did and was reminded of the cuts she’d created the previous night. Within moments she had pulled off her dress, she found herself a pair of black sweatpants with a green tank top and a pink knit cardigan. After she had pulled the new clothes on, Lennox looked at her shelf and noticed a small box sitting beside a shoebox.
A lump formed in her throat as she took a deep breath, reached up, and took it from its spot, and closed her closet. She allowed herself a few seconds before she lifted the top to reveal the citrine ring just as she remembered it. Her eyes locked on the deep amber color it held and it glistened in the amber light from outside. As if it were made of glass, she carefully took it from the slot and snapped the box closed in her left hand. The song from her laptop went on about how love was never really gone.
Tears blurred her vision which forced her to blink and now slid down her face as she turned to look out the window. Her next couple of breaths hitched in her chest as she looked at her hands. “I love you,” her voice was drowned out by the music as she slid the ring on her right ring finger. Lennox gathered her sleeve into her palm and wiped the sadness away with it. She put the box on her desk and went over to the drawer in the desk, and pulled out an unopened bottle of bourbon. Grabbing a glass from inside it she broke the seal and poured enough to fill half the glass. “To you my love, and figuring out what the fuck happened.” Lennox raised the glass toward the window and drank it two shots at a time.
Her back was pressed against the cool wall as the room spun. Night had fallen and the room was only illuminated by candles and a purple desk light. She had turned on pop music to dance along to just as she and Rue did when they drank in their room. Grief had crashed its way with enough force she lost track of how much of the bottle she had drunk. Lennox peered down to find it was half-empty and was now aware of every drop as her emotions hid behind the alcohol. “I’ll just put that down for a moment.” She told herself out loud and placed the bottle down carefully beside her. She extended her arm and grabbed the cardigan she had discarded earlier, reached into the pocket, and pulled out her phone to see messages from Wyatt, Rosalyn, and Aron.
Wyatt Steele- Mystery girl meeting soon? She’s finally letting me take her out next weekend! Sent: 7:01 pm
Rosalyn- Are you busy? Was hoping to drop by! I’m over at Kappa with Octavius at the moment but if you’re up for a movie I’ll stop by your room! Sent: 7:24 pm
Aron- Got your headcount for the night? I’m about to put the locks on the doors. Sent: 8:55 pm
With a simple swipe she opened her phone, clicked the first message in her inbox and quickly typed a response without a glance at the name.
Lennox- Not busy, just uhh- having my own little party? Would love for you to join! I normally wouldn’t ask but when you get back would you be able to do the headcount so Aron can do the lockdown? I don’t think I can, things aren’t staying straight. Sent: 8:56 pm
Lennox pressed send and moved to the next chat, her eyes going wide as she saw she was now in her chat with Rosalyn. She went back to the list of chats and clicked the one she had just responded to and found Aron’s name right at the top. Shit- FUCK- No no no no. I just wanted to be around familiar people. Before she could type another message, her phone buzzed with a response as it appeared under Aron’s name. He’s going to think I’m a hypocrite.
Aron- Your own little party, huh? Well, since you seem pretty wasted I’ll be right there to do your headcount and join you! Sent: 8:56 pm
Lennox- That wasn’t meant for you, don’t come. Sent: 8:57 pm
Aron- Oh I’m coming over and it seems you can’t stop me. Sent: 8:58 pm
With another slew of curse words, she texted Rosalyn back and shoved her phone away from her. The room continued to spin as her head tilted against the wall to glance at her door still covered with grown over vines from her grief. Lennox sighed and waved her hand to draw them back to the frame. Lennox weighed her options. She could run across the hall to Rosalyn’s room for the night or she could stay here and pretend she didn’t hear him knock. In her drunken state she decided the best way to avoid embarrassment was to turn up her music and refuse to answer. With a small struggle to stand, she stumbled over to her desk to turn up the music.
Without a single glance at her phone, she continued to drink from the bottle as memories of Rue and Felix threatened to surface. This is so irresponsible, what the hell was I thinking? How long has it been? Maybe I got lucky and he just won’t show up. The room spun again as the music switched to one of her favorite dance songs, and pulled her away from her thoughts. Lost in the music and the alcohol Lennox started to dance once again completely unaware of the knock at her door. The sound of the doorknob was drowned out by the bass and the blond-haired demon poked his head around the frame of the door, unseen. With an entertained smile he reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone and started to record. His mischievous eyes lit up as he watched her dance with her back turned to him before he hid it away in his denim jacket once again.
“You know, it’s not a good idea to have your door unlocked,” he called as the song came to an end.
You know, it’s not a good idea to have your door unlocked. She jumped and froze as air became trapped in her lungs. Her words were repeated back to her, and they stung like the day she saw him on the floor. A part of her thought Felix would be standing there, and when he wasn’t her heart dropped. Without warning tears sprang to her eyes. Her hands shook and Lennox covered her face. No, it’s not him- but, she turned to face Aron, much too drunk to shove any strong emotions down. Her feet carried her backwards until her hip met her desk, unable to muster words. Leave oh gods please just leave, the sober part of her begged.
“OH- oh fuck. Oh god,” Aron stammered as he slipped the rest of the way into the room, carefully shut and locked the door behind him. “Lenny... Lennox... Hey, let’s get you sat down, okay?”
Her vision was black as she forced her tears down with her eyes still closed. A set of hands came into contact with her shoulders which caused every muscle inside her to tense. Aron started to pull her forward but Lennox resisted as everything screamed for her to run, feet planted to the spot beside her desk. The vine-like thread of magic hummed inside her and begged for release as her grief took hold. Yeah well, as long as I’m around someone will welcome you home, Felix’s voice echoed in her memory.
There was no control now as her mind flashed between the previous and current Head of House. It was all too much, magic forced adrenaline through her body and the rage of her loss caused her to lash out. Her arms came up and hit Aron square in the chest, twice. He grunted as her fists came into contact with his ribcage and surprise shifted to understanding. His forest eyes locked on her head as she lunged forward, her head bent down at his chest level. He released her shoulders and gently gripped her wrists, holding them between them.
“Whoa there, no need for that.” Aron spoke in a calm but firm tone.
“What the hell are you doing here?” She yelled at him, her mistake completely forgotten.
“You texted me, and I figured I’d check on you.” He explained as he bent down in an attempt to catch her eyes as she tried to pull her hands away.
Lennox opened her eyes for a brief moment but her vision was clouded in seconds as she struggled to breathe. “I- I’m fine, I didn’t want anyone to see me like this. P- Please just go back to Kappa.”
With a raised eyebrow he looked into her eyes. “You’re clearly not fine, you need to sit down and drink some water. Can we get that done first, before you continue to beat me?”
Lennox blinked as she finally stilled, her eyes on his hands wrapped around her wrists, it didn’t hurt but he wasn’t about to let her move it seemed. She looked at him, her black demon eyes flashed for a moment as the last of her anger tried to scare him. His expression was calm which sent a chill down her spine as something deep within her stirred. A strange Deja Vu she couldn’t put her finger on pulled at her already exhausted memory. In her mind’s eye a flash of charcoal hands lit with fire as if it tried to remind her.
“I- yes- you’re right. I’m so sorry you had to see that.” the pink-haired demon agreed between short breaths still slurring a few words from the alcohol.
The two fell into silence as without a word Aron walked backward toward her bed, his eyes never moved from hers. Her mind tried to come to terms with the embarrassment of the situation and how he hadn’t run. Instead, he had chosen to stay and help her through her grief even though she had been a complete ass to him. Why? Lennox asked herself as they reached the corner of her bed. Aron made sure she sat without issue before he motioned to the mini-fridge.
“You got water bottles in here? Ah- of course. Filtered lemon water, classic Lenny. Can you drink this yourself or do you need help?” He teased.
He pulled out the jug, found a clean cup on top of the fridge, poured a glass, and brought it over. Probably partly relishing the moment of the perfect Head of House Lennox being so vulnerable.
“Who doesn’t like lemon water, huh?” She challenged but accepted the glass. “I’m still a big girl, I can drink it myself. It was just- you know, a free night and I just happened to have accidentally hit your name and not Rosalyn’s.”
Aron rolled his eyes at the lemon water comment but kept a cautionary hand under her cup until he was sure she had it. He peered over to the bottle on the ground, picked it up and took a seat beside her. He easily popped off the top and drank.
“If I'm gonna have to take care of you tonight I should get a couple of shots in myself. Seems like you really embodied the free spirit vibe tonight.” He gestured to the empty room and smirked at her before he took another swig.
“You don’t have to take care of me. I was doing fine until someone decided to stop my dance party. What you saw is just a tiny itsy hiccup. How about we just forget everything you saw and I can go back to my music? You can have the rest of the bottle if you want.” She offered in hopes he would take the deal so she wouldn’t be so mortified in the morning.
He glared at Lennox as she tried to lie to not only him but herself. He shook the bourbon around as he spoke. “I’m not going anywhere... one because if I bring this bottle outside this dorm, Fang will smell that shit in a second and hunt me the fuck down for being out this late. Second of all, you’re clearly not fine and drinking for a reason and you need to own up to your feelings damn it.”
Aron finished his reasoning with another swig of the bottle, he was the responsible one at the moment and she was mortified about that after decades of a good record. He actually cares. It was clear he at least did enough to stay, but she knew she would have done the same for him. It’s what heads of house did for each other. A sense of calm washed over her as she realized she may have been wrong about him. He’s much more like Felix than the hair. This one has a heart too. She opened her lips to speak but was cut off.
“So until then I will be here taking care of you in case any dildos come by while you’re in this state. Do I make myself clear?” He started firmly but kept his voice gentle.
“Fine… But I think I could fend for myself pretty well.” For the first time in her life, she didn’t fear the void of death. Lennox held her finger up and the vines that climbed the wall seemed to shift around until they stopped a few moments later. The demon frowned as she struggled to keep hold of the vine of magic inside her.
“Maybe not- I guess it’s a good idea you’re here-”
She paused and glanced down as the chains on her arms lit with a dull silver glow. The fire in her chest burned as she felt the ivy attempt to extend from her shoulder blades once again and her legs threatened to carry her from the room.
“Besides, the only thing I need to own up to is why I haven’t tracked down those fuckers. Oh- I guess I wasn’t done being angry.”
“Hey... You don't need to track down anyone, they have guys on that, like Coyote and Cathwulf, and now the big guy Fang. They’ll be found.” A hand drifted to her knee which she hadn’t realized bounced as her thoughts raced. Her eyes drifted up to his and the glow dimmed ever so slowly.
“You’ve got the magic in you, that is definitely handy if you ever needed to fight. Just not when you can barely keep hold of the thread. Besides, you subconsciously wanted me here, that’s why you sent me the message.” He winked at Lennox as he took another swig.
She stood off the bed and walked a few steps to her desk. “I’ve told you, I meant to send that to Rosalyn.”
“What are you doing?” He asked as she pulled a sweater over herself and went to pocket her phone.
“To talk to Coyote and the big guy.”
“No, you’re not.” He stood and placed a hand over hers. Lennox stopped, glared up at him and gave him a rude gesture. “A middle finger, Lenny? I’ll just let you stumble around campus in the middle of the night. Though I do have to say this side of you is more fun, very fiery. I didn’t think demons that leaned toward earth had such rage.”
“You haven’t seen rage.” A small smirk curved the edges of her lip and her purple eyes darkened.
“Now that I would pay good money to see.”
He scoffed and pulled off her half on sweater and draped it on the back of the pink fluffy computer chair pushed under her desk. Lennox sighed and put her phone back onto her desk, begrudgingly aware that he was right. It wasn’t safe to walk the grounds right now and a chat with the security team wouldn’t do her any favors.
Out of the corner of her eyes she saw him peer at the label of the bourbon, his eyes went wide with shock. By the look on his face, the realization of the expensive imported bottle had hit him. Aron ran a hand through his hair and seemed to consider his next words as he motioned to it.
“This is good stuff. I can get rid of the evidence for sure. I see why you have this hidden away in your dorm.” He smiled lightly.
“I’m glad you approve of the bourbon. It was to celebrate when I proposed to Rue.” She said as the words slipped out before she could stop them. Aron’s smile quickly faded as he gently placed the bottle on the desk. Lennox frowned and reached for it. “If you don’t drink it, I will finish it off.”
“I think you’re done, missy. You’ve got good taste Leonard. It’s a damn good bottle of bourbon. Although I’m sorry you’re drinking it with me instead of her.” He retorted and snatched the bottle from her hands.
“It’s okay… Well- It’s not all the time but I’d rather be drinking it with someone than finish it alone.”
Silence drifted between them, the music she had danced to filled it. Lennox leaned against the wall as she had done earlier and Aron joined as they both sat on the floor. She rested her head against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. Surprisingly, the quiet wasn’t as uncomfortable as she thought it would be alone with him. It took a second in her drunken state to realize this was the first time the two of them were completely alone now both with their eyes on the ceiling. He’s actually not being a complete ass. A small smile found its way to her lip as she heard him take another drink.
“These vines… I have to know, are they like the ones you use to guard the houses?” He asked, the liquor sloshing as he motioned around the room.
“That’s one of their functions. ámpelos has somehow taken on his own personality over the years.”
“I’m sure ámpelos is handy during spicy times huh?” He asked with a smirk.
“I’m sure you’d like to know.” She tilted her head toward him.
“There’s a lot I’d like to know actually.”
She paused for a second and her fingers drifted to the citrine ring. She turned it around on her finger as her eyes drifted to the bottle in his hand. Swiftly, she reached out once more and plucked it from his grasp, his hands attempted to take it back. This could go fine or horribly.
“Hey!” Aron protested. “You’re cut off!”
“If you’re going to ask me questions, I think I’m going to need a few more shots.” Lennox took another drink before he could argue.
“Oh come on, it won’t be that bad.” He folded his arms over his chest.
“With mister spicy times, I never know what to expect.”
He ran a hand through his hair and laughed, “Valid. Just save some for the rest of us.”
She rolled her eyes and took another drink before she passed it back to him. “As much as I hate deals, if we go there we are going to make one.”
“Luckily deals are my specialty.” A mischievous smile drifted to his face
“The deal is a game of truth or dare. If you don’t answer, you drink. If you’re caught lying, you drink.”
Aron leaned off the wall, crossed his legs and placed his elbows on his knees. He spun to face her with a renewed smile. The whole situation felt like a teenager’s slumber party all of a sudden which helped her relax a bit more.
“So Lenny, tell me- Truth or dare?”
“I’ll go with the truth.”
“Alright then, how does one summon Lennox Cade?”
“With a phone call or a text,” She laughed a little too hard.
“You know that’s not what I mean,” Aron scolded, his cheeks flushed from the liquor.
Lennox sighed and knew exactly why he asked. Over the last six weeks beside each other, it would be likely he would summon her at the worst times for the fun of it. She turned the water in her hand as the music continued in the background.
“Well, First you grab pink and black candles, tie them together, light them, and then you gotta call for me, usually just some version of “come to me” will suffice,” she explained with a chuckle.
“Come to me? That's suggestive.” He pointed out.
She shrugged. “I heard it one day and I followed it to a witch who needed help. Her Uncle was trying to have her exorcized because he thought she made a deal with the devil for power. It was the day I became known as a protector demon among witches instead of one that goes bump in the night.”
“A protector demon? There’s not that many around.” Aron looked surprised as she peered at him proudly.
His expression softened toward her as he placed the bottle down again and pulled off his jean jacket. She noticed it was warm in the room, or maybe it was the bourbon.
“Truth or dare, bandanna boy.”
“Bandanna boy? What doesn’t it look good?” His hands reached for his head and hiccuped. “Usually it helps me get all the ladies.”
“No, I just thought it’s time you have a nickname since you’ve given me so many. Is the bandanna how you got Val home?” Lennox asked while deep down, she couldn’t stand the thought of the two of them.
He paused for a moment, the look in his eyes darkening slightly at her name. “Let’s not bring her up.”
“No issues here, I’m not her biggest fan either.” The face of Val Bane crossed her mind which caused her ears to turn red.
The memory of the two of them over twenty years ago standing at the crossroads that fateful night of her deal. The look in her eyes had mimicked a lion as it hunted its next meal. She could even remember the feeling of her long nails brushing against her hand as they sealed their pack. A curse broken for her soul.
As the room started to spin lightly once more as the added alcohol hit her system. By his reaction alone, something must have happened between the two of them to put a bad taste in his mouth. The feeling of relief washed over her, at least he’s probably not going to go running to her to tell her about all of this. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Aron open his mouth to speak before he quickly shut it.
“What?” Lennox asked.
“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” he shook his head, picked up the bottle, and finished it off. His face twisted as the large shots went down.
She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and adjusted her position along the wall to face him. “What, are you afraid I’ll punch you or something?”
“No, I just… Just when we were arguing she told me things about- Well…”
Lennox wasn’t surprised but her heart raced in her chest as she imagined the possibilities of what Val had told him. “Of course she did. Why wouldn’t she? You’re new here and we work together… She has fun spilling anyone’s past she can. What did she tell you…?”
Aron’s expression shifted from his previous anger to concern. His eyes darted as he seemed to size her up as if the answer would be something she wouldn’t like. She expected the worst but nodded to him to encourage him to tell her. She pulled her knees up, wrapped her arms around her legs, and rested her chin on her knees. Already he seemed to know more than she would have liked, Lennox guessed their housemates had told Aron every rumor. However, the familiar feeling of Xemos’s presence unseen, washed over her. In her intuition quickly deciphered the message the god sent. Trust, he sent trust through her bond with the magic and as she came to understand she glanced back to him through her eyelashes.
He let a long breath out before she spoke. “She told me about your deal, not every detail but a good majority of. I know most Sold-Soul demons don’t usually like their deals aired out.”
“Not usually no… But in this case, I don’t think I have a choice. We have to work together so you might as well know since she’s here as well. When I was human, I was born into a family cursed by the head curse maker in hell. When I was old enough I tried to break the curse any way I could. I devoted myself to Xemos.” She lifted her arm to show him the silver markings and motioned to her forehead. “I thought it was broken until my boyfriend at the time died. Thinking it was back I went to the crossroad and made a deal with Val to be sure I broke it. She didn’t know I was pregnant at the time. A few months later I had my daughter and left for a month to make sure the curse was broken. The day I went to get Gemma, I died in a car accident and found out Val ended our deal early.”
As she told her side of the story, his face shifted with various reactions. First there was understanding, then his eyes went wide in pure shock when he seemed to realize she meant Wyatt had been the one to curse the family. Finally, it ended with anger. Aron shifted closer to her as she spoke, held his hands up, and waved them to stop her.
“Wait wait wait, you’re telling me you have a daughter and you were cursed by Wyatt?”
“I did. She’s long grown now. Probably living a regular human life… At least that’s my hope for her.” She corrected with a sigh. Of course he put that one together. “Well, more like he accidentally cursed my great great grandmother.”
“We are- But Lennox… What Val did wasn’t right even by demon standards. She broke your deal when she caused your death and took your soul eight years early.” His anger at the break in Crossroad Demon Law flooded into his voice. His green eyes sparked to life with a small fire inside his pupils.
Though she had never attended the Crossroad Demon courses. This was something that went against the way they were taught. Lennox reached out a hand to him and rested it on his arm. Instantly she felt how warm his skin was and glanced down. To her surprise, there was a dull orange glow under his skin that followed the lines of his veins. Fire, he’s a fire based demon. The most dangerous combination in battle paired together or opposed, earth and flame. The face of Armaros flashed in her memory. Lennox shoved the image down and gently squeezed his arm to get him to look at her despite how hot her hand became the longer she left it there.
“I guess it’s my turn to calm down a drunk demon.” She smiled softly as they met eyes.
“I guess so-” He chuckled nervously. ‘Bandanna boy huh?”
“What? Don’t like it?”
“That’s my job Lenny-Boo. Leave it to the professional.” He patted the top of her head as a smirk pulled at his lips.
“Let’s get back to the game. Truth or dare?” She insisted and swatted his hand away as the room seemed to relax once more.
“Fine, I’ll go with a truth as well.”
“Alright, is there someone you have your eye on around here? And don’t act like I haven’t seen you check out every woman that you pass.”
“Well, the semester is definitely young and there’s lots of potential here,” Aron admitted, his face contorted into thoughtfulness.
For a moment, a strange feeling rose in her chest. Maybe it was just a concern for who he was going to try and seduce next. Or is it No. She rejected the thought. So soon after Rue had passed she was too vulnerable. A wave of sleepiness washed over her which made her yawn.
“No, not yet. One more.” he smiled at her, looking as tired as she suddenly felt.
‘Fine, one more. Then I think it’s bedtime for me.”
“Truth or dare?” His eyes danced.
“Dare,” she challenged.
Aron raised a brow at the decision and shifted stiffly. “Dare? Alright… I dare you... to be late- like pretty late- to your classes tomorrow... all of them. See how goody two shoes you really are.”
“Late to class? How late are we talking? Like five minutes or-” Lennox paused.
“You absolute nerd, no... I mean like you're showing up halfway through class. My kind of late.” Aron laughed loudly.
“But I have-”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“What if I?” She motioned to the empty bottle and frowned when she saw her escape route was empty.
Aron smirked. “No getting out of this one, Lenny.”
“Fine. Just for tomorrow.” Lennox shook her head as she yawned again.
Finally, she stood roughly from her spot on the floor and tripped over her foot as she attempted to find her balance. Once stable, she extended a hand to him. Without pause he accepted and rose to his feet, also struggling a bit as she peered around the room. It was then she realized he probably wouldn’t be able to make it back to Kappa safely if he already could feel the strong drink. She moved over to her desk, shut off the music, and her heart leapt into her throat. It was her night off and Aron was here which left no one on patrol.
“WHO’S ON SECURITY!” Lennox panicked.
“Don’t worry, I had Wyatt take over for the night once I got your text.” He stretched and made his way over to her bed and flopped down on Rue’s side. “You don’t mind do ya Lenny? I don’t know if I can trust you enough to not try to wander around the grounds in this state.”
She paused and knew he tried to make his concern come off as a joke. Lennox weighed her options and came to the conclusion she probably didn’t have much of a say in the matter nor did she have the energy to argue. “No funny business.”
“Are you sure you can resist all this?” he motioned to himself as he pulled off his bandanna. She shot an annoyed glare and he raised his hands in surrender, then rested a palm over his heart. “No funny business, cross my unbeating heart and hope to die. We can even build a pillow fort in the middle if you want.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
They shifted beside each other in attempts to get comfortable under the covers. It was strange to have someone beside her again, though the movement of him beside her was strangely comforting. Once he settled, she noticed his eyes on her in the dull light from her desk lamp. Deep down she was grateful he showed up, life continues on. For the first time since Rue and Felix’s deaths, the start of acceptance of life without them calmed her grief.
“Can I say something?” She asked, her stomach in nervous knots.
“You can always talk to me.” His voice was quiet
“I wanted to tell you… I’m sorry for how I judged you when you first got here. I was grieving and I wasn’t ready to accept the fact Felix had been replaced.” The final shots from the bottle acted as a truth serum.
He rested his head in his palm as his tired eyes softened. “I know. I understand grief, Lennox and so you know. I don’t hold it against you. It’s just too much fun to press your buttons.”
“Of course it is… I just- I won’t let them get to you too you know… The hunters or anything else.” She swore, not ready to admit to him some part of her still believed the curse was back. I’m not about to lose anyone else.
He grabbed her cheeks in one hand from under her chin and pulled her face towards him. “Hey, hey you listen here. I’m gonna keep you safe, alright? You call a dildo and I’ll be right there to put the little plastic dick to an early grave you hear me?” He looked from one of her eyes to the other and back. “Oh my god, are your eyes purple?”
Her face flushed under his hands unseen in the dark, she didn’t move surprised at the sudden action. By the look in his eyes, he was sincere. If we have anything in common, we’d both go down for anyone here. The realization gave her confidence they would work well together this semester.
She laughed as he slurred his words of comfort and followed his eyes. “Yes, they are purple.”
“That's fuckin’ dope.” He complimented as he let his hands slip away and slid one under his pillow as he lay on his side faced in her direction once again. “Well bottom line I got your back, and you better have mine.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you, no matter what.” She promised and held out her hand with only her pinky up once settled under her covers as her eyes started to close.
Aron gently intertwined his pinky with hers with a sleepy smile. “There, now if you let me die I can break your pinky.”
As the room darkened, the last thing Lennox saw was he had left his finger intertwined with hers as they both drifted off to sleep.