CRAIG
CRAIG
I've waited outside the vets for a full twenty minutes — and started to worry — when Sebastian finally appears, carrying Dobby out in much the same way I'd cradle my sleeping brother.
Jumping out of Roxy, I hurry around her to open the curbside back door. "How's the patient?"
"As well as can be expected," he says, his voice sounding a little strained. Smiling his appreciation as I step out of the way, he leans into the car and settles Dobby on the blanket laid out across the rear seat. "He'll still be feeling the drugs for a little while yet."
It wasn't until Sebastian called me this morning that I realised just how anxious I'd been to hear from him. And when my taxi service was requested for the trip from vets to farm, Alex has since told me that my grin looked ridiculous. But now that I'm here, and he's here, and this is happening, I can't deny feeling more than a little on edge.
I also can't deny the slight twinge of disappointment in my chest when, instead of moving to the passenger door, he slides in the back beside his dog. "Homeward, Driver," he says with a smirk.
Poor Dobby has a plastic cone around his head — protecting the dressing on his left hind leg — and he looks so totally out of whack, but he still makes an effort to thump his tail at the sound of Sebastian's voice.
I shut them in and circle back around to the driver's side, slipping into my still-warm seat behind the wheel. "Y'Sir."
There's instantly a weird tension in the car that I don't know what to make of. Or maybe I'm simply imagining something that isn't even there. It's only been two days since we were last here, bringing Dobby in, but the undefined shift between us in that time has me questioning… well, everything .
His eyes catch mine in the rearview mirror as I start the engine and move Roxy out from the curb. "And how are you, Craig?"
"I'm tip-top, Sebastian. So gracious of you to ask."
"You're most welcome."
My attention holds on him for a brief moment longer before shifting to the road. I've no clue what he's thinking. He could very well still blame me, but, "I'm just glad it's all worked out okay."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"You've no regrets, then?"
I frown. "Aside from wishing I could've done something more…" Or better yet, prevented any of it happening in the first place.
"Seriously, Craig, turning your whole life upside down seems like plenty enough to me."
When I glance at the mirror again, he hasn't stopped watching me, and it dawns that we're perhaps not reading from the same page at all. "Oh."
"You didn't show up for work yesterday, and you also didn't call to let me know. So, I wasn't sure—"
"I wasn't sure if you'd want me to."
An alarmed yip from Dobby as I break at the traffic lights has me cursing myself. I need to drive with more caution. The slight jolt doesn't appear to have pained him, though.
It's a little after three pm, and to my left, Yoverton Community School is letting out for the day. Groups of kids in uniform cross by in front of me, chatting and laughing and revelling in their freedom. They look so young; it feels like a whole other lifetime ago that I was one of them, making plans with Alex for a kickabout in the park.
Sebastian leans forward, taking hold of my seat. "I don't like how we left things. I should have thanked you, and I didn't. But everything you did—and everything you were willing to do—" his fingertips skim my shoulder. “Truthfully, it meant more to me than you could know."
The light turns green, and I gently get Roxy moving again, keeping my gaze fixed determinedly on the road as my pulse quickens. I regret nothing , I almost reply. Except, that wouldn't be entirely accurate. If I was to be truthful now, it's me who should be thanking him — many times over. For not turning his back that first morning in the woods; for giving me chance after chance that I didn't deserve. "I'm homeless," I say instead as we take the turning onto the road heading out of town, "and I'm penniless, living off my brother's charity. Alex is the only family I have left, and for the first time in my life, I've no idea what's expected of me."
"Nothing is expected of you."
"I don't know what to do."
"You can do anything."
"It's like I don't even know how to be anymore, Bas."
"That’s okay."
"I'm completely lost, and I'm a little scared."
"Sure, but you're not alone."
My grip on the steering wheel tightens as his hand slips from the backrest to my arm, every nerve ending hyper-alert beneath his touch. Then, with a reassuring squeeze, he lets go and falls back.
"Family runs deeper than blood, Craig."
Nothing more is said, and the busy streets give way to the wide-open countryside. Sebastian's turned to the window when I next snatch a glimpse of him, his fingers buried in Dobby's thick scruff. I'm certain he meant for his words to comfort me, but my mind is no less restive, and I feel none-the-wiser about where we now stand.
He looks perfectly at ease, watching the world slip by, his expression unreadable. My thumbs tap against the wheel in a rhythm as erratic as my thoughts. The silence settles between us in a way I can't fathom how to break. And before long, Dobby begins to snore.
"You in any hurry to get back?"
I startle. "What?"
It takes me a dazed second to register Yoverton North Farm's familiar terrain stretching out to either side, surrounding us far sooner than I anticipated. The thickly hedged turn-off to the old oak flashes by and disappears in a blink. Another blink and the Farmhouse comes into view up ahead.
Sebastian's stare is once again fixed on my reflection. "Want to stay awhile?"
"Uh…"
"Ash finished early this afternoon. She's keen to see you if you've some time to spare for a brew."
"Oh. Okay."
"If not, I can make up an excuse for you."
"Coffee sounds good, ta."
"Great. Because I doubt she'd take the disappointment well."
Hell, even his invite is muddy.
The driveway's empty as I steer Roxy in through the ever-open gates and park up. His truck must be in the shed. He told me on the phone that he'd prefer a smoother ride home for Dobby, and I’m guessing it's thanks to Judy being at work that I was called in to assist.
I don't rush to get out of the car.
Dobby makes one weak attempt to lift himself and gives up with a yawn.
A blast of frigid wind instantly pimples my skin as Sebastian opens his door, but he doesn't seem to be in any hurry either. "There's a cake."
"A cake?"
"Yes, and also a banner."
My head whips around to better face him. "You're messing with me," I accuse. "Seriously?"
"Both handmade; both colourfully supportive." One corner of his mouth crooks up. "And it's entirely possible that they could be the least of what you're walking into."
"Shit, Bas!"
His grin cracks wide. "You've met the girl before, right? Holding her off even this long has been a chore and a half."
"Please tell me she's by herself in there?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny. But, if you’re ambushed with a chorus of ‘Surprise!’ , I will absolutely cause a distraction while you run. Is that good enough?"
"No."
"Would you feel happier knowing that Dobby also has his own special cake waiting?"
"No."
"Are you ready to come in anyway?"
"Do I really have a choice?" I scowl at him.
And he dares to laugh. "Nope!"
Reaching a hand down to the passenger foot-well, I retrieve the bulky silver gift bag I've had stashed there for the past couple of days and launch it through the front seats into his lap. "Jerk!"
The grunt of surprise knocked out of him is pettily satisfying. "What's this?" He asks, bemused, even as he pulls open the bag's cord handles to peek inside. "You're gifting me… Oh." It's my turn to split a grin when he lifts out the navy hoody on top and blinks back up at me. "My own clothes?" An eyebrow curves. "How thoughtful. They're perfect. You know me so well."
Pressing my lips against a witty retort I don't have, I make my move to finally climb out of the car. There seems little point in stalling any longer, even if I could come up with a viable reason to escape. My door is slammed on him with an excessive vigour — just because — and I immediately catch my breath.
It's bitterly cold here with so little around to buffer, and the wind stings my eyes as I look toward the house. In all honesty, I feel the draw in spite of whatever setup might await me inside. I've never set foot beyond the threshold without first knocking or being invited, but I don’t doubt there’d be no issue raised if I did. This wild and weird place has become comfortable in a way I never thought likely. And for all that Ashleigh may be the very definition of absurd, I find myself all of a sudden mighty eager to see her infuriating face.
I resist glancing over at the sound of gravel crunching as Sebastian straightens up on Roxy's other side. "At the first glimpse of glitter, I'm off."
"Fair enough," he replies, and in the next moment, something soft flumps against the back of my head. "Best put this on backwards and pull up the hood, then."
He's already bent down to collect Dobby when I whip around. "What the…?"
"Ash has told me you've grown somewhat fond of that."
Dropping my gaze, I see the hoody I've just returned to him sprawled on the ground at my feet.
And, Goddamnit! But I’m altogether too hasty in snatching it up.
My defiance is a futile endeavour. That little witch and her accursed coven have doomed me.