Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Chloe
“What are you doing?” Emmanuel signs, a curious expression on his face, head tilted to one side.
“Building a blanket fort,” I say, grinning at his confusion. “We can’t have movie night without a blanket fort.”
I finish draping the blanket over the two chairs I’d placed in front of the sofa. The TV room on the second floor is comfy, don’t get me wrong, but like everything else in the house, it’s lavish and cold.
Maria had been helpful, telling me where to find a stockpile of blankets in the hallway closet, and I’d brought them with the intent to turn it into a cozy nook.
“Come on then.” I grab another blanket from the pile and unfold it. “I need your help with this one.”
We spend the next twenty minutes transforming the space.
Pushing the couch, armchairs, and several other pieces of furniture together to create the frame.
Then, draping the blankets over the top of them to form a canopy of sorts.
I use clothespins to secure the edges, making sure the whole thing is strong enough not to collapse on us mid-movie.
Emmanuel throws himself into the project with the most enthusiasm I have seen since arriving here.
His hands fly in sign rapidly as he makes suggestions as we build.
We add pillows to the carpet floor inside, creating a nest of softness much like that found inside his castle.
I string up a short line of Christmas lights I’d found in the storage closet, and suddenly our fort is transformed into something magical.
“What do you think?” I sign when we’re done, both of us kneeling at the entrance to our creation.
He crawls inside, his eyes widening as he takes in the cozy space. The lights cast a warm glow over everything, and the blankets create a sense of enclosure that is comforting rather than claustrophobic.
He turns to me with the biggest smile I’ve seen from him yet, signing, “It’s perfect.”
My heart squeezes. “What movie are we going to watch?”
He crawls back out of the fort, goes to the cabinet pulls out a DVD, places the disc in the player, and grabs the remotes before motioning me inside. We both settle inside the fort, and he presses a few buttons, bringing the TV to life.
The opening screen scrolls by: Quest for Camelot. His favorite, of course. This is the movie that inspired his entire bedroom.
“Perfect choice,” I tell him. “Get comfortable. I’ll go get snacks.”
I make a quick trip downstairs to the kitchen and find Maria still cleaning up after dinner. She laughs when I explain what we’re doing and loads a platter with popcorn, juice boxes, and some of the cookies she baked this afternoon.
“You’re good for him,” she says as she hands me the tray. “I haven’t seen Emmanuel this happy in a very long time.”
“I’m just trying to help,” I say bashfully.
“You’re doing more than that, cara.” She pats my arm affectionately. “You’re giving him back pieces of his childhood. That’s no small thing.”
With a smile I can’t wipe from my face I carry the tray back upstairs. I really can’t afford to get more attached to Emmanuel than I already am, but I can’t banish Maria’s words.
Three weeks and two days left. That’s it. I think somberly.
Emmanuel is already settled inside the fort when I return, having arranged the pillows into the perfect viewing setup and burrowing into them. I set the snacks between us, and soon, we’re both absorbed in the familiar story of Kayley and Garret and their quest to save Camelot.
We’re about twenty minutes into the movie when Emmanuel turns to me and waves for my attention.
“I like Garrett,” he signs during a quieter scene.
“Me too. He’s brave,” I say.
“He’s an orphan. Like the kids at the orphanage,” he signs.
I nod. “Like them in ways, yes.”
“He never knew his parents.” Emmanuel’s face is thoughtful as he signs, sad almost. “That must be hard. To never know where you came from.”
“It can be,” I agree cautiously. “But sometimes the family you choose is just as important as the one you’re born into.”
He’s quiet for a moment, watching Garrett and Kayley navigate through the Forbidden Forest on the screen. Then his hands move again, slower this time.
“I felt like him when I was lost. I didn’t know where I was or which way to go.”
My breath catches — this is the first time he’s talked about this part of his kidnapping — but I keep my expression neutral, not wanting to spook him. “Like Garrett?”
“Lost in the dark. Not knowing how to get home. Scared.” His signs are small, hesitant. “But then you found me. Like Kayley found Garrett. You helped me find my way home.” He looks directly at me now, his dark eyes serious. “Like Kayley helps Garrett.”
I have to blink back tears. “Oh, sweetheart. I’m so glad I could help.”
“Garrett is blind, but Kayley doesn’t care. She sees him anyway.” His hands pause, then continue. “You saw me. Even when I don’t talk, you still see me.”
I pull him into a hug before I can think better of it, and he comes willingly, wrapping his arms around my waist and squeezing tight.
“I will always see you, always.”
We stay like that for a long moment, the movie playing in the background, the lights casting gentle shadows on the blanket walls around us.
This is what Maria meant. This right here is me giving him back pieces of his childhood.
The ability to feel safe enough to be vulnerable.
To trust someone enough to share what he’s feeling.
A soft knock on the fort’s entrance — well, the chair at the entrance that is — makes us both jump.
“Permission to enter the fortress?” Basili’s voice is warm with amusement.
Emmanuel immediately pulls away from me and scrambles to the entrance, pulling back the blanket to reveal his father crouched outside. He’s still in his work clothes but his tie is loosened, and his jacket has been discarded somewhere.
“Chloe built a fort!” Emmanuel signs excitedly. “We’re watching Quest for Camelot!”
Basili’s eyes find mine over Emmanuel’s head, and there’s something soft in his expression that I haven’t seen before. Gratitude.
“That’s pretty impressive.” He peers inside, taking in the lights, pillows, and general coziness of our setup. “Think there’s room for one more?”
Emmanuel’s face lights up as he motions for Basili to join us. The love between the two makes my heart ache. Basili reaches out and ruffles his son’s hair before crawling inside.
It’s almost comical watching a man of his size fold considerably to fit through the entrance and try to navigate the low-hanging blankets. Or it would be if I’m not suddenly hyperaware of exactly how small this space is about to become with him in it.
He settles in next to me — because of course he has to, since there’s not much room for the three of us in here.
Suddenly, the fort feels about three sizes smaller.
His shoulder brushes mine as he adjusts his position, and when he settles, his thigh is settled against mine, and I have to resist the urge to scoot away.
That would be too obvious. And immature. And would definitely let him know that his proximity affects me.
Which it absolutely does not.
Liar, my brain argues.
Emmanuel, oblivious to my internal crisis, rearranges himself to lie down in front of us, closer to the TV screen. This gives him a better view of the movie but also leaves me and Basili sitting side by side against a mountain of pillows, our arms and legs pressed together.
“Comfortable?” Basili asks in a hushed voice, leaning over toward me.
“Fine,” I manage, keeping my eyes locked on the screen where Kayley is currently arguing with Garrett about the best route through the forest.
“You sure? You seem a little tense.”
I risk a glance at him and immediately regret it. He’s watching me with amusement, clearly enjoying my discomfort.
“I’m not tense.”
“No?” He shifts slightly, and somehow the movement brings us even closer together. “Because your shoulders are practically shrugged all the way to your earlobes.”
“Maybe I’m just not used to sharing my fort with unexpected guests,” I whisper back.
“Your fort?” He grins widely. “I think my son would argue it’s his fort too.”
“Fine. Our fort. The point is, you’re the interloper here.”
“Interloper.” He seems to taste the word on his tongue. “That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think? I was invited in after all.”
“By Emmanuel. Not by me.” I point out stubbornly.
“So, do you want me to leave?” His voice drops even lower. “Should I leave?”
Yes, my self-preservation screams. “No. Emmanuel wants you here.”
Yes, please leave before I do something stupid like lean in to kiss you.
“Stay,” I say instead.
“Because Emmanuel is the only one who wants me to stay?”
I don’t answer that. Can’t answer that. Not when he’s looking at me like that, not when we’re so close, pressed together in this small space. Not while I can feel the warmth of him all along my side.
After a moment, he chuckles quietly and turns his attention back to the movie, but he doesn’t move away. If anything, he seems to settle in more comfortably, his arm now fully against mine.
We watch in silence for a long while. On screen, Garrett and Kayley are finally beginning to work together, their initial antagonism giving way to reluctant cooperation. Emmanuel is completely absorbed, occasionally signing commentary about the events as they unfold.
I try to focus on the movie. Really, I do. But I’m acutely aware of every point of contact between us. The press of his shoulder against mine, the way his thigh lies against mine. The way his breathing has synced with mine. The heat that seems to radiate from him even through our clothes.
“You know,” he murmurs after a particularly exciting scene, “I haven’t watched this movie in months. Emmanuel used to watch it every day.”
“He’s been signing more, opening up. Especially to you.” His voice is rough with emotion as he speaks in a quiet tone.
“A little. He trusts me, I think.”
Basili is still beside me.
“He isn’t the only one,” he says quietly.