Chapter Thirteen
Alara
I had no idea what my expectations were for Christopher’s apartment, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.
The general base of it was masculine, understandably.
It had rich leather couches, dark woods, and a fundamental lack of fabrics (carpets, curtains).
But there was warmth around, evidence of the kids scattered about: shoes near, not in, the shoe cabinet behind the door; two of those big, extra-soft stuffed animal creatures as pillows on the couch; books on the coffee table; book bags sitting on the round dining table’s chairs; a forgotten cereal bowl on the counter.
I liked the details, the texture that said a family lived here—not perfectly, but happily.
“This is Char’s room, obviously,” Christopher said.
I’d insisted he put me down when we got into his apartment, but he was lending an arm for me to lean on as I hobbled through his space.
The whole space screamed Charlotte. The bright colors, the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, stuffed animals, collection of blankets and pillows, and the overall neatness.
“And Liam.”
Liam’s room was definitely messier and without a real theme to it.
His bed was unmade, with a sketchpad, headphones, and a random empty plate on top.
His nightstand had three cans of different sodas, a coffee cup, and an empty snack bag of chips.
And, yeah, most of the clothes were near instead of inside the laundry basket.
But overall, it wasn’t awful. Just a typical kid who likely needed to be nagged to clean up. And a guardian with a lot on his plate.
“And this is where you’re staying.”
The room was significantly smaller than the other two.
So much so that the queen-sized bed took up most of the floor space and still had to be bumped up against two walls to make room for a small dresser.
But there was a TV and a tiny nightstand with a lamp.
It would definitely do. Plus, the whole space smelled like him.
“Wait, I should change the sheets,” he said as I dropped onto the side of the bed.
“Are they dirty?”
“No, but I slept in them last night.”
“I’m not that nitpicky,” I said, pulling myself up, my foot immediately throbbing once the pressure was off.
“I only have one extra pillow,” he said, fetching it and sticking it under my foot. “I’ll send Liam out later to get something to prop it up higher.”
“Is it nice?”
“Is what nice?”
“Having little live-in servants?”
To that, he snorted.
“When I can convince him to do something, yes. I haven’t needed to see the inside of the grocery store in a week. How about I get you some coffee so you can take one of those pills? And don’t say you don’t need them; your face is all tight.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” He handed me the remote and moved out of the bedroom.
The apartment was unusually silent for the city. So much so that I could hear him taking the cups down from the cabinet and opening and closing the fridge. And, of course, the front door as the kids came home.
“Tuna!” Charlotte cheered. In my mind, I saw her crouching down to give him love, even if he would barely tolerate it.
“Why is Tuna here?” Liam asked, immediately suspicious.
“I need to talk to you two real quick.” Christopher’s serious voice had no right to be as sexy as it was.
“What’s up?” Liam asked, sounding older than his seventeen years.
“Alara was robbed at work.” Charlotte gasped. Bless her.
“She okay?” Liam asked.
“She’s okay now. But she was attacked, and she is pretty bruised and has a busted foot.”
“Oh, no,” Charlotte said.
“She’s okay,” Christopher assured his niece. “But she is going to stay here for a few days while we figure out who did it.”
“Someone’s after her?” Liam asked.
“Maybe. We just want to make sure she’s safe. And has somewhere she can recover. Her place has too many stairs. And she has no one around to help.”
“But she can have all of us here,” Charlotte said.
“Exactly. I thought maybe you two could entertain and walk Tuna for her. And maybe grab her things so she doesn’t have to get up.”
“Where is she?” Liam asked.
“She’s staying in my room.”
“Oh, yeah?” Liam asked, and I could hear the question there, one that likely went right over his sister’s head.
“I’m on the couch.”
“I can take the couch,” Liam offered.
“No, kid. I got it. But if you got a few minutes, she could use an extra pillow or two to put under her leg.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“Ice packs. The kind that bend.”
“Anything else?”
“I dunno. Anything you think she might need.”
“He’s not going to know,” Charlotte declared. I could practically hear her eye roll. “I should go too.”
“Alright. But don’t be long. We have to order dinner.”
“I can pick it up if you place it,” Liam offered.
“We,” Charlotte corrected.
“Alright. Let me ask Alara what she’s in the mood for. I think we should let her pick after the day she’s had.”
“Yeah, and maybe ask her what she wants for dessert too.”
“Whatever the kids are usually into is fine,” I told him when he appeared in the doorway with my coffee.
“Heard all that, did you?”
“Your building is freakishly quiet.”
“Char probably wants pizza. Or Italian in general. You game?”
“Does anyone ever actually turn down cheese and pasta?”
“The place around the corner has a killer baked ziti.”
“Sounds good. And whatever dessert Charlotte recommends. She seems to be the expert.”
“That she is. Alright. I’ll go relay that. Take your pill.”
A girl could get used to this being taken care of thing.
It wasn’t really something I had any experience with. I mean, my mom fussed over us when we were little and sick. But it didn’t last long, as the stress of their work and the extortion really just decimated her emotionally.
As an adult, well, I just never had anyone around when I wasn’t feeling well. I wasn’t sure I’d accept their help even if I did.
Why, then, was I so comfortable with it from Christopher?
I was still wondering about that, and enjoying not only the pain-numbing effects but the slightly floating sensation in my head from the pain medicine when the kids came back into the apartment some time later.
“Can I go see her? And give her this?” Charlotte asked.
“Okay. But knock, in case she’s sleeping.”
“I’m not,” I called back.
Two seconds later, Charlotte was bouncing into the doorway, only to stop short when she got a look at my face.
“Oh.”
“Just some bruises,” Liam, following his sister, said. Though his own face tightened. “She’s alright, remember?”
“Looks worse than it is,” I assured her. Even if it was a lie. “What is that?”
“It’s a kiwi bat stuffy,” Charlotte announced.
“She insisted,” Liam added with a head shake as he pulled a normal pillow out of a bag.
“They make you feel better,” Charlotte declared.
“Oh, that’s even softer than it looks,” I said, taking it from her.
“See? She likes it.”
“I do. Thank you.”
“She’s not done yet,” Liam said, even as he started emptying his bag onto the dresser. He’d opted for practical things: toothbrush, paste, hairbrush, floss, and a loofah.
“Well, she can’t work. She needs stuff to do,” Charlotte insisted. And then she gave me three books, a crossword puzzle, and a coloring book with a fancy marker set.
“This was all so sweet, thank you. You too,” I said, looking over at Liam.
“She’s not done,” Liam said, handing his sister another bag he was holding.
“Uncle Chris doesn’t have a soft blanket. So, we got you one.” It was printed with little ducks. “And a sweater because they keep it too cold here. It’s girl winter all the time.”
It was kind of chilly, now that she mentioned it.
“She just wants it to be seventy-three year-round,” Liam said, looking disgusted.
“I get cold when I’m reading.”
“I kind of do too. What’s up with that?” I asked.
It was then that I noticed we weren’t as alone as I thought, that Christopher was leaning against the doorjamb, watching us talk, a soft smile on his lips, and a warm, gooey look in his eye that made my belly go liquid.
“We also have dinner if you guys want to eat it while it’s hot.”
The kids didn’t need to be reminded twice.
“How about you? You want to eat in here, or are you feeling like an outing?”
“An outing. To the living room,” I scoffed. But I slid my legs off the bed. “They’re really good kids,” I told him. “You know that, right?”
“Yeah. I was worried about Liam for a while, but he really seems to have come into his own since moving here. I’m glad this wasn’t a big mistake.”
“Charlotte, too, seems happy.”
“She was always a happy kid. But she is very, very excited about all the bookstores, food places, and pigeons here. You okay?”
“I’m a bit of a lightweight when it comes to meds,” I admitted. “I’m a little woozy.”
“Well, one way to make sure you don’t fall.”
Before I could object, I was swung up into his arms again. And I let myself be. I may have even rested my head against his chest. But just for a second.
When we made our way out, Charlotte and Liam were already at the table. The former looked at us with a bright gleam in her eye. The latter gave us a little smirk and a head shake as Christopher deposited me onto a chair.
“Fair warning,” I said as we all started to unpack our meals, “I will fight someone over that one last garlic knot.”
“Think you might get Char to let you have it if she can have the extra brownie,” Liam said.
I glanced over at the girl, seeing a pleased look on her face. “Deal?”
“Deal,” she agreed.
It was a meal full of talk about books, school, the city, and Tuna—who took advantage of both Charlotte and Liam’s empathy and got himself table scraps he wouldn’t normally get.
Dinner melted into a movie night on the couch with brownies and coffee (and tea for Charlotte) until Charlotte passed out and had to be guided to bed.
Liam offered to take Tuna for a final walk for the night.
Christopher got up and started to clean up after dinner.
It was all just so… natural. Domestic. Comforting.