Grim Echoes

Chapter 75 - Maeve

Maeve opened her eyes. Ander's cool arms still wrapped around her. He gazed back at her. Had he watched her sleep? Typically, if she'd caught someone doing that she would've been alarmed or just weirded out, but staring back she wasn't either. In the background, Will snored. Still early and she couldn't remember when they'd finally climbed into bed, but she was rested. With reluctant movements, she untangled herself from Ander and went to the bathroom. After her morning rituals she left and found Ander waiting. Her eyes darted to Will, worried if she spoke, she'd wake him. Ander must've figured out her thoughts because he chuckled.

"A war would have to take place to wake him from that stupor," Ander commented on his way to the bathroom.

When he exited, Maeve had already dressed and was ready to go. A brief expression of disappointment flashed across his face before he took out his clothes. Maeve brushed her hair and waited for him to change.

"He'll be ok while we are gone?" she glanced at Will again.

"Yes, he will not wake, or if he does, he will not be aware of anything, other than the need for the bathroom," Ander repositioned Will on his bed.

Will murmured in his sleep. Ander used the same tone as last night to keep Will calm. He snored again.

"Based on his condition when you arrived, I am familiar enough with his habits, to anticipate how the morning would be. He has not been that inebriated in some time." Ander pulled out a bottle of water from the fridge and put it on the nightstand, along with three pills. "Excedrin. Most of the time Will does not have headaches from drinking but he will today."

Maeve pressed her lips softly on Will's forehead. Ander moved around behind her. She peeked and watched him place large stones around the room. He opened the door and waited for her to walk through before he whispered a few words and bent down to touch one of the stones. Ander held out his hand. They strolled to the SUV, hands clasped. After a delicious breakfast at a local restaurant, they drove to a larger town with the bookstore. Just before Maeve opened her door to exit the SUV, she paused and faced Ander.

"I hope I didn't trap you in bed for too long. I mean, I don't know how long you were awake before me, but I think I sleep more than both of you," Maeve fumbled for words. She should've just asked him how long he was awake.

He grinned from the other side of the vehicle. "It was not long. It was nice to," his quiet voice trailed off before he rubbed the leg of his pants like he had at Mason's when he'd been nervous.

Great, now she'd made it weird. Why had she asked?

"It has been a long time since I have woken so pleasantly," he finished with color in his cheeks.

She didn't respond, afraid she'd only make things worse. They headed to the bookstore. As Maeve browsed the aisles, she felt more normal than she had in over a week. She loved books. Adored the weight of them, particularly hard backed books. Always more grounded and reassured when she held one. Her fingers glided over the spines of the books as she walked down the aisle, delighted by the scent of paper and ink. Pulling several books off the shelf for no reason other than to hold them or breathe in their scent.

Books soothed her. She could travel thousands of miles from the comfort of her couch. She could learn new skills or information just by reading a book. When her soul touch made life chaotic and scary, books were there to restore order and her faith in humanity. When she'd retreated into herself because her ability divided her from her peers, books were her friends.

She'd always dreamed of living by the sea with a two story library and huge picture windows. She'd spend her days lounging in the library and watching the waves. If she needed adventure, she'd leave the house and splash in the water. If she needed stability, she'd have her library and her books.

Something tickled in the back of her mind. A hazy image of two women talking by shelves of books. Both were devastatingly beautiful. Maeve didn't recognize either of them. The taller platinum blonde handed a book to the voluptuous golden blonde. When her hand moved, it sparkled. The platinum blonde had a lot of jewelry. No, not jewelry. Piercings sprinkled all over her skin. The curvy blonde's golden hair was ridiculously long. It almost touched the ground. The golden hair beauty smiled at the other woman. It reminded Maeve of the sunrise. Maeve shook her head to clear the image, must've been a dream. Her dreams were vivid and even years later she recalled many of them in detail. When she believed she was alone in the new age section, Maeve spun and closed her eyes and felt much more like herself again.