It Never Had To Get So Dark - Father Paul Hill x Reader

Fourteen

Waking up in my own bed after spending so many days in the Father's was a blessing that I couldn't express.

There was no residual guilt upon waking up about kicking a kind man out of his bed, a feeling I could still begrudgingly still admit despite my irritation towards him and, best of all, there was no worry about having to get up at a particular time just to look like a functioning member of society.

Being able to stretch out freely, or at least until I nudged the dog from his spot, was a liberation beyond compare.

I woke up feeling refreshed, like a whole new person and ready to start my day with a coffee and some cereal after a long, warm shower.

Everything had been set up and ready to go in no time, cereal in the bowl and a powdery mixture of instant coffee and sugar in my cup, all prepared as I danced around the kitchen singing to myself as Kura looked on like a withered old man done with the youth of today.

Sliding over to the fridge, I pull it open and lift out the half carton of milk, eagerly anticipating my morning fuel.

At least until I saw the state of the milk.

Disgustingly sloshy with chunky bits sticking to the sides as it swished inside the bottle.

I felt the colour drain from my face and wrinkled my nose at the mere thought of what it will smell like upon tipping it down the drain.

"Damn it," I sighed, dropping the carton a little too harshly onto the counter.

Thankfully, it didn't split and lead to my morning going from bad to worse.

"I didn't even think of my perishables while at Paul's place," I said, turning towards Kura with a look of irritation. "Okay, boy, change of plan...I'm going to check the other bits and then we're going shopping."

By some luck, not everything was short dated and some bits still had a few days left to them before I had to start smell testing them, but ham, bread and milk were a definite must.

I didn't bother changing from the broken jeans and baggy t-shirt I'd thrown on after my shower, nor did I care to properly dry and brush my hair. I simply grabbed my purse and Kura's lead while heading to the door to slip on a simple pair of shoes that I'd mercilessly kicked off in the doorway the last time I had entered while using them.

The day was overcast but deceptively warm, the heat hitting me in the face when I'd opened the door after clipping Kura's lead in place.

Not that he minded as he practically bounded out of the house and onto the path, eagerly trying to pull me along on an adventure.

I barely had to direct Kura once I'd indicated which direction to go upon leaving the gate, he knew exactly where to go and was eager to get there and investigate any new scents, not that there were likely to be many on Crockett.

As expected, life was tipping towards normal with an uneventful walk.

The sky was dreary, the streets were mostly empty and the shop looked as if there was no one inside, the absence of Pike on the porch unignorable.

Securing Kura as safely as I could on the opposite side, I gave the top of his head a ruffle and then headed inside, my hand slipping into my pocket to habitually make sure that my purse was still there and hadn't fallen out during our walk.

Annie looked up as I entered and gave a warm smile, accompanied by a surprised call of my name.

"Where have you been? We were starting to get worried, we haven't seen you for a few days now, is everything alright?"

"Hm?" I hummed, turning to her and pausing for a moment before everything clicked and I huffed a laugh, giving my best winning smile. "Oh, yeah, I'm good, I was just...visiting family on the mainland."

"Isn't that lovely? How are they?"

"Good, yeah, no complaints."

"I'm glad to hear that, do send them my well wishes."

"I will next time I speak to them."

I turned away to head between the shelves to the tiny refrigerated area, both of us knowing that I wouldn't say a thing to anyone, Annie didn't even know my parents.

The selection was as limited as it ever was, not much choice was needed in Crockett and anything you did need that wasn't essential could be outsourced if you were willing to wait a few days.

I grabbed a pint of milk and moved towards the chilled meat, the choice just as limited but Kura would accept anything that I threw his way so it wasn't much of a hassle.

Leaning over, I started to shuffle through the packets to search for the longest dated one, a habit I had picked up from my dad during our shopping trips.

"I'm pretty sure it's all ham."

I let out an undignified squeal of shock and dropped the packets in my hand, twisting to look over my shoulder to find Sheriff Hassan leaning against the unit behind me, one arm propped on the top and his other hand on his hip.

With a long and exaggerated huff, I picked up the packets I had dropped and then fully turned toward him, one hand on my chest.

"You scared the shit out of me."

Hassan gave a lopsided smile and glanced to the floor before meeting my eye.

"As long as you're the one cleaning it up."

"No promises, I don't do well with body functions and I'm sensitive to smells."

"Then you'd hate some of my jobs."

"Oh, I have no doubt," I laughed, glancing at the date on the top packet in my hand before deciding that one was long enough and that the others could go back on the shelf.

Turning around again, I carefully sidle past Hassan to grab some bread, going back to my label checking.

He stepped up beside me, both hands on his hips now.

"So, you going to tell me where you've been?"

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and then looked at the tag again.

"I was visiting family," I replied, the lie coming easily.

Hassan shook his head, taking a deep breath.

"Don't bullshit me."

Lowering the bread packet, I shoot Hassan a look and then turned towards the counter, making sure that Annie wasn't listening before turning away again.

"Can we not do this here?" I whispered.

"Depends, do I need to take you out back?" He asked, nudging pointedly towards his office door.

"No, not really...not that I'm aware of but I...I don't know, it's hard to explain."

"Right," he nodded slowly, "well, you know I'm here if you need to talk...about anything."

I smiled gratefully and cradled the bread in my arm, my toes tapping as I started to think until the decision clicked into finality and I decided to go for it before I chickened out.

"Okay, can you come over later tonight? Maybe we can have dinner."

"I'm sure I can spare some time between fines and arrests."

I laughed, taking a step back to indicate that I was going to head to the counter.

"Great, I'll look up some things that I can make and then we'll talk."

"You got it, I'll try to be there for seven."

"Seven it is."

I gave a tight smile and a thumbs up before leaving the small aisle to go and pay, my mind finally distracted with something to look forward to.

(I just want to thank everyone for being patient with my lack of uploads as of late.
In early May I lost my mum and while we're still a long way from being okay, we're getting by and trying to find our place with a new normal.
Thank you again for your patience.)