What's Said in Silence

Sera-XXXX

The ground had been mostly orange and yellow when we left, but as the driver turned down the street, all the leaves had fallen into small brown mountains. Droplets of rain slid down the ice chilled window I was resting my forehead on. It had been a long trip, an eventful one no less, but being back in England was a catch twenty-two. One one had the familiarity was nice, almost comforting. On the other hand, it was almost like walking right back into a lions den.

I hadn't gotten a single text from Preston since we left. Maybe Jessie had a point about traveling being smarter than staying locked inside the house. Perhaps we did throw them off by doing so. The same question that had kept me awake in Scotland still pricked in my mind. Did Vessel know? 

I didn't think Jessie would spill my secrets to someone I hadn't known for very long, but then again, I also wasn't fully aware of the depths of their own friendship. Would Jessie betray me for Vessels benefit? Or vise versa? I hated to think so low of Jessie, especially after everything we had been through together, but it was odd. It was all too convenient how after Vessel came home, suddenly he wanted me to go on tours with him and Jessie was to escort me through shopping centers. 

You did try to kill him.

Guilt constricted in my chest, making it difficult to breathe. So much happened that night and I hadn't had the time to fully process it. Things could have gone a lot worse than what they did, yet he never held that against me. The only time he mentioned it was the day after, but even then, he hadn't been malice about it. 

I dared a glance over at Vessel, who had his head tipped back against the headrest. We were both exhausted from the trip, but he was probably more so considering how much energy he expends on stage. I wasn't sure when the next tour would be, but I hoped Vessel would be able to get plenty of rest in the meantime. 

The house came into view and it occurred to me that this would be the first time since we left that Vessel and I would be truly alone. Memories of our first encounter, the hand print on the bathroom door, and our first kiss filtered through my mind. So much had changed since that day we sat across from each other in what had to be the strangest interview of my life, but it almost felt predestined. From the very first moment we touched...

I will follow you into any storm...

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Vessels words would haunt every move I made from this moment forward. It wasn't exactly a confession of love, not that it needed to be, but it was heavy and full of emotion. I wasn't completely sure what that meant for us going forward, but I knew, whatever it was, it would be fine. 

The wet leaves squished beneath my shoes and the cold wind bit my skin as we walked up to the front door. Vessel held most of our bags while I had a backpack slung over one shoulder. He shifted all the bags into one hand so he could unlock the door.  

The muscles in his forearm tightened from the weight. Prominent veins coiled from his hand up to his elbow before disappearing beneath the sleeve of his cloak. I involuntarily drew my lower lip between my teeth. 

He pushed the door open and we stepped inside, only to be met with a similar cold as outside. I remembered Vessel had cut the heat off before we left. We made our way into the living room where he dropped the bags next to the couch before heading down the hall to turn the heat on. I dropped the book bag next to them and pulled my sweater tighter around me, though it wasn't doing much to keep me warm.

"Apologies," Vessel said walking toward me with a blanket in his hand. "it's going to take a while for the house to warm up but I got this for you." He unfolded the blanket before wrapping it around my shoulders. 

I grasped the edges of the blanket in my hands and he rubbed my arms in an attempt to warm me up, but really all he was doing was smearing black paint over the light grey material. He pulled his hands away and pursed his lips at the black streaks. My shoulders began to shake in silent laughter, causing a grin of his own to spread across his face.

I walked past him into the kitchen. I shifted the blanket into one hand and pulled the kettle out from the cabinet, filling it with water before setting it on the stove top. He took his usual seat at the bar while I searched through the house for something easy to snack on. 

I glanced over in his direction. He sat so casually as if it weren't freezing in the house, but I could see the goosebumps on him arms. He was practically shirtless in the midst of winter. While I appreciated the act of chivalry, I didn't like it being at his expense.

My hands landed on a box of crackers and I decided it would have to do. I set the box in front of him just in time for the kettle to start boiling. I fixed our teas with cream and sugar, respectively, before setting them down side by side on the bar. 

Foregoing my usual seat, I made my way around the bar and pulled one of the stools close to him. I took my seat then draped the blanket across both of our shoulders. I could see the ghost of a smile his lips fought to put on his face but it didn't fully form. 

He wrapped his fingers around the mug, which looked tiny by comparison to his large hands. I looked down at my own, strangely glad that I had always preferred tea to coffee. For a brief moment, I entertained the idea that maybe I was always destined to live here. A ridiculous thought to have over the preference of a drink. 

"I find it adorable when you do that." his voice broke the quiet. I looked over at him with scrunched eyebrows. He let out a breathy chuckle before continuing, "Whenever you get really lost in thought, you chew the lower corner of your lip. Not much, but just enough to notice." 

He raised his mug to his lips and I became hyper-aware of my own. I did, in fact, have the corner of my lip tucked between my teeth. I released it and raised my own mug, careful not to burn my tongue as the hot liquid seeped past my lips.

Silence fell over us once more, something we were comfortably used to. Soon, our mugs were empty and I felt just a bit warmer. The house was still a little cool, but the frigid chill had been warded off. 

The blanket slipped off of my shoulder and I attempted to put it back on, only to have it fall again and again. I was nearly thrown off balance as my chair scrapped across the floor a few more inches, closer to Vessel. He grabbed the corner of the blanket and draped his arm over me, pulling me into him. 

"It was sweet of you to share," He whispered in my ear, "but I don't think this blanket is big enough." He let out a chuckle before continuing, "Though, I will take any excuse I can get to have your body pressed against mine." His double meaning hung heavy in the air as electricity surged through my body. 

His knuckles grazed against my collarbone, inching their way up my neck. Tingles made their way across my skin from the motion. I leaned in closer, inhaling his metallic scent. His touch drifted from my shoulder down to my waist before settling on my thigh, where he gave me a gentle squeeze.  

"They say skin-on-skin is the best heat conductor." His raspy voice stirred something within me. I tilted my chin up and kissed him. A soft, languid kiss that turned heavy in a matter of seconds. Maybe it was when his hand gripped my hair, or when he pulled me to straddle him, but at some point my body had been set ablaze, leaving the cold as a distant memory.