What's Said in Silence

Sera-XXXXII

"You'll do this job or dear Evelyn will pay the price." His sinister sneer punctuated his threat. He knew my weakness well, and he had easy access to her. Reluctantly I nodded my head, my palms already growing sweaty from nerves. 

I stepped out of the car into the night. Wind whipped through my trench coat and skating across my bare legs. My heels clicked against the wet pavement as I stepped closer. A neon sign reflected in the puddles on the ground, casting a red and purple glow on the surrounding street. Devils Night was a popular dance club from the front, but once you went behind the scenes, you were buried up to your collarbones in heroine. 

My target tonight was David Marks, a new customer of Preston's who had thought he could slip by without paying the full price of the product. Little did he know that most of his purchase had been altered anyway. He'd been led to believe it was more pure than it actually was. My task was simple: Talk sweet, seduce him if needed, then steal the product back. 

I was good at my job. I was good at lying. As much as I hated it, I couldn't get out. Not without getting Evelyn killed. I squared my shoulders, swallowed my pride, and stepped into the club...

By the time I woke up, Vessel was already gone, leaving rumpled sheets in his place. I shook the remaining bits of the dream away, I didn't want to think about that today. Today was supposed to be a good day. 

I threw the covers off of me and realized my skin was sticky from dried sweat and my hair felt greasier than usual. All-in-all, I was disgusting. I walked out of Vessels room and padded down the hallway into my bathroom for a shower. I decided that today deserved a full body care routine, it was long overdue anyway.

After my very long and extensive shower, I felt more rejuvenated than I had in quite a while. The dream kept creeping into the back of my mind but I refused to let it surface completely. I came here for a fresh start and, dammit, I was going to have that. 

I spent the first half of the day doing the basics. Seeing as how we hadn't been home, there wasn't much of a mess to begin with. Nevertheless, I still wiped down surfaces and swept the floors. 

It was nearing lunch time and Vessel still hadn't returned. I pushed any worry or self doubt out of my mind. He probably had some errands of his own to run. Still, after spending so much time together on tour, it felt strange that he wouldn't say anything before he left. 

Clingy girlfriend, much?

I mentally kicked myself. I was not clingy. I didn't even know if I could be called a girlfriend, but I wasn't exactly going to ask either. Deciding to make better use of my time, I made my way into the kitchen and searched through the cabinets. It was a long shot, but I could've sworn I saw cake mix in there at some point. 

After going through nearly every cabinet, I found a single box of chocolate cake mix. I was more of a vanilla person but this would have to do. I set to mixing the batter in a large bowl and found a cupcake baking tray. 

While the cupcakes were in the oven, I cleaned my mess, allowing myself to take a couple of licks of the batter straight from the bowl. A childish thing that I was sure every adult enjoyed doing. It was like getting a sneak peak at the treat before it was served. Surprisingly enough that seemed to chase away the last of my melancholy demeanor. 

After the cupcakes had finished baking and cooled down, I pulled one out of the tray and set it on a plate. We didn't have any frosting to go with it but I did manage to find a pack of candles in a random drawer. 

I had just stuck one of the candles in the cupcake and ignited it when Vessel rounded the corner into the kitchen, his cloak billowing behind him. His attention went from me to the cupcake on the counter. He raised his hand to point at it.

"Don't tell me today is your birthday." He said, his voice carried hints of fluster in it. I hesitated a moment before nodding. I turned towards the tray of cupcakes and gently picking another one out. I held the cupcake out to him with a small smile. 

He took it with a mumbled 'thanks' but he didn't take a bite of it. Instead we stood there staring at each other for a moment. There seemed to be a shift in energy with him, but I couldn't quite place what it was. Now, more than ever, I wished I could see into his eyes. I thought I might find answers to at least half of my questions in them. 

"Are you going to blow out your candle?" He asked, clearing his throat in the process. I snapped back to reality and quickly blew out my melting candle. I pulled it out and unwrapped the paper before taking the first bite. The decadent chocolate flavor melted on my tongue. I had to give myself a mini pat on the back, my baking skills were much better than that of my cooking skills. Even if it was just boxed cake mix. 

Vessel followed suit, slowly raising the cupcake to his lips and piercing the fluffy texture with his teeth. His tongue swiped a crumb from his lower lip. Such a small action that sent X-rated thoughts through my mind. Leave it to him to make eating a cupcake look sensual. 

Leave it to you to drool over a man eating a dessert. 

I brought my focus back to my own cupcake, taking another bite without looking over at him. I couldn't help but feel that something was off, something he wasn't telling me about. Even if he was, I didn't have much room to be upset over it. 

"If I had known, I would've gotten you something." He mumbled. I set the remaining bite of the cupcake on the plate before stepping towards him and wrapping my arms around his waist. His skin was cold but quickly warmed underneath my touch. A fraction of a second passed before he reciprocated the action. I tried not to think too much of it, the last thing I wanted to do was spiral down into self-doubt. Instead, I sought comfort in his scent.

But why on earth did he smell like pine?