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

Seventeen

Having a man of faith in my home was an unusual sight, the fact that he looked so natural sitting on my couch with one of his arms resting over the back of the cushions and Kura curled up against him, the dog's head resting on his thigh as he snoozed away in his after walk nap, was even more peculiar.

I tried to ignore this strange tension in the atmosphere by making us some drinks, the spoon tapping against the side of the cup making a high pitched noise that seemed to clatter through me louder than the usually dismissive sound would.

If Father Paul noticed the thick air then he didn't make any comment nor did he show it in his face, instead he looked more than content petting my dog in silence.

It felt eerily domestic and I had to push aside a strange emotion that washed over me, one which I found hard to decipher between uncomfortable and welcome.

So instead, I pushed it all aside and decided to start off on another foot, a new one of mutual understanding of our circumstances. Though I still refused to accept or call it an angel, no matter how much he insisted, I had to draw the line somewhere.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled my nerves to finally pick up the mugs and carry them into the living room, ready to face whatever strange relationship I had unfolding with this stranger priest.

"Here we go," I sang as I stepped around the couch, leaning over to set the mugs down on the coasters sitting either side of the table. "I hope it's okay, let me know if you need more sugar or milk."

He gave me a polite smile as I sat down on the other side of the couch, mindful of sitting on Kura as I perched.

"I shall, thank you very much," he said with a small nod, his hands coming to rest with linked fingers between his knees.

I returned his previous smile, both of us knowing that even if it was the worst coffee he'd had, he would drink it with hidden disgust and not ask for any changes to be made.

For a long while after I sat back with my own drink, cupping it in my hands as it cooled down enough to drink, we sat in a silence that was stuck in a limbo between not full comfortable but not uncomfortable either.

Though he didn't seem to let on if he noticed, his usual presence of commanding calm settled on his features as he took small sips of his drink, his other hand still ruffling the back of Kura's neck.

"Sooo..." I started, rocking my ankle from side to side as the impending wince of the words already escaping my mouth was already building up, "how are things looking in the community? Are you settling well?"

He gave me a quick glance as he took another sip of his coffee, a small amused smile in place as he lowered the cup and swallowed what he'd taken.

"Is that really the kind of small talk you want to have?" He asked, not unkindly, more in a tone of quietly confident knowing.

A tone that could potentially sound condescending and know-it-all on others but somehow suited him and his soft demeanour.

"Well...no...I suppose not," I conceded with a soft laugh, my fingers drumming the cup. "I'm just not great at small talk."

"I can handle silence if that's what you would prefer."

"No, no...I just don't have a particular topic in mind to talk about."

"And there's no point in forcing it."

"Yeah, wouldn't want to make things awkward."

I gave a soft laugh before lifting my cup while he smiled in, what I took to be, amusement, though it could have been a pity laugh at my attempt at irony.