Barns Courtney One-Shots

Roses | Part 3

'I let a stranger into my home. A stranger that had been leaving roses on my doorstep.' I thought as I gathered pillows and blankets for him. 'He needed help though. Maybe he left the roses to get your attention?' I said inside of my head as I walked back downstairs. He was sitting on the couch where I had left him. "Here you go. I hope the couch will be comfortable for you." I said as I sat the pillows and blankets down next to him. He wrote the word "Thanks. I've slept in worse places before." on the whiteboard I had given him to communicate. I wondered where he had been staying. Honestly, I had feeling he was probably sleeping somewhere in the woods. "I'm going to go to bed. You can stay up as long as you want. If you need anything don't hesitate to wake me up, okay?" I said softly.

He nodded weakly instead of writing anything down. It hurt my insides when he did that; it just reminded me of the nasty wound on his neck. 'I hope he heals quickly.' I thought before telling him goodnight. I walked upstairs and took a quick shower before getting ready for bed. I made sure my hair was dry though before laying down on my pillow. I thought about the stranger sitting on my couch downstairs. Wondering what his story was and how he ended up covered in wounds. But I knew I would probably never know unless he gets his voice back. And even then he might not want to tell me. I laid awake in the darkness for what felt like forever. Eventually I ended up falling into a restless sleep.

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A few weeks had passed of me taking care of the stranger. Every other day I would change his bandages; the wounds were starting to heal nicely. When I worked on paintings he would quietly watch. I got use to his company very quickly. It was oddly comforting to have him there with me. Sometimes I found myself looking at him when he wasn't paying attention to me. Studying his curly white locks, admiring the shape of his lips, and most embarrassingly... getting a little lost in his blue eyes. I had the urge to draw and paint pictures of him, but I couldn't. I had to work on commissions that have accumulated during the move. I looked up from the painting I was working on to look at him. He was standing in the lake with his pants rolled up to his knees. Luckily he didn't have any wounds on his legs.

He had a white floral lace shirt on. A shirt I had gotten him at a thrift store in town. When I went grocery shopping I thought I to buy him some clothes. That way he wasn't wearing the same thing every day. I was just glad that he liked everything I had bought him. I smiled softly when I noticed he was skipping stones across the lake. It was a beautiful  fall day today. A cool breeze, blue skies with fluffy white clouds, and golden sunlight. The leaves had started to change colors a little more. And he looked beautiful against a backdrop of red, orange, and yellow. My phone started ringing, which startled me out of my thoughts. When I looked at the screen I noticed that it was my friend calling me.

"Hey, how are you?" She asked curiously. I could hear the smile in her voice. "I'm doing alright. How are you?" I replied with a small smile of my own. I looked over my painting and saw he was looking in my direction. I smiled at him and he smiled back. My insides felt warm every time he smiles at me. I really can't explain it, but I liked it. "I'm doing great! I was thinking about coming over tonight. Only if you don't have any plans tonight." She said and anxiety filled my stomach. How was I going to explain him being here? I can't just tell her he's the person who was leaving roses at my door. She would flip! But I also didn't want to lie to her. "No, I don't have any plans." I replied. "Is that weirdo still leaving roses for you?" She asked curiously. "No." I said, which was true. It stung a little when she called him a weirdo.

But I know that she doesn't know him. She doesn't know that he needed help with his wounds. We talked a little more before she had to get back to work. 'What am I going to do?' I wondered. I decided to stop painting for today because I needed to come up with a plan. When he saw me cleaning up he came out of the lake and helped me. "So... we have a little bit of an issue." I said once we brought everything inside. He looked at me curiously as he helped clean my brushes and paint palette. Although, I told him didn't have to help. "My friend is coming to visit me tonight. She wants to have dinner and I don't know how to explain you being here." I said awkwardly.

When we were finished we washed out hands and dried them. He grabbed the whiteboard and started writing. Then he handed it to me to read. "I could go into the woods and come back when she's gone." He wrote and my insides hurt a little. I didn't want him to have to stay outside. I wasn't sure what time my friend was going to leave. I knew that she might decide to spend the night; she has this weekend off from work. "No. You can hide upstairs in my room. I'll make sure you have plenty of food and water." I said as I handed him the whiteboard back. "Okay." He wrote in response. I heated up leftovers form him to eat before she came. The I supplied him with snacks and bottles of water. When we walked into my room he looked around. I had various books on shelves, just like in the living room.

Funko pop figures, lots of plushies/squishmallows, fairy lights, and a couple Himalayan salt lamps. Posters, pictures, and paintings also covered the walls. My huge CD collection and small vinyl collection were in one corner. He smiled softly and I think he liked the things I had in my bedroom. "She should be here any minute. I'll see you later, okay?" I said, hating I had to hide him from anyone. He nodded weakly and I turned to leave the room. But the I felt him gently grab my hand to stop me. My hand seemed to fit perfectly in his. I looked at him and he walked closer to me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. I wrapped my arms around his torso and we hugged.

I made sure to be careful not to hurt him. When he gently played with my hair I melted into the hug. We gently tightened our arms around each other. I think I could have stayed like that forever. It was the best hug I could remember ever receiving. The sound of a car pulling into the gravel driveway caught my attention. We slowly broke the hug even though I didn't wanna let him go. "I'll see you in a little bit." I said softly and he nodded like he always does. I closed the bedroom door behind me before walking downstairs. I got to the front door just as she walked into the screened in porch. She knocked and I let her in. We hugged each other before I closed the door behind us.

She told me she got that promotion she wanted, and I was so happy for her. I guess that explains why she brought a bottle of champagne. Although I don't drink alcohol I knew she wanted to celebrate. The two of us cooked dinner. She wanted steak tacos and I was thankful that she brought the ingredients. I didn't have the money to buy steak. We ate the delicious food and I felt a little guilty eating it. Especially when he was upstairs in my room all alone. 'If there's any leftovers I'll give him some.' I thought in my head. For dessert we had red velvet cake that he she had brought with her. After eating I washed the dishes as she watched a movie. By the end of the night she was passed out drunk on the couch. I made sure she had pillows and blankets. I heated up the leftovers and took them upstairs.

"She's passed out on the couch. I guess you'll have to sleep up here." I said quietly. I blushed knowing he would be sleeping in my room with me. "Thanks for the leftovers. Also, I can sleep on the floor if you want me to. It's okay." He wrote on his whiteboard before sitting down to eat. "I would feel bad making you sleep on the floor." I said in a hushed tone. Even though my friend was passed out, I still didn't wanna risk waking her up. "It's no big deal, really. I can sleep on the floor. But, you can trust me. I promise I won't hurt you or do anything stupid/inappropriate." He wrote before going back to eating. "I know I can trust you." I said softly and a warm look filled his pretty blue eyes. When he was finished eating I took the plate down to the kitchen. I checked on my friend to make sure she was okay. Then returned to my bedroom.

I went into the bathroom to change into my pajamas. He and I stayed up a little communicating via the white board. Eventually we climbed into bed. He kept space between us in the bed, which was sweet of him. After a while I eventually fell into a deep sleep.

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