Kieran unlocked the door and pushed it open. Shuffling in behind Emory, she was met with a cozy, comforting space. It was warm and dimly lit, and smelled like. . .cinnamon? Cookies? She couldn't tell, but it was good whatever it was. When Emory reached behind her to close the door she flinched and stumbled a step away from him. She glanced up, afraid he'd be mad at her.
"Sorry," He whispered as he retreated after shutting the door.
She was surprised when he didn't say anything else. Kieran offered to take her bag upstairs for her, so she slid it off her shoulder and handed it to him, careful not to let their hands touch. Emory was fidgeting, unsure what to do.
"Um, you can sit wherever you like," he gestured to the couch and the recliner. "Or at the table. Do you need a drink?" He took a tentative step toward the kitchen.
"Yes, please." She murmured.
She sat gingerly on the corner of their hearth as he went to get her a glass of water. Kieran came back downstairs and smiled softly at her.
"You don't have to sit on the cold rocks," He chuckled. "I know you're nervous, but you don't have to be so careful. Try to relax, okay?"
She nodded. Emory returned and handed her the water. Her mouth was dry, but her hands were trembling too much to be able to take a sip.
"I'll go make dinner," Kieran offered, knowing that Koda might be more comfortable alone with his gentle, easygoing husband. Emory nodded.
"Would you like to see your room?" He asked, and when she nodded and stood, he headed towards the staircase. She set the glass down and followed him, steeling her nerves. It was okay. He wasn't going to do anything. She chanted that to herself as she followed him up the creaky wooden stairs. He laughed. "Our house is a little old, so sometimes it talks to us. We've redone the kitchen and bathroom, but we love these stairs so we left them. The hearth is original, though. Around fifty years old, I think?"
At the top of the stairs, directly ahead, there was a bay window with a seat, overlooking the fenced backyard. To the left and right sides of the short hall, there were identical closed doors. He turned right, and it swung open.
She let out a tiny gasp as she entered the room behind him.
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It was beautiful. She had never had a real room before, she had been sleeping on a mattress on the floor of a walk-in closet with the Lewises. On the other side of the room was an empty wooden desk, and to the right of it white shutter doors that she assumed was a closet.
Emory rubbed his neck nervously. "I like plants." He said simply, chuckling a little bit. "We didn't know how to decorate, so we just did our best. If you don't like it, we can always change--"
"It's beautiful," Koda whispered, the fairy lights reflecting in her two-colored eyes. Momentarily forgetting her fear, she turned to him. "This is--for me?"
His heart cracked in his chest. ''Yes, it's just for you. It's okay, right? Am I missing something?"
She shook her head, still in wonder at the room. He pointed to where Kieran had set her bag in front of the closet. "Your bag is there, and, we'll go out some time to buy you some stuff, okay?"
She nodded, her anxiety returning slightly. She didn't really think they'd go waste money on her, but it was nice to pretend for the time being. Kieran called that dinner was ready. They went back downstairs to eat. Kieran and Emory sat beside each other, and she sat across from them. It was interesting to her to see how they treated each other. They were constantly touching each other, or checking on the other, or doing little things for the other one. It was so strange to Koda that two people could act like this. Mother and Father had been the opposite. Always bad-mouthing each other behind their backs, fighting, then ignoring each other. He would disappear to the basement for hours on end to drink, and she was always going off to party at night.
"Finished eating?" Kieran pulled her out of her gloomy pondering. She nodded, and he took her plate and Emory's with him to the kitchen.
She had barely eaten anything. She fidgeted through the whole meal, chewing each of her few bites for far too long. He was worried. How long could she stay in this frazzled state before she crashed? He remembered his own experience, and how exhausting it had been on his body. He needed to make sure she started eating, and soon.
As he washed the few dishes, he listened to Emory chatter at the table a few feet behind him. "So what's your favorite color, Koda?" A long pause.
"Green. Darker greens."
"Cool! Mine has to be light blue. . .or maybe soft yellow? But I love green too."
Kieran smiled. He hoped she would open up to Emory more. It seemed like she was comforted by his gentle demeanor, which Kieran had been hoping would happen. He was definitely the less intimidating of the two, as Kieran stood at 6'0 while Emory was 5'6. Kieran was also very fit and on the muscular side. He estimated Koda to be around 5'0.
After the kitchen was clean and the table wiped down, they invited Koda to watch TV with them. She shook her head.
"I'm tired, so I think I'll go to bed if that's okay?"
"Of course! If you need anything, we'll be right across the hall from you, okay? Just knock really loud. This one sleeps like a dead fish." Emory jerked a thumb at his husband, who laughed.
"Okay." Without another word, Koda retreated up the creaky stairs to her room.
"That was the most she's said in one sentence," Emory whispered to Kieran. "Do you think we stressed her out, Babe?" He bit his thumbnail.
"She was scared in general, it had nothing to do with us. I was like this too, at first. You did great." He reassured his husband. Casper wandered over and jumped into their laps.
* * * * * * * * *
Koda was finally alone, but it had a less-than-desired affect on her. She began to cry, quiet sobs wracking her aching ribs. She still hadn't healed. She stripped off her shirt and walked in front of the full length mirror between her closet and desk. Still severely bruised and severely hurting. She couldn't stop the tears as she sat on the floor with her back against the bed. She pulled her knees to her chest and sobbed with a hand in her mouth to muffle the heart-wrenching sounds. She didn't want them to come in here.
After about twenty solid minutes of crying, the exhaustion took over her and she laid where she was, curled into a teary ball on the rug. Her shirt was on the floor, and her bag was in the corner untouched. A last thought drifted through her mind before she slipped off to sleep.
