Lonely

Chapter 66, Sadie

I leaned against the wall of the gazebo Hanger and I were in. Stars twinkled in the sky, and crickets chirped around us. The moon gave off a silvery, flowing light that came through the netted walls of the gazebo. The air still had the tangy smell of a beautiful day to it. It was a warm night, and I knew Ariadne was in a good mood. I heard the sully and Ryder squabbling over something in the house, and Ariadne came to break them up, feeling it was her duty to boss them around. I looked at Hanger. He was studying the vines that Ryder had decided would look nice grown up around the gazebo.

“You’re quieter than usual.” I pointed out. Hanger looked up, broken from his reverie. He smiled at me, the smile that seems to make the world spin a little faster.

“Nah. It just seems so surreal, you know?” I nodded. It did seem surreal. One minute we were talking about the fact that we would be leaving in the next of days for Lonely, and the next we were outside laughing, all of the kids having a great time. It was almost like nothing had ever happened. I wished it could stay like that forever. I pushed the black hair out of Hanger’s eyes. A lot of things had changed about him since the castle, in a good way. He slept better, and no longer mumbled about monsters in his sleep. He could still see in the dark, but I no longer felt that he yearned for it. He still had the battle scars of years in hell, but he gave up on the idea of revenge. He still had amazing survival skills, but no longer dwelled on the fact that he had been locked up.

His eyes still hadn’t changed. He hadn’t been in that kind of dark since I dragged him out with me, but his eyes were still black, and the pupils still took up most of his eyes, leaving very little white in the corners. I let my hand run down his face and drop to my side.

“What do you think would have happened if I had never stumbled into that castle?” I asked. Hanger grinned.

“Well, I couldn’t do this.” He took my hand and bent his head to kiss me, then he looked into my eyes.

“I don’t know. Arianna said the idea was that she having both of us come, but separately. I imagine I would have found a way out of the castle. I don’t care, actually. What matters is that you did come, and now we are here.” He said seriously. When I didn’t say anything, he made me look up at his face. He didn’t say anything, but instead pressed his lips to mine, gently at first, but gaining strength. My lips parted and I traced the out of his lips with my tongue, letting the sensation of losing myself in Hanger take over. I looped my arms around his neck and breathed in his heady scent. I felt his arms encircle my waist as I was pressed up against the wall of the gazebo. I felt his heart beat under my hand, and I knew I could probably pick it out of a crowd.

Leaves rustled in the woods, and I jumped. A raccoon poked its head out of the foliage and then went back into the woods. I gave a nervous laugh. Hanger let all of me go except my hand.

“We should probably go back into the house before they get to rowdy.” I nodded.

Inside, Arianna was trying to get the kids to go to bed. I heard her in Ariadne’s room.

“It wasn’t funny.” She scolded, but I could hear a smile in her voice. I looked into the room. Ariadne was lying on her back, her head hanging off the bed and her hair streaming down almost down to the floor. She giggled and closed her eyes, smiling. Sophia was jumping on the bed. She waved to me, and Arianna turned around. Before she could say anything, I felt a hand push on my shoulder. I stepped out of the way and Nicco came in. He grabbed Sophia around the waist and flung her over his shoulder.