xxii. for the club
MORNING APPROACHED RAPIDLY and Rinn found herself waking in the bed, with Denver sprawled across the foot of it. His hand had been resting on her ankle and she found herself completely rested. By the time they fell asleep last night, she was close to cracking a smile . . . and on top of that, she didn't have a nightmare.
She moved without waking him, grabbing a change of clothes and heading into the bathroom. When she looked outside, she saw that first frost had set last night, which didn't surprise her, considering it was September.
A month had passed since she first ran away from the cage she called home. She hadn't had to watch her back because of Nathaniel or hide from her parents for at least thirty days. It was somewhat relieving but somehow, it felt like a chore.
She had to constantly remind herself that they weren't here. They weren't around the corner, waiting for her to walk out in front of them so she could be used, again. No one was sitting on the toilet seat or the counter, watching and waiting for her to step out of the shower. No one had been sneaking into her room at night to see her sleeping; to watch her chest rise and fall light the morning sun slowly did throughout the day.
It was strange for her, when for everyone else, it was normal. She didn't understand what she couldn't grasp about being away from home. Part of her believed that it was the large amount of protection she now had riding with her, but the other part of her believed that it was something more than just that simple fact.
Whatever it was, she was both grateful and annoyed by it.
She showered quickly as she thought about these things; it was nice to finally feel like she'd slept. It was night to get rest in the night, when your body shuts off all function so you can regain your strength. It was a new feeling to her; it was something she didn't know how to handle.
For awhile, she stared at herself in the mirror. She tried to recognize the delicate structure of her face without the dark, purple rings beneath her eyes or the lack of color in her cheeks. She tried to remember the last time her hair didn't look dead and straw like, but instead, the way it did at this moment.
She tried to recall each and every one of her features, but she just couldn't. The way her emerald green eyes popped out of her expression and the way her strawberry blonde hair frame her face just wasn't her . . . but she liked this new look. She liked this feeling.
She loved feeling alive, for once in her life.
As she slowly dried off and got dressed, basking in the glory of her first night's sleep in what felt like ages, she realized there was only one reason she had slept so well. She realized that this one thing was what she had been craving last night: Denver's comforting and relaxing touch.
For a moment, she thought she may crack a smile.
Sighing, she opened the door to Jackson's room and stepped out. Grabbed her cut from where it hung off of a hook on the back of Jackson's door, she headed out to the bar area. Slipping it on and pulling her sweatshirt hood out from under it, she took a look around.
"Morning, Rinn," Denver smiled at her, causing her to greet him as well. She headed over to where Jackson was sitting on the couch, leaning over the glass coffee table and slowly rolling something in what looked to be cigarette paper. It was only when she got closer that she recognized the substance as pot.
She watched as he sealed it and packed it. Then, he gently stuck it into his mouth and lit it. For a moment, he sat by himself, taking a deep puff of smoke into his lungs before she waltzed over to him, feeling like she had just accomplished her life's goal.
YOU ARE READING
Miss Mayhem
Action"Sometimes, when I look in the mirror, I don't like the face staring back at me," she whispered, looking down at the floor. Her feet were small in front of his and it was then that she realized how close he really was to her. He frowned, asking, "W...
