Dipping Into Together

Ch 37

Ch 37

Moonlight streams in through the window, giving the room a glowing bluish tint. Jonah's beside me, snoring softly, an arm thrown across my stomach. I can't sleep. I feel wide awake, and all I can think about is the fact that in less than two weeks I'll be leaving him. And I just got here. I turn on my side and kiss his chest lightly, burying my head in his neck. I never want to leave him again, but I know that there's no way that we can stay together. Not now, at least.

Two hours later, after still not being able to sleep, I slip out of bed and creep outside. I ease myself down onto the steps and rest my chin on my knees, staring out into the darkness. The cool night air caresses my skin, but I hardly notice. I think back to what Jonah brought up earlier; could Aunt Mel come live here? Maybe not literally here in this house, I wouldn't want to impose on Pearl, but maybe we could find a little house somewhere. Maybe we could settle down and make a new home of our own. Looking around, I know that I wouldn't regret moving here. It was beautiful and peaceful, my ideal place, really. And Jonah was here, so it really was perfect, or as perfect as anything could ever be. I felt the urge to go call her now, but it was four in the morning, and I needed to think about it more. A lot more, because this was moving across states. I was talking about uprooting myself and Aunt Mel, selling my house, and abandoning everything I'd ever known.

Sighing, I realize that I'm not going to solve anything tonight, so I stand up and head back inside. I crawl between the sheets and gaze at Jonah, who's still fast asleep. He looks so peaceful, and the tenseness and sadness seems to have melted off his body. I scoot closer to him and press my face against his throat, breathing against him. This wakes him slightly, and in his half-conscious state, he rolls on his back and wraps his arms around me, pulling me to his side. Smiling, I rest my head down on his chest and let my eyes flutter shut. Finally, sleep comes.

***

In the morning when I wake, Jonah is gone. Stretching, I smile and slip out if bed, padding across the bedroom and into the kitchen after a short stop in the bathroom. The kitchen is empty too. So, after I gulp down a glass of milk, I walk out the door and start off down the path towards the barn. I still haven't seen his room, and I'm curious.

When I reach the barn, the doors are closed. I pull them open with a loud squeal, and walk quietly across the hay-covered ground.

"Jonah?" I call, looking up at the wooden ceiling, wondering how he gets up to the loft. There's shuffling above me, and then thumps across the floor. A square opening in the far right corner of the ceiling opens, and Jonah's head appears.

"Want to come up?" he asks.

"How do I get up there?" I say, just as I notice a ladder nailed to the wall. "Oh, never mind, I see the ladder." Walking over there, I climb up the rungs easily. Jonah moves out of the way, and I heft myself up onto a soft carpet floor. Carpet? Standing up, I look around.

It's one big room, besides a small closet-looking room in the corner. The main room stretches out to the size of the barn. There's carpet in most of it, except for a small square section of tile where the kitchen is. Jonah's bed, a small, rickety thing, is shoved into the corner, heaped with thick blankets. Big windows line the two opposite walls, letting light in. The ceiling is angled because of the roof, but not so that you have to lean over. There's a desk, a dresser, and not much else.

I walk over to the closet-like structure and open it, finding a toilet.

"No shower?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"I take one in the guest house. It was hard enough putting in a toilet, so I told Pearl not to worry about a shower."

I nod and close the door, turning around and letting my eyes wander the room. "I like it," I say, "it fits you." I turn around when I say this, and find him directly in front of me. I start to take a step back, but he grips my waist and pulls me closer. Tilting my head, I smile up at him.