Smoke Signals

Smoke Signals: Chapt 6: Home Again

I was awoken by a light snore. I opened my eyes and squinted into the the half lit room. I was confused when I sat up. Elijah was asleep next to me. He looked peaceful and cute. I frowned. Elijah. I had slept with Elijah. I looked around. The cottage. I slipped out of bed and grabbed up my underclothes. I looked around again noticing the bedroom was quite spacious, the four poster bed at one corner. A chair in another.

There was a door around the other way and I went towards it I peered inside, realizing was a bathroom. I went inside and stripped down again getting in the shower. The hot water felt good on my skin and I scrubbed hard feeling a little bit bad about the night before.

I put on my underclothes and towel dried my hair going back into the bedroom. Elijah was still asleep and I slipped into my dress that was tossed by the bed. Walking over to the bed, I noticed something on the side table. Even in the wee hours of the light I could make out the picture in the frame.

It was four very blurry people, two of which looked like Elijah and Klaus the third one didn't look familiar and I couldn't tell who it was. The last one looked somewhat similar to me. I examined it. It was in black and white, very interesting. I frowned a moment. It didn't make me remember anything. I looked over to Elijah who was slowly waking up. I laid on the bed and looked at him.

"Good morning Sunshine." I said in a teasing tone and he sat up. He looked a little confused but then looked at me with a tiny grin.

"A good morning indeed. I take it you enjoyed the shower?" He asked glancing at me fully and I nodded smiling. I watched him stretch and felt oddly inappropriate.

I leaned away and moved away from the bed walking into the bathroom again. Elijah was there in a flash behind me. I looked at him in the mirror. We both looked equally satisfied and I sighed. He frowned and went for the shower. I brushed out my hair with a hairbrush from the drawer. I left the room and went  down stairs where my jacket and purse was. I shoved them by the door and then went to the sun room, a glass of red in my hand.

The sky was light and I swirled the wine in my glass, frowning. It reminded me of Klaus. His painting room in New York. I'd had always sat inside with a glass of wine when I thought of him, looked out from the glass to the city skyline. Hoping that he was doing the same. Now was an awkward time for me to even think the thoughts I had of him.

I heard Elijah get out of the shower upstairs and I felt glad I wasn't up there to see him. It would be hard to forget, it already was. I sighed and pulled a cigarette out of my bag. I noted my slightly shaking hands. I took a deep breath and grabbed my lighter too. I stepped out into the backyard, shoes off. The sun wasn't too high in the sky as I lit up. I took a long breath in and closed my eyes at the way the smoke filled my lungs. I blew it out and walked out farther on the patio.

In the far distance birds chirped a good morning to each other and there was the sound of a water. Maybe a creek or a river. I smiled and shook my head. Of course Elijah had a place like this. Klaus probably didn't know. I hoped he didn't. I didn't remember anything of it, but I had an odd feeling about what could have happened, maybe something to do with the photo in the bedroom.

I felt a presence behind me and I turned to see Elijah, his hair was slightly wet but his eyes were dry. I smiled a little and blew smoke up away from his face. He blinked once as he looked at me. There was a feeling that I was pretty sure he felt too; nostalgia. Flirting with one brother before I had sealed a deal with the other. I looked away breaking any connection we had. 

"We should get back, Nik will be worried." I said and I felt my own nervousness in my stomach. 

"Of course." He sighed, obviously disappointed. "I'll meet you at the car."