Lila's Choice

Chapter 15

The muffled sound of voices and the patter of feet across the rug downstairs pull me back from the brink of a deep sleep.  I look at the clock on the nightstand and see that it is 4:30 am.  The voices stop as abruptly as they started and are now replaced by a shuffling sound.  Slowly I get out of bed, being careful not to wake Thad.  Before going down to investigate, I check the window to make sure that the black-out drapes are securely closed.  On my way downstairs, I check the rooms Elias and Sophie are in to be sure they are in their beds and their drapes are also drawn.

When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I can see a light emanating from the kitchen.  I quietly make my way to the door and find Gwen raiding the refrigerator.  

“What on Earth are you doing?” I whisper loud enough for her to hear, but low enough that my voice doesn’t travel upstairs.

“Geez Lila,” she says, jumping at the sound of my voice.  “You really shouldn’t sneak up on people like that, you know.  If I were alive, I would have had a heart attack and dropped dead.”

“My apologies,” I roll my eyes.  “But, what are doing?” I ask her again.

“I’m getting a snack for Will.  He’s in the living room.”  I sneak a peek into the living room but can only see the back of his head.  He is sitting on the sofa with his back to me. “Sorry, if I woke you, I forgot you guys were up here tonight.”

“No problem.  Everyone else is still sleeping.  I’ll leave you to your guest,” I say and start to leave the kitchen.

“Wait,” she calls before I’m out the door.  “So did you think about what I said?” she asks, referring to our conversation about Julian earlier tonight.

“I gave it some thought, but I’m happy with the way things are.  Thad is great and the kids like him.  The more time I spend with him, the more I realize that he is the epitome of my ideal husband.  It’s like I’m finally getting a second chance at having the life that was stolen from me, so why give that up on a whim, just because of some inexplicable attraction to the wrong man.  What’s with the sudden push for Julian?”

“I told you, I think the guy REALLY likes you and had Thad not come along when he did, you would have pursued this.”

“But he did come along.  I’m not willing to risk what we are building to see what might come from a spell induced crush.”

“I’m telling you, this is no spell.  You should have seen him moping around tonight.  He didn’t even enjoy his time up on the balcony.”  She seems genuinely concerned.

“So has working with him made you like him now?” I ask her, still bewildered by her insistence.  “I mean since when do you care if he’s happy or not?”

“I never disliked the guy.  All I’m saying is that he is starting to depress me.  Just come by and at least give him some closure or something.  I think he’s having the hardest time dealing with the way you left so abruptly.”

“I’ll think about it,” I tell her and head back upstairs.