Salvage

Seven - Part 4

Adam let go of her elbow as soon as the kitchen door closed behind them. They were enrobed in dim lighting from cozy lamps along the walls of the long hallway, and the soft, plush rug made Aurora wish she weren't wearing her boots.

"There's four bedrooms, total, but we turned one into kind of a game room, study area," Adam explained quietly. "That's where you'd be sleeping, if you're okay with it."

"How do you guys know Cece?" Aurora couldn't help herself asking again, even as she craned her neck around. The house itself was warm and cozy, but there didn't seem to be much decoration. No paintings on the walls, posters, mirrors, anything. There were a few plants here and there, looking lush and well cared for, and that softened the look of things a bit.

"Honestly, it's complicated." Adam paced quietly for a moment, passing by three closed doors before coming to an open one. "I promise, it's nothing nefarious. We just... take care of her, when we can. We were afraid she might be put in foster care."

"Oh. You guys ever need help with that, let me know. I'll do whatever I can."

A quick smile crinkled his eyes. "Thank you, Aurora. This is the bathroom." He pointed in to a very large and somewhat messy bathroom, with towels slung haphazardly across the floor and on towel racks, and a wide double sink with a countertop covered in hairbrushes, toothbrushes, makeup, shavers, and q tips. "Sorry it's messy, but Chinook just had a shower. She is insane."

Aurora glanced inside. It looked clean, the mirror shiny, the tub scrubbed spotless. It was just a bit of clutter. "Looks great to me. That bathtub is enormous."

"Feel free to use it, though we do keep a schedule so nobody gets upset," Adam replied. "It's on the refrigerator. Sign up anytime."

"Seems smart," Aurora agreed, shoving her hands in the pockets of her sweatpants. "I have to just say again, this place is really nice."

"Yeah, we're lucky." Adam's eyes went a bit hard at that, and he gave the bathroom one more glance before turning and heading back down the hallway. "This would be your room, if you decide to stay. I mean, people would still need to come in during the day, so it's not really private, but it's not so bad. And you can use my room for privacy whenever I'm gone, too."

Aurora hid her wince at that. She had figured it might be the case, and it was still better than the alternatives. At least here she could sleep alone. "I'm sure it'll be great."

Adam opened the last door, at the very end of the hallway, and stepped in. Aurora followed him inside and looked around, taking everything in. It was, as he'd warned definitely not a bedroom anymore. There were two desks against the back wall, with desk chairs and standing lamps providing light. In the opposite corner there was a little carpeted area with a chest full of toys and children's books, as well as a few toys scattered across the floor. Wrapping around a large portion of the back wall was an enormous blue couch, cushions looking softer than a cloud, with plenty of room for at least ten people to sit comfortably. There were sheets and blankets folded there, with a pillow placed on top of the stack. In front of it was a small glass coffee table, and a huge flat screen TV.

"I can't lie, this is... wow. This is amazing." Aurora twisted around, surveying the area. It was spacious, and plenty of room behind the couch in the corner for her suitcases to be tucked away during the day. It wasn't ideal long term, of course she'd prefer to have her own space, but it would suit her needs very well for the moment. And that couch... Her exhausted body longed to just fling down on it, close her eyes, and forget the world.

"Well, I'm sure it's not as nice as having your own place," Adam echoed her thoughts. "But you can see, we've plenty of space. You're welcome here."

"Thank you. I would love to stay." Aurora clasped her fingers together. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure."

Aurora took a deep breath and nodded. "Adam, you took a very desperate moment in my life and turned it into a pleasant one. Thank you. Now, I want to get to know Chinook a little better. Make sure she's all right with me staying here."

"She is. But Cece is always looking for more people to conquer at video games," Adam said.

"Why doesn't she play in here?"

"She gets scared of this TV. She says it's too big." Adam glanced at it. "I know what she means."

"Well don't take her to a theater any time soon."

"I won't." Adam frowned a little. "I don't really like going to the theater, anyway."

"Really? Why not?"

"Went once. It was... a lot."

"Overwhelming," Aurora guessed, looking at Adam closely. He was so observant and focused, maybe it was difficult for him to be so surrounded by loud sounds and large screens.

"Yes." Adam paused and cleared his throat. "Well. Shall we?"

Aurora still had a few hours before work. "We shall."