Keep Me Safe

Chapter Twenty-Four

Agnes and Lottie fell asleep on Agnes' bed, unbothered by the light of the midday sun streaming through the open window. Agnes had one arm draped over Lottie's frail torso, where it stayed for the duration of the nap. Every breath included a mouthful of hair, but even that was unable to stop Agnes from drifting off into a blissful, dreamless sleep.

It was nearly dark when Agnes woke up. The last few determined rays of light were straining to illuminate the room, but shadows were beginning to creep in. Dust hung in the muggy air, untouched by a breeze. It took her only a few seconds to realize that she was covered in sweat and suffering from a dry throat.

With a moan, she pried herself away from Lottie. The gross feeling of her shirt clinging to her wet body made her cringe. She probably smelled worse than usual.

Before she could manage to get off the bed, Lottie rolled over and rubbed her eyes. "Where are you going?" she mumbled, her lips barely moving.

"It's dark and I'm hungry." She also wanted to know how the town meeting at the church went, but she didn't say it. She wanted Lottie to be able to savor those first few moments of waking up from a nap where the world doesn't seem quite real and you can't remember your problems.

As if moving through syrup, Lottie slowly reached up and pushed her hair out of her eyes. She pursed her lips and stretched out her arms. "I was comfy. Lay down again."

Agnes grabbed Lottie's hand and placed it on her chest, so that her palm was flat against the fabric. "I'm covered in sweat, and so are you. I need to at least change clothes."

Lottie rolled her eyes and yanked her onto the bed. Her eyelids fluttered close as she gave Agnes a gentle peck on the lips. Her smooth thumb traced circles on her cheek as she held Agnes' face inches above hers.

"You know," she mumbled under her breath, "things seems a little less terrible when you're around." A smile tugged at her lips.

Agnes sighed, shifting her body so that her elbows supported her. Her hair tumbled over her shoulder, spilling like water onto Lottie's face. "I think we need to talk." The words left a nasty taste in her mouth, and she almost regretted saying them.

"What do you mean?" Lottie dropped her hand from Agnes' face, her lips turning down into a deep frown.

"We need to talk about what the hell is going on between us."

"I'd rather not," Lottie whispered. She turned her head to the side and focused her gaze on the wall. The off-white pillow outlined her perfect face, from her pointed nose to her pouted lips. "I don't want to think about anything."

The mood was now ruined and still Agnes was no closer to knowing where she and Lottie stood in their relationship. She sighed, brushed her lips against Lottie's forehead, and got off the bed. It was difficult for her to look at the slender form that was sprawled across her bed. She ducked her head down and walked out of the room.

The living room went quiet as she rounded the corner at the top of the stairs. The uneasy silence and the tense atmosphere sent shivers down her spine. She stiffened under everyone's gaze.

"What's going on?" she said, steadying herself on the banister.

"Williams stopped by not too long ago. He told us how the meeting went."

"Yeah? Are you gonna tell me?"

The only sound in the spacious living room was the creaking of the stairs as Agnes slowly descended them. Mama and Papa were casting uneasy glances between each other, and Floyd, propped on the couch, was focused intently on the book in his hands.