Bloom

58. hagelslag mixed with dogs

Haven

The night's sleep was much needed, I had felt exhausted after yesterday. The whole situation, information and emotions had surely made me feel tired. Calmness hung in the house in the morning, which relieved me a lot. As if we had all overcome the crisis point and were finally at ease now Luke, Tara and I had talked. If they would feel the same was the next question, but I didn't want to worry about it too much.

Slipping my high waisted, wide and ankle length black pants on, I tucked my yellow high neck shirt into that after that. I brushed my hair, washed my face, applied some mascara and lipgloss and stared at myself through the mirror for a while.

What would he see when he looked at me? What would he think?

Would he even see or think anything when he looked at me? He was hard to read, I didn't know about his feelings when it came to that. Had it ever crossed his mind? Or would he be fine living his life alone, with a dog and maybe a good friend?

Sighing, I brushed my teeth, mentally scolded myself for applying the lipgloss first because I could do it all over again now and finally left the bathroom. Leaving our area, I smiled at Nina as I saw her serving the breakfast, laying everything out onto the table. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, love." She answered, giving me a warm smile. I still thought her accent was quite sweet, it made me smile instantly. "You slept okay?"

"Yeah, I slept okay." I answered, smiling at her daughter who was shyly hiding behind her. Sitting down at the table, I noticed Luke, Louis and Abel where here already, but Zephaniah was nowhere to be seen. It confused me, he had been the first one up, every morning, so far.

"Where's Zeph?" I directed the question more towards Louis and Abel, not being able to look Luke into the eyes just yet.

Luke, however, was the one who answered the question. "You told me to stay away from autistic people, and apparently I don't know how to get along with them. How do you wake autistic people, Haven? I didn't do it, I wouldn't dare after yesterday's conversation." He shrugged, grinning a little.

The night's sleep was the reason I managed to stay calm, although I couldn't help but let the seriously slip out of my mouth. Shoving the chair away, Nina gave me a curious look after I jogged out of the kitchen. I knew Zephaniah could be anxious about time, especially if he awoke much later, especially on the trip.

Re-entering our area, I stood still when I stood in front of the boys' bedroom, hesitating a little. Pressing my ear to the door, I couldn't hear anything- he was most likely still asleep. Knocking a few times, I simply opened the door when he still hadn't answered, my eyes falling onto the sleeping guy.

Closing the door, I watched him for a while, the sun coloring his skin almost golden. The rays of light danced onto his walls, the pattern of the curtains displaying on his bare back as the sun reflected them. The night had been warm, he hadn't slept in his oversized sweater.

My eyes trailed down his body, his skin looking soft and smooth. The waistband of his underwear hung just above where his back became his bottom, the gap slightly visible. His hair was disheveled, his soft breathing heard.

He slept on his stomach, he apparently always did. I couldn't see his face, it was turned to the wall, which had slightly disappointed me. Crouching down next to him, I rested my hand on his shoulders. He didn't react, neither had he even moved, which made the urge grow stronger- I couldn't resist myself.

I trailed my fingers over his bare back, feeling how smooth and soft his skin actually was, the warmth radiating off him. Pulling my hand back, I sighed, not knowing if I was doing something that was right. My mind flashed to Jonah- he wouldn't do this to Sarah, would he?