Eternally Hers

Part Thirty One

Saoirse Kane

"Can I go out in the sun?"

I glanced at Paul through the rear view mirror in amusement. "Yes," I told him with a small laugh, "we can go in the sun."

"Good," he nodded, staring aimlessly out the window, "yeah, that's good..."

"You can garden to your heart's content in the spring!" Arabelle chirped from the passenger seat, twisting her body around so she was looking back where Paul sat. He moved his eyes from the window and to her, a grateful expression slipping onto his face, clear as day.

"I can?"

"Of course!" She beamed. I watched the way the strands of her hair fell from her bun, framing her face. The smile she sent him was the brightest I'd seen in days, and how I wished it would stay there for days to come, though I knew it wouldn't. "Your interests won't change now that you've turned, you know. You'll find you still like to garden and write."

His right hand flexed, opening and closing almost subconsciously. "I would like to write," he admitted, looking back out the window.

"We have a study at the house," Arabelle told him brightly, turning to me. "Is the couch in there a pull out?"

I nodded, turning my eyes back to the road.

Arabelle beamed again from the corner of my eye. "You can stay in the study then, Paul! You can use my desktop if you need it. It's a bit of a full house at the moment, there's a lot going on, but the study is yours if you need time for yourself."

"I don't know if being alone is the best thing for me right now," he sighed, wringing his hands together. "I've been alone since Macy died and it was hard enough. Now that I've... turned. It might..."

Arabelle reached backwards and squeezed his enclosed hands in one of her own. I couldn't see her expression anymore, but I assumed it was reassuring. "That's okay," she replied, "it's more than okay. You'll meet Dorothy and Jamie at the house, and maybe Tessa."

"Maybe?" Paul inquired.

Arabelle slipped back into a seated position beside me, her smile slipping. "You and Macy aren't the only ones Valentina has attacked," was all she replied.

We reached the house just after nine. Arabelle and I helped grab Paul's luggage, and he watched with wide eyes as we picked up multiple bags at a time. Ari grinned at him.

The three of us entered the house. I caught sight of Dot still seated on the couch, her eyes out the front window, Lola perched in her lap. When we entered, she looked towards us, and her eyes narrowed in on Paul.

"Huh," she hummed, "Valentina never was into turning people. Too much responsibility."

Paul froze at the entrance. Arabelle placed the bags she'd been holding down and rested a hand on his shoulder. "This is Dorothy," she introduced, "Best to ignore her most of the time, that's what I do." She looked up and glanced around the large room. "Where's Jamie?"

"Bathroom," my best friend replied, her eyes shifting from Paul to me. What is going on? Her gaze seemed to say. I nodded once, a quick jut of my chin, to tell her I'd explain. She nodded in return, and then her eyes fell on Bear and she let out a large squeal.

Throwing herself up - Lola fell of her lap with a disgruntled noise - she rushed across the room and crouched down, cooing. "And who is this handsome boy?"

"That's Bear," Paul answered her, looking absurdly lost.

Arabelle picked up the bags once more and nudged the man with her shoulder. "Come on, let's go set up the study for you before we do anything else."