Hiding Sparrows

7. No Questions Asked

As soon as I got home, I dumped my stuff and took a shower. I knew Ty – it was so weird to finally call him by his name – would be there soon, but I figured he could wait.

The moment I stepped into the shower, the pain of the day seemed to wash away, and I got lost myself in the warm water. Lethargic, I scrubbed my skin with some cheap strawberry body wash. I was careful to avoid getting my hair wet because I didn't want to talk to Ty with black spaghetti plastered over my head. After washing I just stood in the warmth for a little longer, before finally turning the shower off. I stepped out, dried myself with one of my faded old towels, then wrapped it around my body and headed back into my bedroom to get changed. I paused at my underwear drawer, biting my lip as I lifted my nice lingerie, then my usual comfortable stuff.

"Go with the granny panties, little bird. You don't want him to get the wrong idea."

I just near jumped out of my skin. My cheeks burned red and I spun around. Ty was standing in the doorway of my room, smirking.

"How did you get in?" I stuttered, dropping the panties in my hand back into the open drawer behind me.

"You left the door unlocked," he said. "I did knock, but it seems you were preoccupied."

I huffed. "I was in the shower."

"I can see that," he said, looking down at my towel.

All of a sudden, I felt incredibly self conscious, and I pulled the towel tighter around my chest. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you waiting, I just-"

He cut me off, "Hey, I'm not mad. You're good. I know what it's like to get home feeling dirty."

I didn't know what to say to that.

He let his comment linger in the air for a moment, then nodded at the drawers behind me. "Get dressed and come out when you're ready."

With that, he disappeared from the doorway, and I gently shut the bedroom door. My heart hammering in my chest, I turned back to the drawers and grabbed my things, trying not to overthink what to wear.

Once I was dressed, I took a shaky breath to steel myself, then left the safety of my bedroom. Immediately, I was greeted with the smell of something delicious. My mouth watered, but I bit my lip, wrapping my arms across my chest as I shuffled across to my dining table, where Ty was heaping some sort of creamy pasta from a takeaway container onto one of my plates. Another vacant plate sat ready to be filled, but when he reached for it, I stopped him, gently grabbing his hand.

He raised an eyebrow, looking up at me. "You're not hungry?"

I shook my head. "No, I am, I just can't eat that."

He smirked. "What, you vegan, little bird?"

My cheeks burned and I looked down at the pasta. "Sort of. I can't have dairy."

He looked at me curiously. "Just dairy? No other allergies?"

I shook my head. There was a pause, then he hummed. "You learn something knew everyday."

Then, he drew out his phone and texted someone, before sitting down and lifting a fork.

"Hope you don't mind me eating, little bird," he said, looking up at me for a moment. "My granny taught me to never waste what you have."

I stiffened. "Was that- was that her?"

He raised an eyebrow at me as he started eating.

I bit my lip. "That was who I stole from, right?"