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Although Oz got all the barbecue food and stuff for some sides, everyone brings something, so it becomes more of a potluck, and with the food comes a newly discovered sense of community. Everyone congratulates us, we chat, drink, dance, and eat, and it’s kind of awesome.
The party doesn’t go too late, the Barnetts leave to take their hoard of kids to bed, and the jumpers all have to be at work at seven a.m. But as we say good night after cleaning up everything except the cold firepit and barbecue, I can’t help feeling like I’ve somehow been accepted into a really exclusive group, and I like it.
Once we step into the house, Oz tugs me into his arms and smothers me with a hug so tight I can barely breathe. But I squeeze him back just as tight, clinging to him, because when I wake up in the morning, he won’t be here.
“Let’s take a shower, then get to bed, Mrs. Malik. I need to gorge myself on you to get me through four days without you.”
Sighing sadly, I nod against his chest and let him pick me up and carry me upstairs. The night is sad and sweet in equal measure. Knowing that we’ll be separated for the next four days after we’ve barely spent a moment apart is hard.
Instead of hard and fast, when we come together, it’s hauntingly intense—moving as one, coming as one, joining as one. By the time I finally succumb to sleep, the thought of spending four days alone feels like a punishment I’m not sure I’ll be able to endure.
The sun is barely tinting the dark sky when I feel Oz slowly untangle himself from me, and the bed dips as he shuffles to the side of the mattress and climbs off.
“Is it time already?” I ask sleepily, rolling to face him.
“I need to get my stuff packed for the next few days. I usually do it the night before, but we were busy last night.”
“Oh,” I breathe, exhaling sadly.
“Go back to sleep, Little One. I’ll call you on my morning break as long as we’re not on a call out.”
“I can sleep after you leave. Do you need any help?” I don’t know why I’m offering to help, I have no idea where he keeps his stuff or his preference on clothes, but it feels like the right thing to say.
Smiling warmly, he shakes his head. “No, it won’t take me long, you stay warm.”
Pulling the comforter over my shoulders, I watch as he pulls a duffel bag from the back of the closet and starts to systematically pack it with clothes, his charger cable and tablet, razor, and toothbrush.
Once he’s done, he zips the bag closed, then strides into the bathroom. When he reappears, he quickly gets dressed into cargo pants and a Rockhead Point Fire Department T-shirt.
The only time I’ve seen him dressed like this was the night he barged into my bedroom in the middle of the night and scared me half to death. At the time, I was more interested in my sworn enemy kissing and fucking me than I was in taking in his outfit.
There’s something really sexy about how prepared he looks. The T-shirt clings to his biceps and wide, firm chest. His pants are entirely utilitarian, yet they showcase his thick thighs to perfection. He looks utterly delicious, and he’s leaving.
He must see something on my face, because he climbs onto the bed, straddling me with the comforter between us. “I’m going to miss you,” he whispers against my lips, cupping my cheeks with his palms as he holds his weight over me on his elbows.
“I’m going to miss you too,” I say, my voice weak and full of tears that I absolutely refuse to shed.
“I need you to be my good girl while I’m at work. Make sure you’re eating. I expect pictures for each meal, even if I can’t reply. I’ll try to call on my breaks, and we’ll video chat every night. It’s only four days.”
“It’ll be fine.” I try to assure both him and myself at the same time.
“James and Tori are only houses away, and the Barnetts are just over the hill.”
“I know.”
His face crumples and his hold on me tightens. “Don’t leave me, Etta, don’t fucking leave me.” The words sound like they’ve been ripped from his soul.
“I won’t,” I promise.
Grabbing my hand, he lifts it up, pressing his lips to my wedding ring. “This means till death do us part. If you run, I’ll chase you, and I’ll find you.”
Pulling my fingers from his grip, I cup his cheek. “I won’t leave,” I say, making sure I’m looking him in the eye when I make my promise.
The next few weeks are filled with highs and lows. The days when Oz is at work are lonely and long. I miss him more than I expected, considering how little time we spent together. When he’s at home, we isolate from the rest of the world, content to exist in our bubble where nothing and nobody except us matters.
James, Tori, and the Barnett women take their roles as my new friends oddly seriously. Despite my desire to hermit when Oz is away, they force me out of the house for dinners, drinks, and shopping.
Cora and her mom own the clothing store in town, and after our second dinner, she insisted on seeing my closet. I honestly thought she might cry when she realized how few outfits I own.
