AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Does barbecuing on a roof really make it that much better?”
I shifted my hands into my pockets. “No, but it makes it easier to see in all directions in spite of the smoke.”
None of us had really said that out loud when we’d thrown around the idea of a flat deck on top of the lodge. We weren’t hipsters—we hadn’t dragged a grill all the way up three stories on a whim. No, all of us needed the security of being able to see our surroundings while the air was filled with the scent of burning.
“What are you watching for?” Evelyn’s gaze rested on me, its weight tangible.
I knew that she was running from something, so it was only fair she knew that I had scars too. Not all of them were visible. “What am I not watching for would probably be the better question.”
“Doesn’t that get exhausting?” she asked. “Always watching everything?”
“You tell me.”
Poking that sore spot was a risk. But she didn’t turn to anger this time. “Yes. It’s exhausting.”
A layer slipped off her. Her fragility was suddenly visible, as well as that same exhaustion that drove us both from sleep. Her dark hair curled around her shoulders, and her fingers wove together only to break apart again.
The thin tank top made the curves she’d tried to hide obvious. She was stunning. My hands balled into fists in my pockets, fighting the urge to reach for her. I wanted to feel her skin, and those curves, under my hands. I wanted to just... hold her so that we could both rest.
But that’s not what she needed right now. “How about the stars?”
Evelyn stared at me, no part of her body moving. I didn’t move either, feeling her process whatever she saw and weigh the risks. If she said no, I wouldn’t blame her. And I hoped I’d given her enough space for her to understand that I wouldn’t be upset or hurt her if she said no.
Then she rose. “Okay. Not like I’m going to sleep anyway.”
I smiled. “That makes two of us.”
Chapter 7
Evelyn
I followed Lucas through the lodge and up to the roof, and holy shit he was right.
The roof itself was exactly as he’d described it. A large, flat, open area bordered with a low wall before the roof sloped away. But it barely held my attention.
Even though we were only three stories up, the sky felt so much clearer here, away from my little porch light and anything else that could get in between me and the stars.
Lucas crossed to a bench seat and opened it. “We keep pillows and blankets in here in case anyone feels like doing this. And to protect them from the rain.”
He handed me a pillow and blanket and immediately moved, spreading his a few feet away from mine to give me some space. But it didn’t feel like he was avoiding me or was disgusted by me. He was being careful.
That was nice.
I tried to tell myself that even if he were disgusted by me, I wouldn’t care. But that wasn’t true. Lucas had been nothing but kind to me, and I liked him. I shouldn’t care what he thought of me, but I did.
I’d hesitated coming here with him. It was a risk. But he didn’t know that there was pepper spray in my pocket or that I very much knew how to use it. I also knew that I wouldn’t have to.
Spreading out my blanket and pillow, I looked up at the stars. The sight made me think I should have tried hiding in the wilderness a long time ago. A blue so rich it was nearly black was painted with swaths of stars that you could never see with city lights.
“Some nights, it’s so clear you can see the Milky Way down here,” Lucas said. “But if you really want to see it, the mountains are the place to be.”
“Elevation?”
“Yup.”
The quiet between us didn’t feel oppressive or like it was charged with something waiting to happen. Another easy silence, the kind that lifted the weight off my shoulders and let me breathe.
“I haven’t talked to you much the past few days,” Lucas said. “I’m glad it went well with Lena.”
