“Thank you, but the old couch in the living room will do just fine.” I’m pretty sure I saw a family of raccoons nesting underneath it, but I don’t plan on telling her that.
I’m suddenly embarrassed to meet Cayden’s eyes, feeling completely damsel in distress-like. I want to ask him if he indeed said the word snow, but I don’t. My head is already pounding. I don’t think I can handle any more noise.
“Do you need a hand?” he asks, gesturing with his cleft chin to the living room.
I stubbornly shake my head, but I don’t know why I bothered or why he even asked because before I know it, he’s wrapped an arm around my waist and is leading me into the other room. Lacey’s footsteps sound behind me, and I can’t believe I’ve been here for less than an hour and have already fallen into a heap. So much for my newfound independence.
Cayden’s hold around me is determined and dominant, and I can’t help but think he uses these principles in his everyday life. But I can ponder that after I’ve slept this nightmare away because even though the discolored sofa looks like it’s seen better days, I slump onto it the moment Cayden lowers me down. A plume of dust fills the air, but I settle into the cushions, surprised it doesn’t smell or feel half bad.
“Thank you,” I mumble, my eyes slipping to half-mast. This is normal after an “episode.” Whether it’s my body’s way of coping with whatever the hell this is or my brain just wanting a time-out, I don’t fight it.
The room falls silent. Even in my semi-alert state, I realize my guests have probably got the hell outta Dodge with the intent never to return. Not that I can blame them. My wisecrack came back to bite me in the ass because I suppose, in my case, Lacey can choose her friends, and after today, I most definitely won’t be seeing her around here again.
A weight settles low because I really liked her, and I had a feeling we’d be great friends. As for Cayden, my exhausted body can’t even begin to digest that can of worms. Falling deeper into a slumber-encrusted bubble, I begin to doubt everything that just happened.
My mind is playing tricks on me, and it’s ridiculous to think I heard what I think I did. Why would anyone even mention snow in the summertime in South Carolina? And as for that sentence…it’s all ridiculous. With that decided, I allow my weary mind the reprieve it so desperately needs and welcome sleep.
Lost in the silence and happy with my resolution, I succumb to my troubles and let everything fade away. As I hover on the cusp of slumber, I feel something soft placed against me, a heat warming the chill from my bones. I nestle low and sigh, drawing the material to my nose, and realize I’m burrowed under a blanket.
When my sense of smell catches a whiff of what I’m inhaling, my senses salivate while my mind, my once quiet mind, shakes its head and flips me off. Too tired to move, I surrender and stumble in the fragrance. I can deal with this shitstorm tomorrow because now, all I can smell…is the ocean.