Knowing You (Cursed 2)

I hug Ashton and leave her outside my door, still wearing a worried expression. I try to smile to reassure her ... but it's not very reassuring.

I'm too exhausted to do anything but shower and dress in a tank top and shorts to crawl into bed. My brand new bed. The room is spectacular, and I want to appreciate it more, but I can't even focus enough to take in all of the magnificence that Serge and Ashton put into the space.

I do know the bed is huge and feels like a cloud. I knock off the pile of pillows (an abundance of throw pillows must be a designer thing) and slip under the silky pale grey sheets. The duvet is silvery blue and is the softest thing ever. Above me, sheer curtains encase the bed, hung from poles attached to the ceiling. I leave the sheers open and lay on my side.

Small lights dance across the wall in a random pattern. They remind me of ... fireflies. I smile. I guess I'm glad that I do tell Ashton everything. Or everything pertaining to Grant anyway.

A plush navy-blue couch is pushed up against the wall with an oval, shiny-white coffee table in front of it, set upon a silvery-blue rug that matches the duvet.

A new desk replaces the old one in the same spot. This one is metallic silver, and it has an ornate bookcase attached to it, teetering toward the ceiling so high that it's tempting gravity.

Words are painted in black against the white walls in the most elegant calligraphy I've ever seen.

Honesty.

Belief.

Trust.

Kindness.

Boldness.

Authenticity.

Thoughtfulness.

Honor.

Loyalty.

Respect.

Confidence.

Perception.

Nobility.

Perfection.

Compassion.

The curses. All of the ones I've revealed to Ashton, including who belonged to them. In the middle of all of our ruin are Squirrel's wise words. The same ones Grant repeated.

Love never hurts. Ever.

I laugh. She's not subtle, is she?

A knock jostles me from near sleep. "I swear I'm alright," I yell, knowing it's Ashton.

"Open up!" she demands.

I groan, crawl out of the comfort of the huge bed and turn on the light.

When I open the door, I blink. Standing behind Ashton are Brendan, Lance and ... Grant.

"How--"