Everything we ate over the last few days had been cold since we hadn’t been able to go outside to warm things. It wasn’t a big deal to me because everything was practically tasteless anyway.
Nina had turned a corner. She still spent many hours sleeping, but she sat with us in the living room whenever she could. She was eating and drinking, and I knew it wouldn’t be long until she was fully recovered.
I was in the kitchen cleaning up after breakfast. There hadn’t been much to clean, but that didn’t matter, I was just trying to keep myself busy.
“Hey,” Bronx said leaning in the doorway.
“Hi,” I said, refolding the same dishtowel I folded at least three times before.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
I didn’t feel like talking about Danny. “Fine.”
“If you want to talk….”
“I don’t,” I said with a polite smile.
“If you do,” he said holding up his hand, “which I know you don’t, but if you did, I’m here for you.”
My head bobbed once. “Appreciate that.”
Bronx took another step closer and lowered his voice. “I just want you to know that you’re strong. Life is throwing rocks at you, but you keep dodging them.”
“Thanks,” I said biting my cheek, so I didn’t cry. Bronx didn’t even know the half of it.
I already knew I was strong. After everything I’d gone through in my life, here I was still alive… still fighting every day. Damn right I was strong.
Maybe I’d break down for a bit and let myself feel the pain but I always got up and brushed myself off. It had been nearly impossible after losing Jamie, but here I was doing it again.
“I’ve never known anyone quite like you,” Bronx said as he pushed the chairs in at the table and straightened them.
“That’s a good thing, right?”
Bronx took several steps closer and looked down into my eyes. The smile that spread across his face warmed my insides.
“Definitely,” he said in a low voice that penetrated every inch of my skin.
My throat instantly dried as I looked up into his eyes. His fingertips reached out, and he lightly brushed a strand of hair away from my eye.
I quickly turned my back to him and began folding the dishtowel again.
“Everything… okay… in here?” Nick asked with a slight delay after each word. He was acting as though he’d walked in on something and he most definitely hadn’t.
“Yeah, of course,” I said looking at him over my shoulder. “Can I get you something?”
“I’m not an invalid,” Nick said marching across the room acting as if he didn’t need to limp on his bum leg. “No matter what Blair might have you both thinking. I can take care of myself just as I always have.”
I jerked my chin toward his leg. “Is it healed?”
“Yes,” Nick said looking down at his leg. “The muscle just pulls a little funny where I was hit. It’s really no big deal. It aches when it’s going to rain.”
Nick smirked, and I couldn’t tell if he was kidding about that last part.
Nick sat down, kicking his legs up on a chair as he crossed his arms. He looked back and forth between Bronx and me.
“Good to see you up and about,” Nick said.
I exhaled slowly. At least Bronx didn’t think I was a pathetic, weakling. Nick always wanted to be the hero. What he didn’t know was that I didn’t need a hero.
Before I could think of a way to say as much in not so many words, Blair started shouting.
“Bronx! Help! Upstairs! Now!” she called from the top of the stairs.
The chair squeaked as Nick pushed himself up to follow Bronx out of the room. He moved faster than I thought he could. I followed behind them as they raced up the stairs.
“Jesus Christ,” Nick said before I even reached the top of the stairs.
Blair, Bronx, and Nick were outside of Nick’s old room staring inside.
“Go back downstairs,” Nick said holding up his palm to stop me. When I didn’t move his jaw stiffened, and he stared at me with wide eyes. His lips barely moved. “Get the fuck downstairs.”
His tone sent shivers of fear through my veins. I backed away terrified even though I didn’t know of what.
“You too,” Nick said grabbing Blair’s arm and moving her away from the door.
“What’s going on?” I asked, but I wasn’t sure my voice had found a way out between my nearly closed lips.
Nick slammed the door closed. “God dammit! Fuck!”
We went down the stairs and gathered in the living room. Nick paced aggressively for several minutes before he sat down.
“I gotta do something,” he said. Bronx nodded vigorously as he pressed his lips together tightly.
“What’s going on?” I asked again.
Nick balled up his hands into tight fists. He didn’t answer.
“There’s a leak in Nick’s old room. That stuff has been leaking in,” Blair said.
“For how long?” I asked.
“I didn’t notice it when I woke up this morning, but that doesn’t mean it hadn’t been doing it then.” Blair shrugged.
My eyebrows squeezed together. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” she said.
“We have to find a way to patch that up,” Nick said. “And seal up the room.”
“Maybe there’s some stuff we can use from the cellar,” Bronx said, and Nick popped up out of the chair like a jack-in-the-box. They both disappeared from the room just as Nina was coming out to see what was going on.
Her eyes followed them down the hall before she looked at me, and then to Blair. “What’s going on?”
When Blair told her, Nina’s eyes shot to the guest room door. I could only imagine her thoughts must have been on Milo.
“Don’t worry,” Blair said. “Nick will take care of it.”
Nina forced a smile. “Right. No, of course. Let me know if I can do anything to help.”
“Could you make dinner?” Blair asked.
“Yeah, sure,” Nina said glancing in my direction. She was probably wondering why I couldn’t do it. Honestly, I was kind of wondering that myself.
“We were up there… too close to that stuff,” Blair said as if that explained why she’d asked Nina. “It’ll just be safer if you do it since you haven’t gone upstairs.”
I shrugged. But it wasn’t like it mattered who touched the food. Blair, Bronx, Nick and I had all been upstairs. If we were carrying some kind of disease from the black goo, we were probably carrying it regardless of who prepared the meal. Just being next to us was probably bad enough.
“Maybe Milo should stay in your room for a while,” I said. Nina didn’t question me, she just nodded and left the room.
Bronx and Nick clunked through the hall carrying pieces of wood, and tools I didn’t even know grandma had. They didn’t say anything as they made their way up the stairs.
Blair held out her hand and opened her mouth but closed it by the time they reached the top of the stairs. She turned to me and twisted her hair around her finger.
“I wouldn’t have been able to stop him anyway,” she said.
I chuckled softly. “No, you wouldn’t have.”
She hesitated before letting out a long, heavy breath. Blair looked me up and down as if she were seeing me for the first time.
“What is it with you two anyway? I know he doesn’t think you hate him, but I saw how you’ve treated him since the moment he approached us at your apartment.” She looked up and then back at me. “Why? Like, what did he ever do to you?”
“It’s a long story,” I said turning on my heel.
I felt like running out of the room, but I managed to walk over the window and pull the curtain back. The window was still completely coated, and I couldn’t see anything except a faint reflection of myself.
“We have all the time in the world,” Blair said sitting down on the sofa. “Maybe.”
For a sec
ond, I considered telling her everything, but the feeling faded quickly. If Nick wanted her to know, he could have told her at any time. He hadn’t. I didn’t know how close the two of them had gotten or what their deal was, so I decided it wasn’t my place to tell him what a cruddy human being he’d been.
Not to mention I didn’t want to tell her about my mom, and that was a big part of the story. Even though deep down, I knew her suicide hadn’t been his fault, but I was still struggling to accept it. It was easier to deal with it when I had someone to blame.
“I don’t hate him,” I said my voice softer than a feather floating in the air. “We just weren’t close after we grew up. I guess we kind of just rub each other the wrong way. I’m sure he can tell you more if you ask.”
“I did ask,” Blair said looking down at her fingernails. “He didn’t really want to talk about it either. The only thing that he really said was that you’re his sister and he loves you.”
My heart twitched, and it suddenly felt like caramel was running through my veins. Every inch of my body felt stiff. Love? Nick hadn’t used that word when it came to me his entire life. At least not that I could remember.
“Anyway, I guess it’s going to be a family secret,” Blair said pushing herself off of the sofa. “Whatever. I’m going to go clean up.”
After she was gone, the room was silent except for the pounding and banging that found its way down the stairs and into my ears. The noises weren’t alone, they were followed by countless curses.
It might have been the first time I was glad I wasn’t alone. Because even though I managed to make it this far, I never could have done all this on my own no matter how strong I was.
Chapter 18
Blair, Bronx, and I stood there as Nick placed the final piece of duct tape over the bedroom door. He took a step back and admired his work.
“There,” Nick said. “That should do the trick.” The thick gray tape was stretched over every possible crack. “No one goes inside. No one!”
“How bad was it in there?” I asked.
“Really bad,” Nick said. “Total loss.”
“We stopped the leak though,” Bronx said looking down at his clothing. “And without getting that shit on ourselves. Kind of impressive really.”
I laughed and shook my head. “You guys should still clean up, you know, just in case.”
“She’s right,” Nick said nudging Bronx as he raised his brows at Blair. “Wash my back?”
“We’re not at that point in our relationship yet,” Bronx said smirking.
Nick chuckled. “Funny. And I’m kind of offended. We hit that point weeks ago, bro.”
“Come on,” Blair said taking Nick’s hand and leading him toward the stairs.
“Wait,” Nick said stopping in his track. He pulled off his shirt. “We should wash these in the sink or something.”
Blair nodded. “I’ll be right back.” She ran down the stairs and was back in less than two minutes holding two plastic bags. “Strip.”
Bronx looked at me and then at Blair. “Um, Nick, you go first man. I’ll just hang out up here.” He nodded slightly at Blair. “No offense.”
“None taken,” she said with a flirty smile that was completely directed at Nick. “Was only going to help him anyway.”
“Oh, dear God,” I said as I turned toward the stairs.
“Wait,” Nick said. “I think we should all get clean.”
I scrunched up my nose.
“Not together,” Nick said. “I mean, we were all up here when the door was open. We should do what we can just in case.”
“I’ve already been downstairs with this on,” I said crossing my arms.
“Well, better safe than sorry?” Nick said with a half-shrug. “Suit yourself.”
I turned when he started to take off his pants. There was no way I was going to walk through the house naked to wash off in the bathroom. No way.
“I’ll bring you something to cover up with when we’re finished,” Blair said smiling at me as if we were best friends. “Until then, just wait up here with Bronx.”
I looked at Bronx, and he flicked his eyebrows up toward the ceiling. “I’m not that bad of company, am I? Could be worse right?”
“No of course not,” I said.
“Okay, well don’t touch anything,” Nick said grinning at Blair. “We’ll be back.”
“When?” I said unable to stop my eyes from rolling.
“After we’re all sparkling clean,” Nick said winking at Blair. “Shall we?”
Blair batted her eyelashes. “Mmm, we shall.”
Once they were gone, I looked at Bronx. He smiled and ran his fingers through his hair.
“I guess we wait,” he said.
“I guess so.”
There was a long awkward pause where we both tried to look at anything but each other. The hallway suddenly felt very small. Maybe the black stuff was making the house shrink.
“When they're done, you can go first,” I said, my voice slicing through the silence.
“No, it's fine. I don't mind waiting,” Bronx said.
“Me either. I insist.” I pressed my lips into a thin smile.
Bronx looked down, but his eyes flicked back up to meet mine. “You just want to see me undress. That's okay, I get it. I'm used to it.”
“Ha,” I said trying hard not to smile. “Rest assured, I'll turn around.”
“Good.” He looked away but the smile he wore faded slightly. “I should go first because I don't think I could promise the same.”
My heart fluttered at his words. There had been a time not that long ago when Bronx had made my pulse race. The truth was it hadn't ever stopped. Things had just gotten complicated.
Not that it mattered. It was far too soon, and I was still too torn up about everything that had happened. I didn't want to give him the wrong idea because I wasn't sure if I'd ever open my heart again.
It felt like hours had passed before we heard giggles coming from downstairs.
“Oh God,” I muttered.
“Hey,” Nick called from downstairs. “We’re done.”
“That was fast,” Bronx teased.
I narrowed my eyes. “What are you wearing?”
“Grandma’s afghans,” Nick said, and Blair laughed again. “We’ll find something in Grandma’s closet after you guys are done contaminating the upstairs.”
“Turn around,” Bronx shouted as he peeled off his shirt.
I quickly spun on my heel turning away from him.
“I was talking to them,” he said in a low voice that rumbled my insides.
“Oh, well, I’ll give you privacy.”
The plastic bag crinkled as he placed his clothes inside. “Hope my pink robe will still be available.”
I chuckled as he made his way down the stairs. I couldn’t help but peek over my shoulder.
His back muscles were tight, and his arms were in front of him. I could only imagine he was cupping himself as he walked down the stairs.
I stifled my laugh as Blair came up the stairs moments later. She stopped just above the halfway point.
Blair met my eyes. “I’ll put this here, so you have something to cover up with. I guess you’ll probably have to throw it out after your clean.”
“Guess so,” I said offering her a thankful nod. “I think we’re taking this too far.”
“Maybe, but like your brother said, better safe than sorry,” Blair said chewing her lip as she was fighting off a smile. I had no idea what she saw in him, and I didn’t even want to know.
“This stuff has been leaking in through every nook and cranny in this house since it started,” I said.
Blair shrugged. “We were pretty close to it.”
“And Nick was pretty close to it when he peeked outside,” I said.
“What’s the big deal?” Blair said with a small frown. “It’s not like this is going to hurt anything, right? Just do it.”
I opened my mouth but quickly snapped it
shut. For once Blair was right. My shoulders sank down with my quick exhale. “Okay. Fine.”
“Oh, and one more thing.”
I cocked my head to the side.
“Nick said I should take your old room. Bronx can sleep in that big bed in your grandma’s room,” Blair said turning before I could say anything.
It made no sense. The two of them should be in grandma’s bed, although the idea of what they’d do in it made me shudder. Blair probably didn’t want Nick climbing up the stairs because of his leg.
After I had finished getting cleaned, I found something of my grandma’s that didn’t really fit. The oddly dotted blouse was a bit large, and the old knit pants were a bit scratchy, but I didn’t have a choice because my clothes were soaking in the bathtub with the others.
There was a soft knock at the door. When I turned, I saw Bronx’s hairy legs peeking out from below the pink robe.
“I guess we’re roommates now?” he said following my gaze to his legs. He shook his head. “I think it’s better than that hideous top you’re wearing.”
“How dare you say that about my grandma’s favorite shirt,” I said placing my hand on my chest.
Bronx narrowed his eyes.
I shook my head and smiled. “Yeah, I don’t remember her ever wearing this. Come on in, roomy.”
“I can sleep on the floor if this is awkward for you,” Bronx said.
“What side of the bed do you prefer?” I asked trying to keep myself casual even though having to share a bed with Bronx was causing my heart to pound against my chest.
“Either side is fine.” Bronx shrugged as he smiled at me.
Bronx hadn’t ever struck me as the type of person that had a side of the bed. He was the kind of guy who could sleep anywhere at anytime if he was tired enough. At least that was how it had seemed to me since knowing him a little better.
“Okay, well, I had been sleeping on this side, so I guess I’ll keep sleeping on this side if that’s all right?” I said pointing to the right side of the bed. My eyes shifted over the spot where Danny’s body had been wrapped in the blanket. It hadn’t been that long ago that he’d been there. “Let’s change the sheets.”
The Red Sky Series Box Set Page 40