“Me too, love. Me too,” he said, placing a tender kiss on her temple. As much as it was killing him to go through this again, the thought of Becky being here alone was absolutely unbearable.
Luckily, she’d brought a handful of tissues from the funeral home. She went through them quite quickly, though. Somehow, Kelley realized they wouldn’t be enough.
“Wait here, Becky,” he said, carefully extracting himself from her grip. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay…” she said, reluctantly sitting back in her chair. He wasn’t gone for longer than ten minutes, but it was long enough for Becky.
The realization that other than Kelley, she was completely alone in the world, hit her with the force a freight train. Seeing him in all his glorious Gothness, jogging back towards the car with a recently purchased box of tissues in his hand was suddenly the most beautiful sight she could imagine.
“There now, Becky.” He handed her the box of tissues. “Just so you know, I checked my cell phone. Fortunately, Crispin and Dorian were able to find us a hotel for the night.”
“Oh… good,” she said, relieved. “Where are they now?”
“At the Holiday Inn on King,” he said, buckling his seatbelt. “They’ll wait for us in the pub, downstairs.”
“Okay… we should go then,” she said, righting herself, attempting to fix her hair. Seeing her reflection in the rearview mirror, Becky couldn’t help but wince at the sight of her puffy eyes.
“You look lovely, Becky,” he said, starting up the car.
Chapter 11
They arrived at the hotel minutes later and parked in the underground lot. Taking her box of tissues with her, she waited while Kelley took her suitcase out from the trunk. “I’ll come back later for the rest,” he said, encouraging her towards the elevator. “We’ll have to get you something smaller than this big old trunk.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she said absently. “Although, I probably won’t be doing much travelling now.”
Even under the dour circumstances of her ordeal, Becky couldn’t help be impressed with the stylish hotel lobby. If she were to admit it, she’d been a little worried about the kind of hotel that the boys would find at the last minute.
Making their way swiftly through the busy reception area, they eventually found the pub where they were to meet their housemates. In a way, she was both dreading and looking forward to seeing them. She hated the idea of having to tell them of her granny’s passing. She was afraid she would lose her composure all over again.
“Just so you know, I forewarned the guys of the circumstances. I hope you don’t mind,” Kell said as if reading her thoughts.
“Thanks, Kelley,” she said with a sigh of relief. It would be better than to have to tell them in person.
Of course, all hope of holding it together was dashed right from the moment she spotted the two Goths sitting in the far booth. They’d been talking animatedly to each other until they turned and saw her and Kell approach. Dorian stood up first and then so did Crispin. With one look at the pity on their faces, Becky started to cry. Oddly enough, it was Crispin who came to her first, placing his hands on her shoulders, before pulling her in for a much-needed hug. Then Dorian’s hand was on her head, he was gently stroking her hair.
They were causing a bit of a scene, Kelley noticed the questioning looks from the few patrons around the low-lit pub. That in itself wouldn’t have bothered him in the past, but today, under the circumstances, it did.
“Come on, let’s sit down.” He encouraged everyone back into the confines of the booth.
“Poor little dormouse, I’m so sorry.” Crispin placed a kiss on top of Becky’s head. “Here, slide on in.” The suddenly sensitive Goth helped her off with her coat and hung it up on the peg beside his. Without hesitation, he then climbed in beside her and put his arm around her shoulders.
Seeing Becky in good company, Kell sighed with relief. He hadn’t realized how long he’d been holding his breath until that very moment.
Recognizing the look on his housemate’s face for what it was, Dorian leaned over and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.
“You all right, mate? You look a tad pale, even for yourself,” he said with a half smile.
Kell only stared at him blankly for a moment before coming to his senses. He had to get out of there. If only for a while.
“I’m fine… Um, perhaps you and I should go get our things from the car and take them upstairs.”
“Good idea, mate. There’s something we need to discuss along the way,” Dorian said, glancing nervously from Kell to Becky, and Crispin.
“You’ll be all right here, just the two of you?” Kell asked with concern. As much as he wanted to get some air, he would hate to leave her if she wasn’t so inclined to stay behind with Crispin.
“Of course,” Crispin said with an air of indignation. “Go on, we’ll wait for you right here.” He waved Kell and Dorian away. Then as if no one else existed, Crispin spoke softly so that only she could hear him.
“You’ll be safe with me, sweetheart.” He paused to stroke her hair. “Perhaps, Miss Becky would like something to eat? Hmm?”
She nodded, realizing that she hadn’t had anything to eat since they stopped along the highway, and that was hours ago.
“Maybe a wee bit of cheese for our little dormouse,” he teased lightheartedly.
Seeing her smile, set Kell’s mind at ease. He turned and followed Dorian out of the pub, taking Becky’s suitcase with him.
***
“Hold on a second, Kell,” Dorian said before they reached the elevator.
“What’s up, man?”
“It’s about the room.”
“You mean rooms?” Kell corrected.
“Actually, we only got the one room,” Dorian said, looking very concerned.
“What?” Kell scoffed.
“Yeah, and we were lucky to get it. Hey, don’t look at me like that. Crisp and I hit, at least, a dozen hotels before this one and they were all booked up. Apparently, there’s some conference going on all weekend long. Trust me, this is the best we could do. At least, we have two double beds.”
“That’s just fucking great!” Kell grumbled in frustration.
“Come on, we’ll make it work.”
“Aw… fuck, I don’t know,” Kell said, dragging his hands down his face.
“We haven’t much choice, have we?” Dorian said, pushing the elevator button. “Let’s just go get our things and get settled.”
“Right…” Kell said, following him into the elevator.
After taking their bags to their room, Kell couldn’t think straight anymore. He was overwhelmed. He was worried about Becky, and how she would feel about sharing a room with all three of them. He was concerned about having to deal with the funeral tomorrow. The stress of it all was getting to him and if he didn’t get away soon, he might just lose it.
“Go on, get out of here for a while,” Dorian said, seeing the hesitation on Kell’s face when they returned to the lobby. “Take a walk, clear your head.”
“I can’t just leave,” he agonized, so obviously torn, looking longingly at the revolving doors of the hotel. Just the other side was the freedom he so desperately needed. But could he do it? Could he walk away? If only for a little while…
“Sure you can. For a little while. Seriously, man, you look like you need it. Surely, there’s somewhere you’d like to go,” Dorian said knowingly. It couldn’t be easy for Kell to have to deal with this. He was well acquainted with Kell’s past experience with the horrific deaths of his entire family. How he’d kept it together thus far surprised him. “She’ll be fine. We’ll look after her.”
With a final glance at the pub entrance, Kell nodded and bolted for the street.
Chapter 12
When Dorian returned to the pub alone, Becky couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s Kelley?”
At her question, Crispin flinched but forced himself to bite back his unsavoury
comment. Always Kelley… Why wasn’t he ever enough?
“He went out for some air,” Dorian said, sharing a knowing glance with Crispin before sliding into the seat across from them.
“Oh…” Becky said pensively. She couldn’t help but feel slightly abandoned. Of course, she had no reason to feel that way since Crispin was being so unusually sweet to her. Now Dorian was with her too. Yet the truth was, who she really wanted to have close was Kelley.
“We’ll be just fine on our own for a little while, won’t we, Becky?” Crispin said, leaning into her, reminding her of his presence.
“Yes, of course, we will,” she said with a brave smile.
Sure enough, Becky soon realized that she was in very good company. Oddly enough, it wasn’t Dorian who comforted her the most, it was Crispin. The normally aloof Goth stuck to her like glue. It was as though he sensed her need to not be left alone.
When they went upstairs, and Dorian explained apologetically about the one room, Becky quickly put his mind at ease. “It’s no problem,” she said to the very relieved Steampunk. “We share a house already. I can’t see why we can’t share a hotel room.” She really couldn’t understand why they’d been so concerned. In fact, she much preferred to be all together, rather than have a room to herself. Given the circumstances, being alone was the last thing she wanted.
“This is all right, isn’t it?” Crispin asked, concerned, raking his hand through his long wavy hair. “You’ll have your very own bed and everything.”
Becky looked from him to the two double beds. “All three of you won’t fit on one bed, will you?” she said matter of factly. Although they were slim, they were quite tall and lanky, and in the hotel room, they seemed to take up a lot of space.
“We’ll figure it out,” Crispin said with an unpleasant expression on his otherwise handsome face. No, he was certainly not looking forward to sleeping shoulder to shoulder with Dorian and Kelley, but what other alternative was there?
“One of you could share my bed,” Becky offered without hesitation.
Hearing her, Dorian nearly fell over himself, while Crispin simply stared blankly at her, turning an ungodly shade of pale. She frowned slightly at their odd reaction to her suggestion.
“Honestly, you two can be quite silly sometimes,” she said, unzipping her suitcase, taking her pyjamas and toiletries into the bathroom.
“She can’t be serious,” Dorian whispered, looking from Crispin to the beds. “Can she really be that naive?”
“Oh, I think she is very serious and extremely naive,” Crispin said with an indulgent smile.
“How is it possible that she is so trusting? Or are we the idiots here?” Dorian asked. “Perhaps she’d be into…”
Crispin instantly scowled at Dorian’s suggestion. “Get that filthy idea out of your head, man. The girl is a complete innocent. She’s obviously led a very sheltered life until now. I intend to keep it that way.”
Dorian couldn’t help but smile at Crispin’s sudden protective attitude towards Becky. “Hmm, here I thought you didn’t even like her.”
Crispin sputtered in response. “How could I not like the little dormouse? I’d have to be a cold-blooded bastard. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t right about not wanting to let her into our lives in the first place. Mark my words, she’ll be the end of us yet.”
“How incredibly cryptic,” Dorian snickered. “Sometimes, Crisp, you make no sense at all.”
“We’ll see.”
***
“You two don’t have to stick around here all night just because of me,” Becky said, crawling into the bed closest to the bathroom. Although she was tired and in need of sleep, it was still rather early in the evening. Surely, the guys would rather be out at some spooky nightclub, Gothing it up with their peers. Probably, that’s where Kelley was now. He obviously hadn’t concerned himself with leaving her behind. Why should they?
“Nonsense,” Crispin said, sitting up stiffly on the other bed, trying very hard not to comment on her insistence on wearing those incredibly annoying if not disturbingly adorable pyjamas. Who had the bigger cheeks, he wondered to himself. That dreadful cartoonish cat or the cherubic girl, staring up at him from her pillow.
“Really,” she insisted sleepily. “You guys should go out. Go meet some nice Goth girls.”
“Perhaps she’s right,” Dorian said, peering down at her. “I certainly wouldn’t mind hooking up with some local chicks, considering the slim pickings in Kingston.”
“Be my guest,” Crispin said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “If perchance you get lucky enough, I may even get this bed all to myself tonight.”
“You forget that Kell will be back soon,” Dorian warned.
Crispin shrugged unbothered. “He’s probably found himself other lodgings as well. It’s not like Kell to have problems charming the ladies.”
Pretending to sleep, Becky heard everything they said. She couldn’t help but be hurt by the idea that Kelley would so easily choose to be with some random girl rather than be there with her. Especially tonight, when she needed him most. Then again, why would he choose to be with her? He didn’t owe her anything. The fact that he’d been kind enough to offer to drive her to Toronto should be good enough. That he’d been there for her that afternoon was more than she could ask for.
Why then, couldn’t she get the memory of his near kiss at her locker the other day out of her mind? The way he’d pressed himself up against her, his warm breath in her ear. The lovely weight of his body smashed up against hers. Restless, Becky turned over onto her side.
***
It had gotten suddenly very quiet and dark in the room. Perhaps the guys had left while she dozed. She hadn’t even realized that she had fallen asleep. Curious, she opened one eye, only to find Crispin sitting in the very same position as before, staring at her in the dark.
“What are you doing?” she asked groggily. She must have dozed off since she realized that Dorian had indeed gone out, leaving the two of them alone.
“What do you mean?” he asked, shuffling uncomfortably, pretending to dust himself off. Damn, he hadn’t realized he’d been sitting there staring at her the whole time. He couldn’t help himself. The girl captivated him. He’d watched her stir in and out of consciousness, mumbling incoherently. The poor little thing had even cried in her sleep. He didn’t know whether to comfort her, wake her, or let it pass. In the end, he’d chosen to watch over her in stoic silence.
“You were staring at me,” she accused, tucking her nose under the sheets so that only her eyes and that mop of brown hair was left visible.
He got up and leaned over her. With his fingers, he tucked an unruly lock of hair behind her ear and wiped away a stray tear from her cheek. “I was merely concerned for you,” he whispered, watching her fade into unconsciousness once again.
Some time later, Becky woke up in a cold sweat, having dreamt of Granny’s upcoming funeral. The distant sound of street life and the much nearer sound of Crispin’s even breathing brought her back down to earth. Checking the time, she realized that it was nearly 2 AM. Looking around the room, she noticed that neither Dorian nor Kelley had yet returned. Seeing Crispin asleep on the bed beside hers, she quietly got up to use the bathroom. On her way back to bed, she paused to glance out the window into the dark city streets. The sight made her feel even lonelier and more vulnerable, realizing how frightful and desolate the world could be when you were on your own.
Sensing movement in the room, Crispin reluctantly stirred awake. He opened his eyes and languidly turned to see Becky poking her head out the curtains. The light from the street lamps lit up her curvy little form through the flimsy material of her pyjamas. He could literally see the goosebumps on her skin.
“Becky, get back to bed,” he grumbled guiltily. What was wrong with him? He shouldn’t be staring at her like that.
Hearing his voice, Becky turned and tiptoed back to her bed, pausing to place a hand on his cheek. “Sorry, sweet Crispin
. Go back to sleep.”
If that weren’t bad enough, she leaned in and placed a little kiss on his forehead.
***
When Becky next woke up, she found herself swaddled within a pair of strong arms. Right away she knew without opening her eyes in who’s chest she had her nose buried. His unmistakable scent surrounded her and comforted her. “Kelley…” she murmured drowsily, relieved that he’d come back to her.
“Sh…” he whispered. “Go back to sleep, love.” Ignoring Crispin’s disapproving glare from the other bed he shared with Dorian, Kelley closed his eyes to the outside world. All he knew was that he’d wandered the streets long enough trying to forget her. In the end, all streets led him right back to her. His sweet little Becky. So what if it was wrong to lust after his naive little housemate? His lust for her, he could control. It was his heart that he could not.
So what if they couldn’t be together in the romantic sense? It was hard to describe, this relationship of theirs. Be it what it may, though, he would be there for her in any way she needed him.
Obviously, she had needed him last night. He’d realized that the moment he and Dorian returned from the nightclub, to find Becky sobbing in her sleep.
It had broken his heart to see her dejected little form, so small and vulnerable in that big old bed. Ignoring Dorian’s accusatory scowl, he had done what his instincts told him to do, he got in beside her. This was definitely a better place to be than in the bed with his gangly friends. For one thing, she smelled better. Secondly, she obviously didn’t have a problem with him being there since she herself had come into his bed the night before. Besides, she had immediately stopped crying the moment he’d gotten in bed with her and pulled her into his chest.
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