Drowning with Fire #3 ✔

Chapter 14 - Ember

We didn't get anywhere further after that. It was almost like we were afraid... afraid to figure out why and how Kaden turned into Killian.

How is it possible to be so afraid of someone you were once friends with?

Mum returned not long after that, and cooked one of the best dinners I'd ever had with her – a beef stew that had been simmering all day long. It was probably the best 'family' dinner, apart from the fact my dad couldn't be with us.

But I still felt his presence in my heart; I knew he'd always be looking out for me. Even if we hadn't had the best relationship while he was living.

The evening quickly disappeared into night, and with that came the question of sleeping arrangements. We only had two beds, though there were also two sofas and that old chez longue. That old, stupid chez longue.

After we finished dinner, Theo cleared his throat, "Um, I can sleep on one of the couches downstairs."

Underneath the table, I reached out for him, hands clasping together strongly. I didn't want him that far away from me.

"There's more than enough room in Ember's bed." My mum responded, much to my surprise, "I mean, it depends on if you two are at that point or not at the moment."

"We are." I insisted, nodding quickly.

"That's fine then." She smiled as she picked up her glass of red wine and sipped some, "As long as there's no funny business, of course."

"I'm actually knackered anyway so that's not going to be a problem." I laughed through a yawn – and it was a genuine yawn, too, avoiding the awkwardness of my mum's words.

After the bus ride here, walking through the woods to get home, that messed-up day terror about Killian, reconnecting with my mum and then trying to figure out what did happen to Kaden, I was sufficiently exhausted.

And I was looking forwards to sleeping in my own bed again.

Theo and I helped clear up the dishes, then we grabbed our bags and dragged them upstairs to my room. Well, I dragged mine, Theo was fine as usual.

"I'm going to go freshen up." Theo spoke up as we placed our bags down once again.

"Yeah, that's fine." I replied, walking over to my dressing table and picking up the hairbrush I left here when I went to Svalbard.

Dragging it through my tangled knots, I stared unseeingly into the mirror that hung opposite me. I'd spent so many years getting ready for school in front of this mirror, it seemed bizarre how quickly my life changed from that final half a year of Year 11 before I left the UK.

At some point, Theo came back in and closed the door – wakening me from my reverie.

"You okay?" Theo took the brush from my unmoving hands.

"Yeah..." I nodded, realising I'd barely brushed my hair at all after those first few drags.

Much to my surprise, Theo raised the brush and started softly untangling my hair. Starting at the bottom of my hair and working his way up in methodical sections. As he neared the top of my head, his other hand found my head and started stroking my hair.

Placing the brush down, he pressed a kiss against my head and made a move to step away.

"Don't go." I grabbed his wrist and wrapped it around my waist, and I leaned back against him. "Don't go because this feels perfect right now."

He ran his fingers through my hair and began leaving a trail of kisses down and along my neck. Leaning my head back further against his chest, I allowed him to kiss deeper into my neck.