Devil | A Solomons

FORTY - STRAWBERRIES AND SUNFLOWERS

That evening was the first time both Irina and Alfie had a full nights sleep since they could last remember. Alfie had been tossing and turning since he heard her creep into his room, keeping his eyes closed and his breathing shallow but listening to her swaying on the balls of her feet in debate. He lay in hope that she would crawl beneath the sheets beside him, and once he felt the covers lift up and a cool breeze hit his skin, it felt like the world had shifted back to where it was supposed to be.

He fell asleep almost instantly, the warmth of her hand against his chest and feeling her breath against his back, listening to her sigh as she slept. He hadn't realised how much he'd missed her in every way until then.

When Irina awoke in the morning, she found herself alone in a tangle of white bedsheets. The window was cracked open and the sun was streaming through, birds singing on the trees outside and the distant sound of people talking slowly drew her to her senses.

Looking around the room, Irina saw Alfie's clothes laid out on a chair in the corner, a handful of rings and chains by a mirror on top of the dresser. She smiled, brushing the loose strands of hair from her plait away from her eyes.

She knew she needed to get up, but there was something comforting about being wrapped in a blanket that smelled like Alfie and being surrounded by his things, something that she wanted to hold onto for just a few moments longer, alone.

When she finally rose, she ran a brush through her hair before heading downstairs, walking in the direction of the kitchen. There was a sense of nervousness coursing through Irina's veins as she took each step, though she wasn't too sure why. She was comfortable with Alfie and always felt at ease, though after sharing a silent night beside one another, it was clear that there was a conversation to be had.

"I thought you'd never wake up, coffee?"

Irina tried desperately hard to hold back her smile when she walked into the kitchen. Alfie was shirtless with only a pair of white boxers covering him. His hair was a tousled mess and his beard was longer than she'd ever seen it, but she noticed that that morning, his eyes looked particularly bright.

"Yes please. I haven't slept that well in a long time."

"That makes two of us. Here, they should still be warm."

Alfie slid a plate full of pancakes topped with syrup and fresh strawberries across to Irina, placing down a hot cup of coffee a second later. She wasn't hungry, she never found herself to be hungry in the mornings, but she couldn't say no to Alfie.

"Thank you."

He sat down opposite her at the table and tucked into his own breakfast, grabbing the coffee cup with his whole hand instead of using the handle, yet somehow not scalding himself.

They ate in silence, though one that was slightly unhinged due to the fact they hadn't addressed the previous evening yet. It was an obscenely large elephant in the room, one that made it hard for Irina to enjoy her breakfast when the looming of a heavy conversation was casting an increasingly large shadow over them both.

"You can stay here for as long as you need to," Alfie said as he washed his plate clean in the sink, "I can take you back to get some more stuff from your house if you need."

"Thank you, but," she sipped her coffee, shaking her head, "I don't want to be a burden."

Alfie turned to look at her, his eyes soft and wide as he shook his hands dry from the water.

"You could never be a burden, Irina, never. I just want to help, that's all, keep you safe."

She just nodded, saying nothing as she drank her coffee. Alfie took the empty plate from beneath her, nodding at her in approval when he realised she'd eaten everything.