Guarding Your Heart

Chapter 5

Lucy woke up the next morning feeling surprisingly rested.

She stretched and stared at the unfamiliar wooden ceiling above her until her eyes could focus again. The sound of birds singing outside and the smell of burnt wood and moth balls helping her remember where she was.

Hearing steady, slow breathing beside her, she turned her head to see Fíli sleeping next to her. His features were relaxed, there was no sign of worry or stress on his face and Lucy couldn't help letting her eyes linger for a while.

Small lines decorated the corners of his eyes even in his sleep, hinting at years of stress and too much sun. His blond eyelashes rested peacefully on his face and danced every so often as he slept and Lucy wondered what a man like him dreamt of. His stubble was quickly growing into more of a beard at this point and she noticed him scratching it often, but it still wasn't long enough to disguise the two indentations on either side of his face. Lucy found herself wanting to poke her finger in them when he smiled at her, rare as it was, but she didn't dare to.

Even Fíli's lips looked inviting, like they would feel slightly rough but gentle, just how he made her name sound whenever it passed through them. Luce. She was tempted to wake him then just to hear him say it. To think she hated the nickname at first, because it made her feel belittled but somehow that had changed and hearing him say her name like that now brought her reassurance even in the most frightening moments.

She recalled how terrified she was yesterday, afraid the cartel had followed them somehow and would burst through the cabin door at any moment. The only thing that calmed her down had been Fíli. She never expected him to actually come and lay down next to her.

Her cheeks flushed when she remembered how she buried her face in his chest, as if it was the most normal thing to do. He wasn't her boyfriend, he was her bodyguard.

But he had made her feel safe. Safe enough to fall asleep in minutes.

And now he was sleeping comfortably next to her. She knew he must have been awake most of the night. But Fíli was also still human and she didn't blame him at all for falling asleep on the job.

Lucy needed to get up and use the bathroom, her bladder feeling as it was about to burst, but she knew Fíli would wake up the minute she left the bed. The guy didn't miss much. Which was a good thing of course, but right now she wanted him to catch up on sleep.

So she remained in her spot a little longer in the queen-sized bed that somehow felt small with Fíli in it beside her. All the curtains were drawn but they let enough light through for Lucy to take in her surroundings.

The cabin was small enough for her to see everything that occupied it from the bed. There were no separate rooms except for the small bathroom and she guessed from the hatch in the ceiling that there was another floor, probably an attic of some sort.

Besides the bed they were sleeping in, the cabin contained a modest kitchen, a brown leather couch, a sturdy looking table with four chairs, a cozy fireplace and lots of shelves and decorative pillows everywhere. No television and probably no wifi either, but it felt homey, warm and inviting. Safe.

She began to imagine what young Fíli might have looked like in various places throughout the room and how many memories he must have made here with his family. Him and his brother chasing each other around the table before one of them ended up in tears and sat pouting in front of the fireplace. His mother baking cookies, swatting away tiny hands while the delicious treats were cooling down on the table. Lucy could almost smell the scent of homemade pastries and smiled to herself. Fíli must be excited to be here.