Hidebound

Chapter Seventeen

I wake up surprisingly early considering I had been up with Hex last night after he stumbled home at three o'clock in the morning. He had clung to me in his sleep and he warmed me to the point of sweating but I had allowed it, he needed it.

I crawl out from under him, hoping he stays asleep and he does. I tiptoe out of the bedroom and close the door behind me.

I look down at my phone as I walk the hallway, looking at all the texts Harley had sent me earlier; asking if Hex had come home and if I had heard from him.

I text her back saying he's home now. Almost immediately my phone starts ringing, Harley's name flashing brightly on it.

"Hello?" I answer as I walk into the kitchen and lay eyes on mum. She hears me and gives me a wave good morning when she notices I'm on the phone.

"He came home?" Harley clarifies. Her voice is scratchy and I can't tell if it's because she's been up all night or if she has just woken up.

Mum grabs my attention as she writes on a piece of paper and I assume she's trying to tell me that she's going on her walk but instead it reads: walk with me?

I nod; it'll be nice to get some fresh air.

"Yes, he's home. He's still asleep" I answer as I pick at a piece of fruit from the bowl mum had sat in front of me on the island. I pop a grape in my mouth before giving mum a thankful smile and taking the bowl into the lounge room for some privacy.

"What happened? Where'd he go?" I hear the springs of her bed creak as she sits up before a door closes as she leaves the bedroom, presumably with Banks inside.

"He, uh" I scratch my head, still shocked that he had gone to therapy "he went to therapy". I hear movement on the other end of the phone cease as Harley freezes.

She takes a while to respond as I munch on another grape "excuse me?" I nearly choke at the surprise in her tone.

"Yeah, that was my reaction" I answer after I swallow my mouthful.

"Hex Rose willingly went to therapy?" She brings light to the situation and a small chuckle escapes me.

"Yes Harley" I confirm. Movement on her end of the phone can be heard again.

"Well... I guess that's good then" she says, unsure how to respond to a sentence she thought she'd never hear.

I chomp on more fruit as I listen to her make noise in the background. "He went to a bar and came home a mess" I inform her.

She doesn't seem shocked by this; almost like this is what she had previously thought would occur instead of therapy.

"Fucking idiot" I hear her mumble. I nod along even though she can't see me. "He better hope Charlie doesn't stop by" she grumbles.

I hum "uh huh, that's what I said".

I finish off my bowl of fruit and hold the phone between my ear and shoulder as I look out the front windows that mum had opened earlier.

"Fuck!" Hex grumbles loudly as I hear a bang and then something fall from the bedroom.

"That him?" Harley asks.

"Yep, I've got to go, speak to you later" I say as I head into the kitchen, placing my empty bowl in the sink.

"I hope he's got the worst headache in history" she mumbles making me laugh as I walk down the hallway. Harley says goodbye and I hang up just as I push open the bedroom door.

The bed is a mess and the blanket now lies on the floor by Hex's side of the bed. The bedside table has been moved and random things that belong on top had been knocked off.