Another Door Opens

61 - Not-so-steely resolve

- MILES -

I really didn’t think Eden would take me up on my offer to walk her home, which I interpreted to be pretty telling of just how awful she’s feeling, solidified by her actually using me to help keep her upright the whole way there.

And despite me having wanted an invite into her house almost every day since I first met her, I’m a fucking bundle of nerves now it’s actually a thing, even more so given the half hour of blatant flirting that has been occurring back and forth between us the whole way.

When we reached Eden’s house, Hades was crying for her through the gap between the fence gate as soon as he first heard us out front, and Echo wandered over curiously to check out why he sounded so distressed, which just made the crying worse.

"I don't have the energy to walk you tonight, baby," Eden said to Hades tenderly through the gap in the fence before looking back at me. "But maybe Echo might like to come out the back and play with you instead?"

I smiled and nodded my approval, though needed to take a few deep breaths to steady myself before going inside.

Eden retrieved her keys from her handbag which I'd carried the whole way home for her. I'm not sure mustard is my colour, but seeing her gentle resignation when I insisted on carrying it and the giggle that came from her when I looped it over my shoulder was so worth how ridiculous I must have looked.

"Sorry about the mess," Eden said, looking around her space and determining it was not as clean as she'd have liked it to be, which was crazy because it was definitely much tidier than my place, which I'm now convinced needs a very deep clean by comparison. "I wasn't really expecting company, and I haven't been in much of a mood to clean these past few weeks..."

She's saying it like I'm judging her. Even if she hadn't had the very real excuse of being miserably pregnant and then having to prepare herself for an abortion, therefore not prioritising housecleaning, I wouldn't have any other opinion of her house other than it being undeniably cool. Bold and dramatic, but with so much class and character. The dark colours, and contrasting artwork, including some sweet, little framed drawings and paintings that I'm imagining were done by her niece, whose portrait occupies a bunch of other photo frames as well. Cut flowers from her garden in vases made of old gin bottles, potted plants and countless more selfies of Eden with Wolfe and the Moonlight crew. Knowing what I do from all Wolfe's complaining early on about her having done all the renovations herself, I am seriously impressed. 

"I know it's not much, but it's mine and I'm happy here."

"Eden, this place, everything you've done with it, it's amazing."

I feel like I've stepped inside her mind with this glimpse into her space, and that coupled with the insatiable flirtatious banter on the way here has only made me want to know her more still.

"You think so?" she asked sincerely, like she didn't believe that I meant it.

“I love it,” I said, smiling at her bowing her head shyly and walking on to open the back door and let our boys at each other. Echo raced outside and they started running laps between our legs joyfully.

"This is cool," I said, pointing to what looks like a built-in pizza oven made of brick under her back patio. "I imagine this would make for a mean pizza."

"It really does. Wolfe and I built it a couple months ago," she said proudly. "It was mostly Wolfe though."

I chuckled, imagining that this was the one and only thing she let him actually help with. "You'll have to make me one sometime.”

“I do believe from memory that I owe you one,” Eden said, slumping herself down in one of her outdoor chairs. “Courtesy of my meddlesome niece.”