I'll Be Holding on to You

fairly local

I woke up way too early, thinking of Cam. It was six thirty. I slunk downstairs and saw him in much the same position as each time before, though now he was alone. Not satisfied, I crept close enough to see him breathing, and the knot inside me relaxed. 

I went into the kitchen, where Evie was sitting at the counter. She was already made up in one of her milder outfits, the kind one would see on someone properly dressed at a Renaissance Faire. The corset was white with blue trim and the skirt was the same blue. 

Today's wig was long and light brown, a salute to Hadley that I carefully didn't mention. It was the first time she'd worn it since we'd lost her.

"How did I know you'd be up?" I got my cup and poured coffee and creamer into it, then sat across from her on my bar stool. "What're you reading?"

She was always up this early, though she usually went back to bed after a few hours. 

She turned the book so I could see the title. Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King. "It's good," she said, drinking her own coffee. She left an orangey lipstick ring behind. It was a color that worked for her, but with her super pale coloring, almost everything did. "Did you like it?"

"Stephen King wrote it," I said, as if that explained it all. Which it did. "I have the other two in that trilogy if you want."

"I already have the second one, but I'll take the third." She continued reading, only because she was so comfortable with me.

I watched her as she read. "You okay, Evie?"

She looked up from the book, considered. "Yeah," she said. "I plan to never enter a public establishment of any kind ever again, but other than that, yeah. I think it was good for me to stun that guy." She finished her cup and got up to pour another. "Therapeutic, or something like that."

"I'm sure my mom'll know the reasoning behind it," I said, only a little mockingly.

She regarded me solemnly. "I'm sorry you had to see it."

I waved her off. "I'm just glad you're not traumatized for life."

"Any more than I already am, you mean," she pointed out with a little smile.

"Right?" I reached to clink mugs with her. "Want to watch something or just read?"

"Just read for now. Don't you have something to zoom through?" she asked, in reference to my being a bonafide speed reader.

"I need to go to the library," I admitted. "I might go back to sleep for awhile."

Cam wandered in, still mostly asleep. He did a double take at Evie and her wig.

Her fingers tightened on her book. "I could change it?" she offered, nervous about upsetting him.

He shook his head a tiny bit to clear it. "It's okay."

"I have other wigs." She agonized, not meaning for her nod to Hadley to upset Cam further.

He took another couple of steps and kissed her on the forehead. "It's okay, bb." He drifted toward the fridge, found some OJ, drank the remainder, and tossed the container in the trash. "Night again," he told us with a little wave, going back to crash on the bean bag.

"Same," I decided, yawning. I left my coffee and went back upstairs. Erika was sprawled across the whole bed and I carefully climbed back into the covers and formed myself around her ultra warm body. I fell back asleep immediately.

******

Later that afternoon everyone was napping so I went to the mini mart to see how Tom was faring.