Hollis
I mademy way into the kitchen after I got out of bed. I wasn’t exactly hungry but Bates always enjoyed a good breakfast so I figured it was the least I could do for him in the mornings.
He had put up with so much when it came to me.
My hopelessness, highs and lows, and unbridled rage would have been enough to drive any other man away, but he promised me forever and seemed hellbent on keeping his word.
Besides, Bates could have his moments too and when he did, they were both beautiful and nightmarish all at once.
We were both broken in our ways; he just happened to be better at hiding his cracks, whereas I couldn’t.
And he never wanted me to.
I rubbed my eyes as I walked toward the pantry. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to whip up and decided I would probably let my imagination take over.
My eyes moved up and down the jars, the boxes, and everything in between. Bates could be as insatiable for a good meal as he was for me, so I had to figure something out quick.
“I already ate.”
I gasped as I turned around to find him leaning against the kitchen table with a grin on his face.
“Sorry,” I said quietly as I closed the pantry doors.
“For?”
“That I overslept.”
“There’s no such thing, pretty girl,” he stated as he moved away from the table and toward me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and nuzzled my neck, his lips and stubble gently grazed my flesh and I shivered slightly. “You’re allowed to sleep, Holls. It’s not a crime, you know.”
I chuckled as I put my hands on his chest, gently pushing him back. He arched an eyebrow at me curiously and tensed, but the small smile that curved my lips was enough to put him at ease again.
“I know.”
“Good,” he replied as he gave my ass a firm slap. “What do you want to do today?’
It was my turn to look at him suspiciously. Bates chuckled as he held his hands up in surrender.
“Whoa there! I thought you might want to go out for a bit is all,” he explained with a laugh.
I trailed the tip of my fingernails down his shirt, leaving slight creases in the fabric before I let my hands settle on his hips and shook my head.
“I don’t need anything out there,” I finally said quietly.
“Holls, you can’t stay inside all the time. You’re becoming a hermit and that’s no good for you,” he protested as gently as he could.
“Everything I need is inside, Bates,” I shot back sharply. When he looked away, I took a calm, steady breath, then tried again. “All I’m saying is that I don’t have a reason to go out there. There are no more doctors willing to help me. With anything. I ran out of my medication last week, Bates. Going outside is only going to make me feel worse about being—”
“Being what?” he interceded evenly.
I scoffed as I turned my back to him and crossed my arms over my chest. He wouldn’t understand—he never could, but I’d be damned if he didn’t try.
I tucked my hair behind my ears and shook my head, “Nothing.”
“I’ll tell you what,” he began again, forcing patience into his tone. “If you go with me, I’ll buy you a pretty dress. I think we’ve about wrecked the last one.”
I chuckled softly as a tear rolled down my cheek, which I quickly wiped away with a knuckle.
Wrecked was an understatement, but he did love that damn dress and every time I wore it for him, it ended up with a new rip in the fabric.
Taking a deep breath, I turned to face him again, rested my forehead against his chest, and nodded.
One day outside wouldn’t be too bad.
Especially not with a man like Bates Murphy.