Splintered North by Katmore Anna

Author:Katmore, Anna [Katmore, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1754646204
Published: 2023-06-02T18:30:00+00:00

9. Peanut butter sandwiches

North doesn’t reappear downstairs that evening, so around ten, I escape to my room, eager to put this rollercoaster of a day behind me. Before snuggling into bed, though, I flop down on my mattress and dial Sandy, responding to her text from a few minutes ago asking for an update on our situation.

What starts as a brief check-in turns into a forty-five-minute heart-to-heart, as I spill more than I intended. Unburdening my concerns feels like a weight lifted off my chest, though. Just as Sandy sends her support from Portland, an unexpected knock sounds at my door, and I glance up, startled. One second later, North hesitantly peeks into my room and inquires, “Can I come in?”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” I mumble, then hurriedly tell Sandy, “I’ll call you back tomorrow. Something’s come up.” Too preoccupied to say goodnight, I drop my phone into my lap and disconnect the call. “What’s up?” I ask North, giving him my undivided attention.

He’s already stepped into my room, slouching slightly, balancing a plate stacked high with sandwiches. Roast beef and lettuce peek out from between the bread, accompanied by the occasional cucumber slice. “I can’t sleep. You hungry?”

His abrupt shift in topic puzzles me, but I nod and slide back toward my headboard, clearing a spot for him to sit.

With a hint of shyness, North perches at the foot of the bed and crosses his legs. We face each other like two kids at a sleepover, the plate of sandwiches acting as a makeshift campfire between us. Unable to resist my curiosity, I lift the top slice of bread from a sandwich and, to my delight, I discover he even slathered on peanut butter!

Feeling a surge of energy, I grab the top sandwich, and North’s grin widens as he reaches for the second one.

We savor the first few bites in silence, but North can’t keep quiet for long—a fact I’m grateful for. His voice is like music to my ears. “Today was super intense,” he kicks off the conversation.

“Exhausting?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Yet you can’t sleep?”

With a sigh, he shakes his head, avoiding my eyes for the first time since entering the room. “During the day, it’s not so bad. But at night, when everything’s silent, that’s when it starts—”

“What does?” I prod, as he’d trails off.

North toys with a lettuce leaf in his sandwich, as if gathering his thoughts. “You know that feeling when you can’t quite recall something, but you’re sure you know it? Like it’s just beyond your reach, and you can’t quite grab it?”

I know precisely what he means.

With the vulnerability of a lost boy abandoned by Peter Pan on a pirate ship, he lifts his eyes to meet mine from beneath his lashes and bangs. “I’ve felt like that ever since I woke up. Constantly.”

Oh man. “That sucks.” Finishing my snack, I lean back and stretch out, crossing my legs next to his knee and clasping my hands on my stomach. “Can’t you distract yourself with something?”

“What do you think I’m doing here?” His sly grin makes me smile, too.

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