The Edens - A Legacy Short Story by Devney Perry

Author:Devney Perry [Perry, Devney]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Devney Perry LLC
Published: 2023-04-15T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOUR

HARRISON

The kink in my neck was going to last the rest of my life.

“Ugh,” I groaned, pushing myself up to a seat on the floor. The blanket I’d slept under fell to my waist. The chill in the living room bit into my bare chest.

Beside me, there were only a few coals left in the fireplace, glowing orange in the black and gray ash.

I yawned, glancing toward the windows. It was still dark outside, but a faint light was beginning to creep through the trees.

My eyelids felt heavy. Every muscle in my body was stiff. I reached for my nape, massaging the ache at the base of my skull.

Last night, after Anne had stormed out of the bedroom, I’d listened to her rummage through cabinets and closets. She’d found a few extra blankets and had made herself a bed in front of the fireplace.

I’d waited until she’d fallen asleep on her makeshift bedroll before I’d gotten up and carried her to bed. She hadn’t so much as stirred when I’d settled her on the bed. It had been easier that way. No angry glares. No snide comments. No arguments.

Knowing Anne, she might have insisted on sleeping on the floor just to prove a point.

Well, at least one of us had gotten some rest.

This floor was hard as hell, and the few blankets she found, I’d had to split, top to bottom. When I’d left the ranch yesterday, I’d thought about bringing my sleeping bag. Should have trusted my gut.

I cracked my neck, then rubbed my temples. It wasn’t even dawn and I needed a nap.

The door to the bedroom creaked open from that noisy hinge.

Anne stood in the threshold, her dark hair wild and unruly as it draped over her shoulders. She was wearing a crimson-and-white-striped nightshirt that hit her midthigh. The sleeves cuffed at her wrists and the V-neck revealed a sliver of her collarbone. It wasn’t all that sexy of a nightgown, but on Anne, it might as well have been lingerie.

Blood rushed to my groin, so I kept the blankets over my knees, wishing I would have snagged my jeans from the bedroom.

“You slept on the floor,” she said, her voice quiet.

“Yep.”

She dropped her gaze to her bare feet. “I was going to sleep out here.”

“You did. For a while.”

Anne looked up, her blue eyes locking with mine as she studied my face. “Why did you do that?”

“You really think I would have let you crash on the floor while I slept in the bed?” I scoffed. “Thought you knew me better than that.”

“I thought I knew you once too.”

Maybe we hadn’t really known each other at all. The Anne I’d known would have at least given me a reason for ending it.

Last night, while I’d been cursing this goddamn floor, I’d replayed our relationship in high school. And just like six years ago, I’d come up short on answers.

This trip was ironically timed. Anne had broken up with me around New Year’s Eve.

Six years, nearly to the day.

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