Chapter Six

You Okay Now?

Delilah

I opened my eyes and saw the light shining on Abel sitting back in his armchair, his eyes on me just like the morning before.

“Hey,” I called sleepily.

“Hey,” he replied, his tone strangely tight.

“You okay?” I asked, not moving, my head to the pillow, my eyes taking in his big frame, memories of the day before instantly available.

He’d been tensed and freaked, understandably so. Though, why he had to take off, I didn’t know.

That said, when Xun brought me back down to his room late yesterday evening, I was touched to see the simple white shower curtain covering the stall and a door providing privacy for the toilet. It said a lot, like the purse. Primarily that he might be gone, but his thoughts were on me.

It was what I’d needed.

Perhaps not weirdly, but annoyingly, the longer he was gone and I didn’t know where he was or how he was, the more that pit in my belly opened up again. And it opened, and opened, and opened. Then the pain came back.

In the end, it was so bad, I didn’t know how I got to sleep. You would think I’d be used to it, but it being gone, then having it back again, it all seemed fresh.

And excruciating.

I just knew that when Abel touched my hair and told me he was home, I wasn’t very awake, but I felt the pain was gone.

That was not something I relished, needing to be attached at the hip to some guy, and I hoped it was the situation that caused it, not his distance.

“Fine,” Abel answered, taking my thoughts from yesterday-him back to the right-there him.

“Sure?” I asked quietly.

“Yeah, Lilah,” he answered quietly.

“Thanks for the bathroom,” I said.

He shook his head and his lips tipped up, but he didn’t say anything or move any further.

“Dad called,” I told him. “He and the boys are making good time, but they won’t be here until around two today.”

“You tell Jian-Li?” he asked.

I nodded my head on the pillow.

“She’ll see to a welcome spread.”

“She says she’s closing the restaurant after lunch,” I shared.

“Like I said, she’ll see to a welcome spread.”

I grinned at him.

His eyes dropped to my mouth and he frowned at me.

That was weird.

Then again, he seemed weird. Not that he was a normal guy, just that he seemed weirder than normal.

I pushed up to put my head in my hand, elbow in the pillow. “You sure you’re okay?”

“No.”

Oh man.

“What?” I asked. “Did you find something yesterday?”

“Nothin’ happened yesterday, Lilah.”

Well, at least that was good.