“Yeah, I get it,” Savannah said softly. “But what was this then?”
Gabriel sighed. “This? It was hasty, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want it. I did. But I would have felt bad if we had sex before I figure things out. I’m glad we didn’t, you know?”
Savannah laughed then and threw her arms around his neck. Gabriel was only confused a moment before Savannah calmed herself enough to tell him what she thought was funny. “I don’t think the floor of my hot, unfinished attic is the best place, anyway. It would kind of kill the fantasy for me.”
Gabriel chuckled. “What? Not romantic enough for you? How about a basement?”
Savannah laughed against his throat, and Gabriel gently rubbed her back with his hand. “Oh, yes, that’s much more romantic. Maybe we could do it while fixing the toilet next.”
Gabriel snorted. “Something wrong with your toilet?”
“No.” Savannah pulled back and shrugged. “I could totally break it to set the mood, though.”
Gabriel laughed and gently shoved her shoulder. Savannah only smiled, and her eyes told him everything was okay again, for now. But now that everything was out in the open, Gabriel needed to figure things out.
Chapter 6
Savannah tried to concentrate on her work, but couldn't. Her mind raced as she thought about what happened with Gabriel. Three long days passed, and still, she couldn’t get it out of her mind. Savannah could admit patience had never been her strong point. She would be okay with waiting – and try to be okay with whatever decision he made – but she didn’t have to be happy about it.
What would Jay think? Savannah grew a little worried her brother might not be okay with knowing what had happened in the attic. Jay might also not be okay if Savannah and Gabriel ever did become something. If they did, well, Jay would grow used to it, wouldn’t he? Or would he never talk to Savannah again?
That thought made Savannah feel sick. The only reason growing up had been bearable had been her older brother. He hadn’t only run interference between Savannah and their parents, but he’d been a confidant, protector, and best friend.
As though her thoughts were magic, Savannah heard a sharp knocking at the front door. When she opened it, her brother stood on the doorstep. His face was as mischievous as ever, which told Savannah he wasn’t mad at her. Her heart had leaped in fear he’d be coming over to yell at her – not that Jay had ever yelled. Savannah was over-thinking things and being ridiculous.
“Hey, Sis, thought I’d come by and see how things were going. Finally got a day off, and Gabe is with his parents. How about some much needed brother-sister time?” Jay stepped inside without being invited. His black hair was messier than usual, and he looked tired.
“Yeah, sure. Everything okay?” Savannah asked, shutting the door behind her brother.
Jay nodded. “Yup. Everything’s fine. I wanted to see you, that's all.”
Savannah took her brother’s words at face value, despite feeling this visit wasn’t entirely casual and shrugged. “Okay. You hungry? Want something to drink? Anything?”
“Nah. Right now, I want you to give me the grand tour now you’ve made it more like home, or so you said a week or so ago.” Jay grinned.
Savannah smiled and showed off her little rental. She even took Jay upstairs to see the attic. The floor had been sealed now and the walls painted a light baby blue. In another week, Savannah could paint the floorboards. Once that was dry, she could move her bedroom up there.
“So you’re going to turn the attic into your bedroom, right?” Jay asked as he stood in the middle of the room, turning a slow circle. The attic was quite large. If Savannah had to guess she’d say it was twenty to twenty-five feet long and ten to fifteen feet across. It would be the perfect bedroom when finished, too.
“Yeah. I’m excited about it.” Savannah said. “Oh, but that reminds me, do you think you and Gabriel could help me move my furniture up here when it comes time? I definitely can’t do it alone, but there’s no rush on it.”
Jay nodded. “Yeah, no problem.” He sat on the floor where he’d been standing. “While we’re here, tell me your great plans for the room. I know you’ve got them. I can see the excitement in your eyes.”
Savannah laughed and sat on the floor beside her brother. “Well, I already showed you the paint for the floor?” Jay nodded. “I’m going to get a second air conditioner I can run when I’m here because the one downstairs isn’t going to cut it. I was thinking about doing all the accent pieces in pale green, like my bedding, except a big blue rug to match the walls.”
Jay nodded. “I like it. It sounds cozy. Except, what are you going to do about the lighting? The bulb above the stairs and the one in the middle of the room here don’t give off much light.”
Savannah nodded. “I thought about that, too. I’m going to get a tall standing lamp for the corner opposite my bed and a reading lamp for my nightstand. That should cover it.”
Jay nodded again. “Any other furniture you’re thinking about getting?”
Savannah shrugged. “Well, I was thinking about getting a little chair or something, but I like big open spaces. Plus, that can wait. As long as I get the room painted and the furniture moved up…”
“..and an air conditioner…” Jay interjected. He grinned even as he wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
“…Yes, and an air conditioner, then I’ll be all set.” Savannah smiled. One thing she’d always loved most about Jay was how he cared about the things she cared about. Even if those things wouldn’t have seemed important to anyone else.
Jay stood and the two of them went back downstairs, to where it was cooler. The attic was hot, but a second window unit should cool it off. Maybe a fan, too, to circulate the air around.
Savannah and Jay relaxed on the futon talking. She brewed a pot of coffee, which they sipped as they spoke. Savannah regretted she didn’t have a television, but she didn’t want to pay for cable right now, either. The money invested in cable could help her get the things she wanted (or needed) for the house.
“So, listen, I wanted to ask you something,” Jay started.
Savannah sighed. “I had a feeling you wanted to talk about something when you came here.”
Jay smiled abashedly. “Well, I did want to see you and check out everything you’re setting up over here. But, yeah, there was something I wanted to talk about. It’s kind of weird, but it’s going to eat me up if I don’t get it out.”
Savannah looked at her older brother with curiosity on her face before shrugging. “Well, you can talk to me about anything. So, what’s up?”
“So, the other night, my date didn’t go so well…” Jay started.
“Did she throw up on you again?” Savannah giggled.
Jay shook his head. “Nah, not that. Thank God. But, anyway, it doesn’t matter why it didn’t go great. The thing is, I was already home when Gabriel got home.” Uh-oh, Savannah thought. He knew something happened between them, or worse, he wasn’t okay with it. Or was he? Jay didn’t seem mad at her. But was he mad at Gabriel?