“Do you think he might’ve killed it?” I asked.
“I don’t know, Vespyr. We promised you to never shoot one, and so far, I’ve been keeping my promise.”
“I know you have.”
When the back door opened and Fennec walked in with Mama, I sat up and looked at him with a deep frown.
His eyes met mine, and when he shot a questioning look in my direction, I nodded to answer his silent question if I had gone and taken the pill.
He wouldn’t have to worry about that, but the thing about the fox was bugging me.
“Morning, sweetie. Where were you this morning?” Mama asked when I got up from the couch.
“On a walk,” I replied before moving my gaze to Fennec.
Neither of us said another word, and when Mama went to open the fridge, I headed back to my room and closed the door behind me.
Fennec didn’t take too long to follow me, and when he stood in my room with the door closed behind him, I crossed my arms and turned to face him.
“Did you kill that fox?”
He pushed his hands into his pockets and tilted his head to the side. “What fox?”
“You know which one, Fennec. The one that was hurt. Was it really hurt?”
He raised a brow, but shortly after, he lowered his head.
“I might’ve accidentally shot it when I was trying to shoot a rabbit. It was an accident, but I couldn’t leave it out there.”
“How do you accidentally shoot a fox instead of a hare?” I asked.
“Jesus, Ves. It got in my way, all right? It was a stupid, unfortunate accident. Do you really think I would’ve shot it if I knew it was there? Those creatures are sneaky.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and let his words sink in.
He had broken his promise, but obviously not on purpose.
“I’m sorry, sweet girl. Believe me. I would’ve never done it on purpose,” he promised, taking one step closer to me.
“I know,” I whispered, dropping my gaze to the floor but looking back up as he stepped in front of me.
“Hey, look at me.” His hands cupped my face, and when my eyes met his, he smiled. “It won’t happen again. I wasn’t careful nor focused, but it’s the first and last time that ever happened.”
How could I stay mad at him?
I bit my bottom lip and nodded, yet I wanted him to apologize differently.
“Show me how much you’re sorry,” I challenged.
He laughed, but without hesitating, he leaned in and kissed me gently.
I loosened my arms over my chest and wrapped them around his waist, then his tongue brushed against my bottom lip and I granted him entrance so our tongues could dance together.
I was already missing him, no matter how close he was.
But knowing we’d have to wait to spend time alone until tonight was frustrating.
His hands pushed into my hair at the side of my head, and he gripped it tightly as he deepened the kiss.
It didn’t last long, and he leaned back again as he heard Papa walk toward my bedroom door.
He knocked, and I jumped back to get as much distance between him and me as possible.
When the door opened, Fennec and I looked at Papa, waiting for him to talk. “Who wants eggs?”
“Me,” I said, followed by Fennec’s “me too”.
“Everything all right? Is this about the fox? Did you tell her?” he asked, and I raised a brow at him.
“You knew?”
Papa looked at me and let out a breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to upset you. It was an accident though, right?” Papa asked Fen, and he agreed.
“I told her that.”
Great.
So he had lied to me too just then?
“First and last one,” Papa added, and when he closed the door, I sat down on my bed with my arms crossed again.
“See why I’m not getting along with him? He’s not as trustworthy as he seems to be, Ves.”
“It was just one lie,” I told him, defending Papa.
Fennec let out a harsh laugh. “Only one lie he has told you. Millions he’s told me.”
27
Christmas was over in the blink of an eye, but as quickly as it came and went, Fennec made the time stand still whenever I spent the night with him.
He showed me how much he adored and loved me, and although there wasn’t much talking going on when we were alone, words weren’t needed when it was just him and me.
It was my nineteenth birthday, and after a fun day of playing more board games and watching movies with my family, I was feeling tired and ready to go to bed.
The holidays always wore us out when we were little, and I wondered what it would be like to spend Christmas and New Year’s in the forest.
Although it was only the thirtieth of December, there were already people lighting fireworks.
“Impatient,” Papa muttered as he walked into the living room in only his boxer briefs.
“Going to sleep soon too?” he asked, bending down to kiss the top of my head.
I was still sitting on the couch with my legs underneath me and a pillow in my lap.
“Yes, I think so,” I replied, smiling up at him.
“Did you at least have a fun birthday? Ate enough cake Mama made?”
“It was great, Papa. Thanks for spending it here with me. I would’ve missed you today,” I whispered, reaching out to grab his hand and squeeze it gently.
“I’m happy I was here for it too. Get some rest. We’ll be up late tomorrow.”
I nodded and leaned in to hug his waist with my head against his stomach. “Goodnight, Papa.”
He brushed along my hair, then pressed one more kiss to my head before I let go of him.
“Goodnight, sweetheart. See you tomorrow.”
I watched him go into Mama’s bedroom where she was standing by the door and giving me a quick wave. “Sleep tight, Ves. Happy birthday,” she said, making me smile.
“Goodnight.”
When their door was closed, I let out a heavy sigh and looked at my bedroom door before staring at Fennec’s.
He had been in there for almost thirty minutes now, but I expected him to come out again.
Putting the pillow away, I got up and walked over to his bedroom and knocked before opening the door.
“Fen?”
“I’m in here.”
I closed the door behind me and turned to his bathroom, then walked toward it to find him standing by the sink with nothing but a towel wrapped around his hips.
“What are you doing?” I asked, observing his body before noticing he was holding scissors in his hands.
“Come stand next to me.”
Confused, I looked at him through the mirror before stepping closer and standing next to him in front of the sink with a questioning look on my face.
“Now that we’re the same age, I was wondering how much we’d look alike if we would have the same haircut.”
His eyes met mine, but I dropped my gaze to the scissors and quickly shook my head.
“I don’t wanna cut my hair.”
His was fairly long, almost down to his shoulders. And I bet if he would straighten his locks, it would definitely reach them.
“It was just an idea, Vespyr. I like your hair long,” he told me, now turning to face me.