Page 36 of Marked By Shadows

“Coffee,” was all I said, bringing the cup back to my lips and savoring the sweet butterscotch edge of flavor beneath vanilla creamer and stevia. I stared blearily into my cup trying to remember what the plan was for today.

“Yes,” Alex agreed. “Coffee. Next we’ll work on your food association skills with this new invention called breakfast.”

I squinted at him, promising retribution for his teasing with a single look, but he smiled wider, obviously not deterred by my morning grumpiness.

“You guys are staying in for crafts?” Freya asked, obviously not able to read the not awake expression on my face.

“If you don’t mind,” Alex replied. “I think a day of crafting and maybe an afternoon nap is called for. Yesterday was a lot of travel, and then with the evening events…” Alex paused as if he were thinking of how to continue that line of thought, but changed course instead. “Do you think the police will want our help in the search?”

“They’ve been in and out all morning. Are still in the woods as far as I know. I think if they are in need of volunteers, they will let us know,” Freya said. “I’d prefer everyone stay out of their way and let them do their job, so they can find Byrony faster.”

Alex nodded. “That makes sense. We mostly plan to stay in anyway. And not that we dislike the food here or anything, but would you be willing to recommend some local places for dinner? I’d love to take Micah out for the evening, just the two of us. I think we could both use the distraction.”

“Oh, I know some of Micah’s favorite places.” Freya proceeded to list off a handful of restaurants. Alex took notes on his phone. He was far too awake and organized this early in the morning. If I could drown in my coffee cup, I would.

Alex took my cup away for a moment, stilling my protest with a small kiss. When he returned it was with my refilled cup, and he set a plate down in front of me. Eggs, some fruit, and a thick slice of bacon sat on the plate. His own breakfast was a heaping mess of eggs and meat. I blinked at him.

“You need food too,” he told me, then turned back to Freya. The rest of the group was beginning to appear for the morning with full plates, but a somewhat somber mood. I tried not to think too hard about that. Alex had worked hard to remind me that I wasn’t the center of the universe for anyone other than him, so Byrony’s death, if that’s what it was, wasn’t my fault. Did anyone else even know she was dead yet? I was so lost for what to do or say. How did mediums do this? Tell people they knew someone was gone? Watch lives shatter with careless words?

Maybe it was all a mistake. People had tried to tell me Alex was gone. None of them mediums, of course, because I’d always avoided the few true gifted I knew of in the Quarter like the plague. They looked at me in an odd way, like I wasn’t right. It was one of the few reasons I loved being with Alex. Despite all he could see, either what he saw in me wasn’t all that unusual, or it simply didn’t scare him.

Hmm. Love.

I stared at him while we ate, studying the small things, and how we related. We both sat turned a tiny bit toward each other. He reached out often to touch my back, shoulder, or arm, affirming, but also comforting. I had tuned out almost everyone but him.

I didn’t think we were one of those nauseating couples, all goo-goo eyes, but the trust was strong enough that I’d have him at my back any day. He finished most everything on his plate. I offered him the bacon from mine and he accepted. Maybe I could talk him into a nap sooner rather than later.

“Micah has some cosplay things he wants to consult with you on,” Alex continued. “And I’m hoping we can do a little quilting today. We bought a bunch of fabric for that yesterday. I want to see the magic of how he turns squares into other shapes.”

I tuned back into the conversation trying to catch up. Quilting yes, I could get Alex started on a simple project. Maybe even sketch out some new ideas with Freya, but I had a few of his pieces I wanted to tailor a bit as well, correcting the fit now that I had his measurements. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized he was wearing the kilt I made him and a Simply Crafty T-shirt which read, “Crafting is my super power.” The shirt had a bit of a Superman theme, reds and blues, faded in style. It was an older design I hadn’t carried in years, and was worn soft enough to feel like velvet.

“That Lukas’s?” I asked, suddenly distracted by Alex. The shirt fit him well, unlike most of Lukas’s apparel, which was a size or so too big.

“Yeah, an old one. He said it didn’t fit him anymore, but it’s insanely comfortable.” And it hugged Alex’s arms and shoulders, outlining the lean muscle of his torso and the broad width of his shoulders.

Freya gave a light little laugh. “You two are adorable.”

“Sugar just drips off them,” Jonah complained. “Not fair to wave your ‘got some’ in our faces this morning,” he gripped.

“Sorry,” I whispered, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. Did something show on our faces that we’d used a little foreplay as life affirmation last night? I didn’t think so, but I was also not fully awake. “I would love your help,” I told Freya. “I have a few things I need to fix, and some ideas I’ve been trying to plan out but pencil to paper is not working for me.” I tried to change the subject, hoping they would all let me steer it away from more sex teasing. Normally it didn’t make me uncomfortable. Only now, with the subject also being Alex, did it bother me. Not really the thought of Alex and I together, but that other people thought of him in that way.

Jealousy.

Well, that was unexpected.

“I’m happy to help,” Freya said. “I actually have been experimenting with a new design software. It was originally created for anime artists to help with 3D renders, but it’s great for costume design. You can set the body shape and size, and then begin dressing them, even down to color and texture. It’s a big help in visualizing ideas.”

“Sounds amazing,” Alex said. “Does it need a special computer to make it work? I think Micah brought his Mac.” I had. It was in the cabin. Alex took my plate and empty coffee cup, delivering them to the kitchen before taking a seat back beside me. At least the coffee was beginning to kick in. “What is everyone else’s plan for the day?” Alex asked. “Anyone else staying in?”

Perhaps it was the mood, or maybe they had all originally planned to stay in, but the entire group had projects to work on.

“I have a few designs I’m working on,” Jonah acknowledged. “Might be for an unconfirmed TV show.”

“Do they let you do that stuff ahead of time?” Julie asked. “I thought it was all time constraints and last minute hacks with limited materials?”

“Most of that is staged.”

“Wow, talk about bursting our bubbles,” Chad added. “I love that show.”