“Oh! She can stay in the room next to Espie’s and mine.” Olive exclaims before he can finish.
“Alright.” He laughs and turns his eyes to me in question, but I’m already here, already trapped by my inability to say no to things when it matters.
“Sounds perfect.” I shrug with a smile.
“Yay!” They both exclaim, taking my hands and pulling me toward the stairs before I can hold on to Tito and take him with us. I glance back at him as we climb the first step, and he clenches his teeth into an upside-down grin before mouthing ‘sorry.’ I breathe a laugh through my nose as they pull me the rest of the way up the stairs.
“So this is it.” Olive lets go of my hand and skips to the other side of the wide hallway we’ve stepped up to. Espie and I catch up to her just as she opens this ornate white wood door with pearly paint. It creaks open to reveal a gorgeous room that looks like it could be out of anArchitectural Digestmagazine. Decorated perfectly with just the right number of plants and earthy tones, with a bed that’s sunken into the floor at the top of stairs that span the left side of the room. The entire back wall is floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a garden and gigantic pool. The floors are a smooth glowing brown wood with panels in the shapes of diamonds. There are couches right in front of us, all turned towards a fireplace, on either side of which is a wall of books on a dark wood bookshelf.
“This will be your room,” Olive says after I’ve taken most of the room in.
“It’s like the perfect mixture between earthy natural vibes with a touch of boho,” Espie squeezes my arm as she speaks in terms I have rarely used to describe anything.
“It was supposed to be Espie’s room.”
“But Olive and I like sharing a room when we’re both home, so now it’s more of a guest room.”
“Or a place for Espie to go if I have a guy over.” Espie rolls her eyes at Olive’s comment, but Olive appears rather pleased with herself. “The room is all yours. We’ll be right next door if you need anything.” Espie lets go of my arm.
“Tito said we should get her some clothes.” Olive reminds her, sounding a little more bored with this entire ordeal than she did before.
“Oh! Right.” Espie points to Olive before bringing her finger to her bottom lip in thought. “We’ll make you a wardrobe and bring it to your room in half an hour.”
“Okay.” I nod, trying to sound enthused. What I really need now is some pajamas, so I can fall asleep and not have to think about how much I like them, or like it in this house, or care for Tito. I take in a deep breath as they leave me be, exciting the room with laughter and whispers about what clothes to give me. When they’re gone, and the door to their room closes, I stand awed by the room a bit longer before I feel a presence behind me.
“Who might you be?” I turn around to see an older man with slicked-back gray hair, sharp green eyes, and a mahogany cane. He has a kind face, interested in me as I am in him. Nothing about this man seems disingenuous, and he has only said four words to me so far.
“I’m Scout Summers. Who are—”
“Pops, don’t bother our guests.” Tito pops into the doorway, and Pops lets out a warm laugh. A laugh that has no doubt graced this home countless times; it’s hearty and calming.
“Is this your guest, then?” He elbows Tito’s ribs.
“Yes. This is—”
“Scout. I know. She told me already. Lovely name, beautiful girl.” I blush as I look at my feet.
“I know. Smart too,” Tito adds, and I think my cheeks grow a deeper shade of red. Having attention on me like this has never been a deep desire of mine.
“Humble,” Pops adds with a laugh, and Tito enters the room to rub circles on my back. I think I should move away and tell him right now that I’m being forced to hurt his family in ways I’d never imagine hurting anyone, but I don’t because I can’t say anything. My tongue is glued to the room of my mouth, feet stuck to the floor as I accept, and even enjoy, his touching me affectionately.
“Well, Scout, it was wonderful to meet you. I hope to see you around here more often?”
“Yes, sir. Wonderful meeting you, too.” I smile as he takes one more look at us both. He looks as if he might say something, but instead, he just nods and continues to walk over to the steps.
“Sorry about that,” Tito whispers as Pops disappears downstairs.
“It’s okay; he’s great. Your whole family is,” I whisper back and try not to sound sad about the discovery. Something crosses his eyes, and I think he can see my sadness for only a moment. Then he takes my shoulders and turns me to him.
“If you need anything, anything at all while staying here, please let me know, and it’s yours.” I raise my brows at the kindness of his words and the genuine care in his eyes as he looks into mine. “Okay?” He asks when I’ve taken too long to respond.
“Okay,” I say just above a whisper, and a sympathetic smile grows on his pink lips.
“Okay,” He repeats and lightly runs his finger over my cheek. I feel the swell of my heart wanting to leap out of my chest and pull him close to me until the only air we’re breathing is our own. I don’t do anything like that, though. Instead, I listen to it beat in my head like a drum, pushing me to move with its beat.
“Goodnight,” He whispers like an incomplete sentence like there’s a ‘but’ at the end of it.
“Goodnight,” I sound the same, and I know what’s left unsaid is not something that could be spoken aloud. Because what we want isn’t words, it’s actions. The fulfilled desires we’ve only scratched the surface of. When he pulls away, I feel the desire lingering between us. The further he gets, the more it grows, and I want to stop him and ask him to stay, but I don’t.