A Moment of Comfort
Marcus sat back on the bed, letting his touch calm her down. “The fire’s out. Are you okay? Are you burned? Are you hurt?” her breath came ragged from her raw throat.
“I didn’t mean it” she coughed and squinted to see him in the darkness.
“The stove blew up.”
“I didn’t do it.” Sera hoped it was true.
“Of course not! It’s my fault. I made the fire when we came in. I must’ve used too much lighter fluid” The words sounded false to her, but he didn’t seem angry. She pressed her palms into her temples.
“Look, let me get you some water.” he said “You need some rest. Especially, if my headache is any indication of how much bourbon we both drank. I promise I’ll call you a cab in the morning.”
“I just need the bathroom, I think.” He helped her to the toilet and she waved him away.
He went back toward the kitchen as she closed the bathroom door. The mirror was fogged from the still running shower, so she shut it off and sat on the edge of the tub.
The memory of her mother’s death came back again and she didn’t hold back her tears. Silent sobs shook her shoulders. Marcus knocked on the door.
“Sera, are you okay?” She wiped the wetness from her face and ran cold water into the sink.
“Yes” her eyes were red and her voice cracked. “Just give me a minute to settle down.” The cool water stung the salted tear tracks below her eyes.
“I’m going to put a pair of sweats by the door.” Marcus said.
***
The door was silent as she opened it. Marcus wasn’t there but the clothes he left were soft and comfy. She peeled out of her sweat soaked slip. Luckily, he had a separate shower and tub. She jumped in before the water warmed up and rinsed the fear off her body. The sweatshirt fit her like a seriously oversized gym shirt but Sera felt like an ocean swimmer in the pants. She left them folded on the counter and toweled off her hair. She even found a brush to comb out the knots.
Padding out of the bathroom she immediately smelled scrambled eggs and sauteed mushrooms. She saw Marcus moving through the kitchen. “Midnight omelets are the best after a scare” he said. “Do you like pepper?”
Sera heard rain pelting the skylights and looked up. What a fucking night. “Please, and extra cheese if you’ve got it.”
“Done and done.” he said.
The eggs steamed as he placed them on the oak table. She was drinking a cup of roobios and cinnamon tea with cream. A habit she’d picked up in college. Marcus cut open the omelet center and blew across it. “Wow” Sera said “This definitely doesn’t suck.”
Marcus just chewed on his mouthful and smiled. She smiled back. Damn it why were the nice men so messy. Especially men that cooked breakfast at 4am.
She finished and Marcus put both plates into the sink. “I’m hoping that by stuffing you, it’ll be harder for you to leave right away.” Marcus said.
“It worked” She smiled and leaned back in her chair. “I’m going to pass out again if I don’t lay down.”
“Then by all means” he motioned back to the bed. Sera saw that he had removed the broken amulet box and had the amulet back around his neck. It swung across his shoulder blades as he rinsed out the dishes and moved them to the dishwasher.
Sera noticed that her head felt much better. Food and water can do wonders but sleep was what she really needed. The green comforter wrapped her in warm cocoon and she snuggled into the cotton sheets. For once, a small disaster didn’t end in a bigger disaster. She smiled into the pillow and listened as Marcus washed. Maybe he wasn’t a messy boy after all. He sure knew how to show a girl a good time, although she was hoping their next date was a bit less exciting and a bit more contemporary. She’d had enough fires in rainstorms to get over that fantasy when she was twelve.
She didn’t see Marcus clean out her teacup, careful to avoid getting the liquid on his hands or near his face. His face withdrawn and cold compared to a moment ago. He stepped away from the sink and opened one of the lower cupboards. It was filled with odd jars of herbs and liquids, feathers, and rocks. He pulled out a white feather with black speckles and a cork stopped jar of blue liquid and small floating strips of bark.
He took one of the candles from the kitchen table and dripped the blue oil around its base with the feather. Swiping streaks of liquid from the bottom to the top and then placing the anointed candle on a sand covered plate. Marcus carried it back to Sera’s sleeping form, lit it on the bedside table, and let the scent of vervain waft over both of them.
He let the candle burn until its’ spicy scent filled the air and then blew it out. The amulet’s light pulsed with each flicker of the candle and then winked out of existence as the candles oily flame disappeared.