Berries and Greed

Just as he’d shrewdly guessed, I had been worried that I’d panic when I was alone in a new bed with the sounds of the city drifting in through the open window. But I was too tired and full to be freaked out, and the memory of Greid’s snorting laughter and quiet voice played on a loop in my head as I drifted off to sleep.

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Chapter Fifteen

Beryl

It took me a few seconds to work out where I was when I woke up.

My stomach still felt uncomfortably full as I rolled over and gazed blearily at the little clock on the nightstand. 7 a.m. It seemed some cult habits would be harder to break, even though I was dog-tired.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep, and I could hear the city already awake beyond my window. Excitement made me push back the warm covers and slide out of bed. My first proper day out of the cult. What would I do? Would I be brave enough to go wandering on my own while Greid had to work?

I took a shower in the gigantic rainfall enclosure, then stood in front of the wardrobe staring at my clothes. Just rows of pale coloured shirts and flowy pants.

You’ll be able to buy whatever you want once you have a job. I pulled some out and got dressed. Of course I couldn’t change everything at once. Some things would take time, and I wasn’t going to accept handouts from Greid to speed the process along. That wasn’t fair, and it wasn’t what I wanted.

I hadn’t washed my hair, so I gave it a quick brush before doing my skincare. Then, belly jumping with excited nerves, I left my bedroom and went downstairs. As I reached the bottom step, I heard a sound in the kitchen, so I headed that way to find a very, very tired and grumpy-looking Greid standing at the open fridge, wearing—

“Is that a tent?” I asked, staring at the huge fall of soft, dark fabric covering him all the way to his ankles. It had sleeves. And a hood, which was pulled up over his head.

Greid froze with a spoonful of yoghurt halfway to his mouth. He cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes at me. “It’s not a tent. It’s a… It’s just a blanket onesie thing.”

My mouth twitched as I took a step closer and cocked my head. “I thought onesies had legs as well. That’s just a tent. I could literally sleep comfortably under there, it’s so huge.”

Greid’s face spikes went crazy at that, and I suddenly wondered if—shit, maybe he didn’t have anything on under there. Thick white socks covered his feet, and I thought I could see a hint of grey sweat cuffs peeking out from under the tent, but…

Then I suddenly wondered, was he comfortable enough with me yet for any kind of teasing? Immediately feeling guilty, I said, “Sorry, I was just joking. It looks super comfortable. I kind of want one.”

Greid grunted and shovelled the yoghurt into his mouth, then closed the fridge and dumped the pot in the trash.

“How come you’re up?” I asked, sidling over to the butcher’s block and watching as he rummaged through a cabinet. “I thought you said you usually slept in late.”

“I didn’t want you to wake up and feel all weirded out.” He sounded so disgruntled that I couldn’t help but smile. Greid was not a morning person. “Fuck. I’ve run out of coffee.”

I perked up. “Hey, I noticed a coffee place nearby when we were driving yesterday. On the next street over. Have you been there?”

“You mean Deep Brew?” Greid shrugged, rubbing his eyes. “Yeah. It’s pretty good.”

“Maybe… Could we go there for coffee?” I picked at the edge of the butcher’s block. “Or if you have to start work, I could go and get us some.”

I had a little bit of cash from my last paycheque, and I wanted to treat Greid. The thought of going out there alone did make me kind of nervous, but I didn’t let Greid see it. He wasn’t my babysitter.

“I’m not working today, so sure. We can go.”

“How come you’re not working?”

“Finished up the last of my most recent orders the other day, and I don’t have to start the new ones yet.” He shrugged, but looked a little shy as he added, “Plus, I thought… I didn’t know if you’d want to go out and explore the city a bit today.”

God, he was so sweet. I smiled widely at him to show my appreciation. “That sounds great. Thank you. For taking the day off to keep me company. You didn’t have to.”

“Oh, it’s my problem.” He cringed. “I mean it’s my—That was, uh, a mix of it’s my pleasure and it’s no problem.”

I laughed. “Okay, well, I’m ready to go when you are.”

“Sure, just let me get dressed.” He shuffled past me in his big, soft tent and vanished.

Once I’d heard his bedroom door shut, I went back upstairs to grab some of the money tucked into the side pocket of my suitcase. After slipping it into my pants pocket, I used the bathroom and checked my hair in the mirror before opening my door.