I came inside to find Peter already standing in the kitchen. An instant grin crossed his lips when he spotted me, all covered in grass blades; they were hard to fish out of my long hair. "What happened to you? Take a nap outside or something?" "Just for a little while," more grass in my hair strands. A light-hearted chuckle fell from his mouth as his came over to help me. "Here, turn around," he politely instructed, which I obeyed; he was a lot better at grass-picking-out than me. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Kavinsky?" "Two reasons. One, I had to bring you your daily note." "Awe, you don't have to do that anymore." "Sure I do; it's in the contract," he stated matter-o-factly. I simply looked forward and smiled.
"And two, I came to ask what you're up to this weekend?" "This weekend?" Oh right! Paul's beach party; almost forgot about that. "Nothing yet, why?" "Don't play dumb, sis. You know why," Kitty interjected, earning a sharp glare. She was busy sniffing some the rose products Lush recently delivered by accident to me. "You know what?" Peter's eyebrow lifted towards me suspiciously. "About that party this weekend. Aerity said that you were probably going to ask her." "How did you know about that?" Peter demanded, now facing me directly. After letting out a long sigh, I relaxed my stance a little. Well, better tell him the truth; it's not like I did anything wrong.
"I overheard you and Gen talk about it last week," I admitted freely. Oh, did Peter look scandalized just then. "How'd you do that? Were you spying on me?" "Of course not!" How dare he even suggest such a thing?! Well, I guess he didn't have anything else to go on, but still! He looked as if he expected an explanation though, so I continued merely to humor him. "I was sitting under the bleachers when you and Gen unexpectedly sat overtop of me. I… confess, I wasn't going to listen but then I…" "You decided to eavesdrop on our private conversation?" "Well, yes…." There's really no other way to put it; I certainly couldn't defend my action.
Peter stared at me for a second as if he was contemplating what to say next. It was clear that I wasn't going to try and justify my action; I wouldn't do that. I also however, elected not to remind him that he was to inform me of any interaction he had with Gen- it was in the contract. It would be childish to do something so petty to win an argument. To both of our surprises though, it was actually Kitty who intervened again with her wise words of wisdom. "What's the big deal? You think Aerity would do that on purpose? Uh, I think my sister has more important things to do. Hey! You wanna do facemasks with us tonight?" That was….. a really well-constructed sentence. But she's right, and I'm sure Peter knew that. One look at all the books on my shelf would tell anyone that.
"She's right; sorry, Covey," Peter surprisingly apologized quite quickly. His hand ruffled the hair on the back of his head before addressing me again. "And she's also right about me asking you to the party. That's why I came by; to ask if you'd like to go….. to Paul's beach party…. with me," the last part of his sentence was awkwardly fragmented; I think he was a bit shy to ask me. The widest grin rolled across Kitty's face as she blinked from him to me, anticipating my response. Peter also looked anxious to hear it. I, on the other hand…..
"Well, I….." To be honest, I hadn't thought about what I would say to Peter; providing he asked me of course. I didn't construct a reply ahead of time. Maybe that's because deep down inside, I didn't want to go…. "The thing is, Peter…" There would be men there. "What I mean to say is…" Men I didn't know, or trust. "I….." Men sleeping in the same house as me, at night…. where they could sneak into my room and… "No; the answer's no." I announced a little louder than I should have.
Both Peter and Kitty's faces morphed into ones of shock, particularly my sister's. This obviously shocked her more that was expected. Seeing this, the urge to explain myself overwhelmed me. "It's not, Peter; it has nothing to do with you. It's just…. I don't feel comfortable sleeping in a house with men I don't know." "What are you talking about?" Kitty gasped utterly confused. "You live with a hundred and fifty grad students in Scotland. Not all of them are women, sis." "That's different, Kitty," my eyes fired off a glare. "Yeah right." "It is! First off, I have my own lockable room in Europe. Second, Josh lives right beside me; he can be over in a flash if I need him." "I'll be there," Peter offered in a softer tone; I think he was catching on as to why I had reservations. Kitty however….. I had to remind myself that she didn't know; none of us ever told her. This meant that I had to be really careful with what I said around her right now.
"Yeah, Peter will be there. What's the big deal? They're just guys, Aerity." "Exactly; they're men. And you can never be too careful," I proclaimed firmly. "You don't need to worry about that. I won't let anything happen," Peter's hand stretched over to rest overtop of mine. My lips let out a small sigh as my head shook lightly. "It's not like that, Peter. You can't promise that when other men are involved. They're strong too." "Why are you so afraid?" Kitty's eyes rolled and I suddenly felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. She didn't know….. she didn't know. Sensing where this was going, Peter quickly stationed himself between us, taking a step closer to me.
"Look, Covey; I promise nothing bad will happen. It's just a weekend party with a bunch of college guys." You think they're any better? My eyebrow rose, which he immediately noticed. His grip tightened around my hand. "You'll have your own room if it'll make you feel better." "It would….." And it better have a lock on it. "And we'll spend all our time together; you'll never be alone." "No, I don't want to do that to you, Peter. I don't want you to have to babysit me all weekend." "It's not babysitting; we're courting, remember?" A smirk peered in the corner of his lips, making me smile a tad. This man…. How many times have I called him wonderful before? "I also promise that Gen will leave you alone. And Chris will be there too, so you'll have friends there. No one's gonna hurt you, Aerity; not while I'm around," his head leaned in so our foreheads could press together. Oh Peter, my eyes gently shut. If only you could…..
"You can't promise that. I want you to…. but I know it's not possible," I whispered in a sad, almost pained tone. It's not just him; it's impossible for any man ever, unless he glues me to his side. And neither of us would want that; talk about unhealthy relationship goals. The only problem is that Peter didn't know this yet. I think he truly believed that he could fully protect me….. keep me from harm at the hands of other men. I know he thought this because he responded to me by chuckling a little and shutting his eyes; our foreheads were still resting against each other's.
"Don't worry, Covey; I'll make sure nothing happens. I'll keep you safe and sound." "Oh brother," Kitty rolled her eyes. I however, was enjoying the illusion for the briefest of seconds. I know that such a thing isn't possible. But….. "I'll go on one condition," I whispered again, lifting my hands to rest on his cheek; his soft, soft cheek…. "Stay close to me…. as close as possible." "That's a given. No, I won't let you out of my sight, Covey." "Good," once again my eyes shut, soaking up the illusion of security and protection. I wanted to believe so badly in that moment; I wanted to go back to those days when I could feel utter confidence in a man's ability to protect. Just for the shortest of seconds, I wanted to be that innocent girl again; the one who believed Peter's words with all her heart. The safest feeling…..
"I don't feel safe unless I know you're nearby."