Chapter 14
"It is so nice to be home...in my own bed..." Jeff mumbled to himself as he topped the stairs. He stopped and listened towards Lynn's room. He smiled softly, he could sense she was sound asleep. "Goodnight sugarbutts..." he whispered as he walked into his room and shut the door.
Lynn moaned as she opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. It took her a moment to realize where she was exactly. She sat up and ran her hands through her hair and noticed she'd slept in her clothes and had left her bedroom door open. She climbed out of bed and walked slowly to her doorway to listen to the distant voices that woke her.
"If she doesn't want to stay Sheldon don't pressure her. Haven't you learned that pushing a woman just makes her more distant?" Mija coaxed.
Lynn leaned against the doorframe and listened intently.
"She's safe here," he tried to reason. "I'm not going to force her to stay if she doesn't want too."
"Give her a little time here, she'll be fine," Mija comforted.
Lynn closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the doorframe. She was so confused and emotionally tired. She took a deep breath and pushed away from the doorframe making her way down the stairs. Once you reached the bottom of the stairs you could see into the kitchen and she saw Jeff sitting at the table smoking a cigarette.
"Good morning," he greeted as she walked into the kitchen. "Sleep well?"
She fiddled with the hem of her shirt and took a seat at the table with them. "Yeah, I slept so good I forgot to change out of my clothes," she gave a light laugh.
For a few heartbeats no one spoke, just sitting in silence.
"Well...I'll been in the barn if anyone needs me," Mija said as she stood from the table and headed out the front door.
"Did you sleep well?" Lynn asked softly.
"Oh yeah, it was nice to be in my own bed for once," he said equally quiet.
She cleared her throat nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. "I want to ask you something...and I want a serious answer, no joking," she asked.
"What?"
"Why did you really bring me here? Why do you want me to stay? It's not as if you're lonely," she asked curious.
He clenched his jaw, a nervous twitch he had. "No...you're wrong...I am lonely...Mija's lonely. I'm not going to make you stay Lynn but...I don't want you to go. Just stay a while and if you still want to go...I won't stop you," he said.
She sighed in frustration. He answered her question but was still able to avoid the question. "Okay, I'll stay for awhile...and we'll see." she agreed.
"Thank you," he smiled softly.