Home - Part Seventeen
This episode is part of a larger story, Soft Touch. If you haven’t yet, you can go back and read it from the beginning right here.
It’s late in the afternoon, but the day is still rich with sunshine. Golden light falls through the trees and spills down onto the road in feathery patterns, which dance in time to the movements of the leaves.
I gaze out at them, but I’m distracted. I’m in a bright mood, filled with curiosity and anticipation. Aiden is finally taking me to see the surprise he’s been working on, and I’m more lost than ever about what to expect.
I don’t know where we’re going, because Aiden is driving. He’s wearing normal clothes, and he didn’t tell me to bring anything or prepare for anything. The closest thing I’ve had to a hint is a text from Gabby that popped up on Aiden’s phone as we left City Hall.
Boss Lady 4:45 PM: Aww, qué dulce!😊 Yes, for that you can leave early. I hope he likes it!
That didn’t really tell me too much. And Aiden’s behavior is confusing me even more.
He had been so full of joy and excitement about the surprise, whenever it came up before. Now, though - I don’t know what happened.
He’s been very quiet and serious ever since I met up with him at City Hall. There’s a little knit to his brows that hasn’t gone away. He keeps lifting his snapback, then settling it back into place over his wind-ruffled hair.
I could read the anxiety right off of his body language, even if it wasn’t showing so clearly in his fretful blue eyes.
“Hey.” I reach out and slip my fingers into his, catching his hand before he can move his snapback again. “What’s wrong?”
Aiden shakes his head, keeps his eyes on the road. “Nothing. I - nothing.”
I arch a skeptical eyebrow, watching the rapid bouncing of his knee. “Mkay. Sounds legit.”
Aiden lets out a slow, heavy breath.
“It’s - it’s like-” He stops, closes his eyes for a second, and starts again. “You know when you’ve got something for someone, and you’re real fuckin’ excited about it? Then when you’re actually getting ready to show the person, you’re like - maybe I got too excited. Maybe it’s not nearly as good as I thought. Maybe I got it all wrong, and he won’t like it at all.”
“Um-”
“I know it doesn’t make sense, ‘cause literally yesterday I felt like it was perfect, but now I’m just…” Aiden lets out an anxious sound, rubbing a hand over his eyes. “I’m just suddenly so sure that you’re gonna hate it, hate the whole idea.”
I bite back a laugh. I don’t want Aiden to think I’m laughing at him, because I’m not. I’m just all filled up with affection, overflowing with it.
How can he not know that if he thinks it’s something perfect for me, it probably is?
I consider saying that to him, then decide to go in the opposite direction. “Yeah, bet I’ll hate it. What is it?”
Aiden makes a face at me, then seems to think about it.
“Yeah,” he says slowly. “I guess - I guess I can tell you now. Maybe it’ll help to get the bad parts out of the way, first.”
I blink at him, taken aback. “Bad parts? Of - the surprise?”
“Okay, so…” Aiden pauses, swallows hard. “I think I found us a place. To move into together.”
I stare at Aiden, surprise and delight spreading through me.
I had wondered if it was that, but I’d put the possibility aside. I couldn’t think of a reason why Aiden would need multiple nights to work on the surprise, if it was an apartment. Or why he would need the help of Raj, Noah, and Ripley.
But that’s what it was. He found us somewhere to live together.
“Oh,” I say softly, warmth unfolding in my chest.
“There are some things about it that aren’t ideal,” Aiden says quickly, like he’s forging ahead before he can falter. “But just hear me out, okay?”
“Okay…”
“It’s a little further out on the edge of town than we wanted. You would definitely have to drive to work. But this is Ketterbridge, so it would still only be like, fifteen minutes to get to the shop. And the place is - old. It does need some fixing up, but Raj and Noah said that they’re down to help us with that.”
Aiden stops again, still not looking at me. I want to answer him, but I stay quiet, because I can tell that he’s trying to figure out how to say something.
It’s a minute or so before he does.
“I don’t-” he says, struggling, “I’m just worried - I don’t want you to feel any pressure. If it’s too much, um - if it’s too, like…”
He trails off, tapping his thumb on the wheel, then finally looks over at me, his eyes swimming with anxiety.
“You’ll tell me?” he asks, very quietly. “If it’s not what you want, and you don’t want to take it - that’s completely fine, I swear. Just promise that you’ll tell me.”
I look searchingly into Aiden’s eyes for a moment. I’m not totally sure why he’s saying these things. We definitely didn’t have this conversation the first time we went to look at apartments. I know he found this one on his own, instead of us finding it together, but still. Where is this coming from? He’s so nervous.
“Alright,” I answer slowly, then shrug my shoulders. “I’ll tell you if I don’t like it. Actually - I’ve already decided that I don’t like it.”
Aiden’s eyes blink over to me, startled. “What? Why?”
“Because I’m annoyed about it. We couldn’t find a good place when we were looking as a team, and then you go off and find this supposedly amazing spot all by yourself, no problem? That’s annoying, Aiden.”
Aiden’s eyebrows shoot up. He stares at me, then huffs out a laugh, shaking his head as he turns to get his eyes on the road again. “Come on, dude.”
“No, I don’t even care.” I settle back in my seat, folding my arms over my chest. “I’ve already decided that it's terrible. Bet you I’m gonna hate it.”
Aiden shakes his head again, rolls his eyes. But for the first time today, he’s smiling.
“Think I’m gonna win this bet,” he rumbles, flipping on the blinker. “Which is cool, ‘cause I definitely didn’t win that other one.”
“Oh, yeah? It’s on, Callahan.” Even if I’m secretly hoping that I don’t win. “You’re going down.”
Aiden smiles again, nervously biting his lip.
“It’s on,” he repeats, and reaches over to ruffle my hair.
~~~~
My confusion only grows as we keep driving.
We’re on the edge of town. Roughly as far out as my parents live, but on the other side of Ketterbridge. This is actually the same street that Aunt Sarah lives on, only much farther down the road. Her part of the street is lined with houses, but we’ve gone far enough that the houses here are more spaced out. There are stretches of nature between each of them. A wall of trees lines the winding blacktop road, branches forming a natural green ceiling in some places.
So far as I know, there aren’t any apartment buildings out here. Not even the very small, four-story type that you usually find in Ketterbridge.
So I’m pretty much lost when Aiden pulls over, puts my car in park, and kills the engine.
“Did we go the wrong way?” I ask, and Aiden silently shakes his head.
He gets out of the car, so I get out, too. Then I pause immediately, gazing up over the treetops.
There’s a beautiful view of the mountain from here, the one with Aiden’s Tree. It rises high up into the vast afternoon sky, its emerald-green blanket made vivid by the spring sunlight. A few wispy clouds have caught on the peak, white mist flowing slowly through the evergreens. I can make out the pinprick dots of a few birds fluttering up from the trees.
“Wow.” I stare up at the mountain, then turn to look at Aiden. “Are you seeing th-?”
I stop abruptly, having caught a glimpse of what’s on the other side of the street.
There’s an opening in the tangle of nature lining the road. An arched doorway cut into the thick green masses, small white flowers dripping down its lefthand side.
Aiden takes my hand, then takes a deep breath. He tosses his head in the direction of the doorway, squeezing my fingers.
“C’mon,” he murmurs.
I'm really not sure what’s going on. I let Aiden lead me across the street and through the opening, glancing up at him curiously.
Closer now, I can see that the doorway is actually a trellis of dark metal, which is almost completely hidden by the vivid green life growing all over it. It opens into a trellised pathway, where nature forms a graceful, arched ceiling made purely of plants.
Long streams of leaves spill down from the top in wild abundance, fluttering in the light breeze. Pale green sunlight falls through them, pooling onto the worn stone steps that form the path. They’re sunk deeply into the earth, half-consumed by a soft carpet of wild grass and free-growing flowers.
I stare around with wide eyes as we walk, absorbed completely in the quiet beauty of this place.
It’s a short little path, and it lets us out in front of a mossy brick wall, which is half-crumbling beneath the weight of the vines, flowers, and ferns growing all over it. A perfectly round, solid wood gate is set into the center. It’s painted a bright green color, and it has a rounded metal handle.
Beyond the wall, I can see the roof of a house.
I stare at it, stricken, then twist to look at Aiden. My heart is suddenly hammering.
“Know what you’re thinking,” Aiden says softly, his blue eyes full of nerves. “Just - check it out first.”
I stare at him with startled eyes, then turn back to the gate, hesitating.
Moving as if in a dream, I slowly reach out and take the handle, give it a tug. The round gate swings open, letting out a breath of green-scented air.
I step through the opening, then stop still.
I’m faced with a small front garden, so deeply overgrown that I can’t see an inch of bare earth. Beyond it, the house.
I stare at it, entranced, my fingertips pressed over my mouth.
It’s small and snug, almost like a cottage. Its stone walls are smooth with age, blanketed here and there with ivy. A short brick chimney rises up from the roof, and I think I can make out a second one towards the far side of the house.
The door is painted a deep, sea-green color. There’s a hook set into the wall right next to it, and hanging from the hook, an old lantern.
Aiden said that this place was old. I can tell. Nature has climbed up the walls, which are hemmed in by trees. Even the shingles on the roof are draped with soft moss. A wild cluster of ferns has burst up from the roof near one of the second-story windows, its leaves tumbling down to brush against the glass.
It looks like the house grew right up out of the ground.
My spellbound heart doesn’t know what to do with itself, looking at this place. It stumbles wildly, pounds hard and fast, missing beats left and right.
The stone steps of the path we’re on continue right up to the door. Without thinking, I set off walking towards it. Aiden follows, and I can feel that he’s looking at me, but I don’t turn to face him. I’m having trouble taking my eyes off of the house.
Aiden has a key. He unlocks the sea-green door and gives it a gentle push. Then he takes my hand, leads me inside.
The door opens to a living room. It’s a small, cozy room with wide windows, some set deep enough into the walls that they have window seats. The floor is sunk into the ground, as if rooted to the earth below.
An old fireplace with elaborate metalwork is set into one wall. Big, built-in bookshelves in the one across from it. In the far corner, a winding, free-standing staircase loops in two graceful curves, leading to the upstairs floor.
Aiden squeezes my fingers. “Let’s do upstairs first.”
I let him lead me up the stairs, silent and wide-eyed. My eyes are roaming everywhere, taking everything in as we step into the upstairs hallway. And the more I take in, the more I realize…
This house is kind of an oddball.
It’s like whoever built it just did whatever they wanted, with no kind of plan, no concerns about consistency. There are strange little details everywhere, and none of them really match.
There are metal air vent covers with intricate, flowered designs. There are some places with floor-to-ceiling windows, others with big, perfectly round ones, others made of glass panes in all different colors. There are shelves made of rough stone, others of natural, unpainted wood. There are little wooden cabinets with colorful, peeling paint, literally built into the walls.
There are brick walls, and painted plaster ones. The paint comes in completely different colors, depending on the room. Canary yellow, soft green, deep, bright blue.
Aiden opens the door at the end of the hallway, lets us into what must be the master bedroom.
I stop in the doorway, taking in a sharp breath.
One of the windows in here has been left open, because - there’s a tree branch growing through it, right into the room. Not a small one, either - a mature branch, sturdy enough to sit on. It reaches at least two feet into the bedroom, its leaves dancing in the light breeze.
“Yeah, that - might be a practical problem,” Aiden rumbles, from behind me. “I kinda thought it was cool, though.”
It takes me a second to tear my eyes away from it. I look around the bedroom and see more mismatched windows, in all shapes and sizes. There’s also one wall with no windows at all. Instead, a wide, curved alcove has been carved out of the plaster. Presumably the place where the bed is supposed to go. A cast-iron, wood-burning stove sits in the corner across from it.
“This would be our room,” Aiden murmurs, so quietly that I can barely hear him. “There’s a place for the ghosts, too, but it’s not part of the main house. I can show you, later. It’s a little bit of a walk.”
He falls quiet, waiting for me to say something.
I can’t pull a single word into my mouth, so I just turn and go back down the hallway.
One door opens to a bathroom, and one opens to a closet. The next one is closed, so I push it open.
It’s another bedroom. Must be, because there’s another, smaller alcove for a bed to be tucked into. Three of them, actually.
There’s space for three small beds.
I turn slowly to look at Aiden. He’s leaning a shoulder against the doorframe, avoiding my eyes.
He runs a hand over the back of his neck, then shrugs. “Could do whatever with this room.”
I stare at him, then stare at the bedroom for a long moment.
Aiden hesitates, then takes my hand and leads me back downstairs. I follow him across the living room, through a navy blue door, and into a little nook just off of the kitchen. A warm, cozy little room, with a second fireplace.
“You know what the owner called this, when he showed me the house?” Aiden asks.
I look up at him questioningly, and he huffs out a soft laugh.
“The coffee room.”
I stare at the coffee room in silence until Aiden gives my hand a tug, guides me into the kitchen.
I pause just inside the door, blinking in surprise.
The kitchen is odd, much like the rest of the house. There are tons of built-in shelves of all shapes and sizes. More cabinets set right into the walls. A rounded ceiling, like a cave. Each wall is a different, bright color.
But my eyes are focused on the windowsill above the sink. Or what’s on the windowsill, more accurately. A large, grey and white cat, napping peacefully in the sunshine.
She wakes up when Aiden and I step into the kitchen. She lifts her head and surveys us over her white whiskers, eyeing us suspiciously.
We both hold still, and she seems to decide that we’re not a threat. She yawns, closes her bright blue eyes, and stretches out in the sunlight.
“She comes with the house,” Aiden informs me. “That’s non-negotiable, apparently.”
“What?” I twist to look up at him, startled. “The owner wants to leave his cat here?”
“No. It’s the cat who’s unwilling to negotiate, not the owner.” Aiden shrugs his broad shoulders, folding his arms over his chest. “She’s a stray. Decided this is her house, I guess. The owner can’t get her to leave.”
A short silence, and then he adds: “I’ve been calling her Luna.”
I take a second to absorb that, then cross to Luna. She opens her eyes again, watching me warily.
“Hi, cute thing,” I say softly, holding out my knuckles for her.
She sniffs them, blinks up at me slowly. Then she sets her chin back on the windowsill, tucks her paws beneath herself, and lets out a sleepy sigh.
I lean over her to look out of the window, then suppress a strangled little sound. There’s a small, boxed-in kitchen-garden just beyond the window, hugging the side of the house. Overgrown completely, but clearly plotted out for it.
While I’m still trying to process that, Aiden comes up behind me, gently rests his hands on my waist.
“Wanna show you something,” he murmurs.
In a daze, I let him lead me to a door at the far end of the kitchen. It opens outside, to the back of the house.
I step out into the open air, then take in a sharp gasp. My fingers fly up to my mouth.
We’re in a garden.
It’s half-buried in overgrowth, but I can make out the bones. Paths of time-worn stone, and moss-laden stone benches, too. The bushes have all grown wild, creating a rich forest of flowers. Tangles of wild berry plants burst up from the earth, bearing blue and scarlet drops of ripening fruit. The brick wall enclosing the garden is thick with vines, curtained with deep, deep green leaves. Held fast in the embrace of nature.
And there are trees. Huge ones, old ones. Branches hang thick with leaves, absorbing the late afternoon glow, casting light-spun shadows. A weeping willow arches over in the back corner near the wall, its airy branches trailing all the way down to kiss the wild grass.
A few small birds had been hopping around in the green shadows of the garden. Now they burst into flight, cheeping brightly, sending up glittering droplets from the pools they were bathing in. Puddles left behind by the rain, all of them shimmering like tiny mirrors in the fading golden light.
An early evening dew is just starting to fall over the garden, and the plants are streaming off their beautiful, natural perfume. I take big, deep breaths of it. I recognize it as the scent that was clinging to Aiden.
I stand there in stunned silence, my hands slowly flexing and unflexing. This garden has almost brought tears to my eyes. Some kind of breath-stealing ecstasy has come over me, and I can’t break my eyes away. Can’t say a word. Can barely breathe.
Aiden is drawing closer to me. He stops right behind me, and I hear him anxiously fidgeting with his snapback.
“So, um,” he begins, haltingly. “No one’s been interested in this house, because the previous tenants took really bad care of it, left it in terrible shape. They also left all their stuff when they moved out. The owner’s an old guy, it was too much for him to get rid of on his own. I asked him if I could clean the house out before I showed you, and he was pretty happy about that, so. Yeah. Raj, Noah, and Ripples helped me do it.”
I finally manage to tear my eyes away from the garden. I turn slowly to stare at Aiden, blank-faced. He looks down at me anxiously, clears his throat before he goes on.
“Since it’s been on the market for ages with no takers, I persuaded the owner to let us rent it for a year.” Aiden hesitates, nibbling his lip, then pins on - “He said that at the end of that year, if we want to buy it, we can.”
I stare at Aiden, just stare and stare at him. He runs a nervous hand over his stubble, his jaw tensed.
“Look,” he says, speaking faster and faster, “I know that sounds like a big commitment. I don’t want you to feel any pressure to do that. That’s why I thought we could just rent it for now. And then, later, if you want - I mean, if we want - we’d be all set up, like… but if you don’t like that idea, or don’t like the house, that’s totally fine...”
He trails off and swallows hard, his blue eyes staring down into mine, searching.
“We can afford the rent,” he pushes on, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “It’s outside of the budget we talked about, but - I’ve been saving up for a long time. It’s not even as expensive as I thought it would be. I get the feeling that the owner would just be happy to have someone living here. The only offer he’s had on the house was from a developer who just wanted it for the land. They were gonna knock it down, and he said he’d prefer not to-”
“What?” I interrupt, aghast.
Aiden pauses, blinking at me. “Um-?”
“Knock down our house?” I sputter, before I can think it all the way through. “No, they can’t - fuck that, how could they? Knock down this beautiful - oh - oh, my god.”
I shut up abruptly, having come to a sudden realization. I let out a dazed little laugh, then drop my face into my hands.
The house was going to be knocked down, if Aiden and I didn’t take it.
My Guardian really can’t help himself. Even the house is a rescue.
“Aiden,” I laugh, lifting my head to look up at him. “Do you realize-?”
I fall silent mid-sentence, the instant my gaze meets his. I’ve completely lost my train of thought.
Aiden’s blue eyes are shining, glowing, radiant with happiness. The sweet, eager smile on his face is almost more than my heart can bear.
He slowly takes my hand, his lip pinned between his teeth.
“Our house?” he repeats, his low voice soft and hoarse. “That, um. That mean you want to live here with me?”
I gaze up at him, at a total loss for words. It’s only just now really dawning on me that this could be ours. This garden, this house. I look up at it, my heart swelling.
The honeysuckle dripping down the sides of the mismatched windows. The branch growing right inside upstairs. The two little chimneys, the mossy roof.
There’s something implicitly warm about it, despite its strangeness. Something inviting and cozy and gentle.
It’s a house for doing magic.
It’s our house.
I drop my gaze to Aiden again, feeling wild with happiness. I draw him to me, lean up, and kiss him.
Heliomancer light is floating through the garden like golden smoke by the time I pull away. It shimmers against the fast-falling indigo dusk, glitters in Aiden’s dazed blue eyes.
Neither of us says anything for a long moment. We just look at each other, fingers intertwined. Something is happening deep down in my heart, some feeling like - like I need to remember this moment, because this will be the first of many kisses that Aiden and I share in this garden.
No problem. I don’t think I could forget this if I tried.
Aiden is already beaming, but now I see it dawn on him that he won the bet.
“Don’t start,” I laugh, as a triumphant grin spreads across his face. “I’m happy to lose this one, anyways.”
Aiden puts his forehead to mine, gives my nose an affectionate nuzzle. “Good surprise?”
“Oh, my god.” I let out a weak, helpless little sound. “Aiden, it’s…”
I can’t even find the words. Aiden smiles down at me, understanding.
“Now we get to see what surprises the house has in store for us,” he tells me, his deep voice rich with warmth and happiness.
I laugh, cupping his face in my hand. “Yeah, something tells me it probably has a few-”
I break off in surprise as I’m interrupted by a sudden, loud noise.
Aiden and I both turn to see Luna standing in the doorway, looking up at us, her grey tail flicking.
“Did she just make that sound?” I ask, taken aback. “That was not a meow.”
Luna yowls at us again, confirming that the sound was, in fact, from her. Aiden and I both startle, then look at each other, trying not to laugh.
“What’s wrong with you, cat?” Aiden rumbles, as she picks her way over to us.
“Maybe she’s cold?” I suggest, glancing out at the fading sunlight.
Aiden thinks about that for a moment, then bends down and scoops Luna up. He holds her against his chest and zips her into his jacket, leaving her head peeking out at the top.
I feel him put off a wave of toasty Heliomancer warmth. Luna cozies up deeper into his jacket, then closes her eyes in a contented sort of way.
“Well, surprise number one of our new place,” Aiden laughs. “Our resident cat doesn’t meow when she needs something. She just yells.”
I look at Aiden, then at Luna, who so easily got comfortable in his arms, like she’s been there a thousand times before. Once again, I’m all out of words.
I can’t explain it, but somehow this feels like the house is embracing us. Like it was waiting for us all this time, and it’s happy that we’re finally here. Like it’s speaking to us, and I can understand its message.
Welcome home, Companion Plants.
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