Chapter Six

I stared for a long time at the article photo. It was in black and white, of course, but it was definitely the little boy from the photo. My mind started to move faster than what I could possibly process. Would that explain my dream last night with the fire? Somehow, was this little boy the wolf from my dreams? Was he trying to tell me something? What did I need to remember?

Before I could drift off into my thoughts too far, Freya put a tender hand to my left shoulder. Her fingers gently squeezed as she leaned down to look at my screen closer. So close, in fact, that I could feel her warm breath on my neck and on the back of my ear. I tensed up so as to not shiver from the feeling. I snapped back to reality and slightly turned my head to face her. I could see up close her freckles that were splashed across her cheek. She had a slight frown on her face. She finally opened up her plump lips, that, admittedly, I was staring a little too hard at, and finally spoke.

"So...this little boy that you don't seem to remember went missing after the fire? Do you think he managed to escape?" she questioned, turning to look at me now. Our faces were mere inches apart. My heart started to knock against my ribs and climb into my throat at the closeness. My mouth went a little dry so I licked my lips before I gathered myself.

"I.." I started, "I think so. But I don't know anything about him. The article says his name is Stefan Petrov. He was thirteen years old at the time. That's all." I sighed, finally turning my face away to look back at the screen. I tapped my pointer finger on the empty space of the laptop as I tried to think. "I guess, we just look up that name and maybe see what we can find? It's at least a start."

Freya gave a nod and slid her hand off of my shoulder before going back to where she was set up. Then, she started doing some more typing to try and find more information. I did the same. We sat there for a little while longer in silence. Which grew increasingly more... sorrowful. I finally closed my laptop and put my face into my hands. I wasn't finding anything else. The only thing I was able to find was a slightly newer article about him saying that he was still missing and presumed dead. Rey also closed her laptop and I could feel her eyes on my back.

"Why don't we go catch some fresh air, hun? Maybe we'll be able to come back with a different perspective and make progress afterwards?" she suggested, sitting on the edge of the bed with her hands on either side of her thighs. Since her legs were too short, they didn't touch the ground, instead just dangling off of the edge. I looked up from my hands and turned in my chair to look at her.

"Yeah. Yeah, let's go do that." I could tell my voice sounded defeated. Standing up from the chair, I grabbed my purse and took a deep breath. "Let's go then. I could go for some lunch too."

Freya did the same as me and slipped on some shoes. She then took my elbow and gave it a soft squeeze. "It'll be okay. I just know it." She flashed me a gap-toothed grin and then opened up the door.

*~*~*~*

The first place we stopped at was an antique shop in one of the strip malls on Main Street. It was a cute little place. It was well organized and open. Its contents mostly consisted of old dolls and some old handmade items like wicker baskets and blankets. Freya lightly touched everything like it was going to break if she touched it too hard. Which, to be fair, some of it did look that way. She had a particular fondness towards the wicker baskets and handmade items. Her gaze became ever so soft and full of happiness when we reached that section. It made my heart melt slightly seeing the look on her face.

We weren't in there long before we politely waved goodbye to the old woman manning the front and took our leave. We walked down the cobbled path and I looked around the town. My previous thoughts were correct. During the daytime, it was an adorable town. The kind that made you think of the movies where the city girl moves to a small town to start her life fresh and finds a small town boy to fall in love with.

Our next stop was a little diner. It was on a corner and seemed to have been there since probably the 1950's. When you walked in, it was almost like walking through a door to the past. The black and white tile, the red cushioned bar stools that were circular and lined up in front of a bar top that had three sides. Booths lined the walls next to the windows and there were a handful of small square tables with two chairs each against the other walls. Even the uniform that the waitress wore seemed to have been styled to match the theme: a blue dress with the white apron around her waist.

The waitress looked at us with a glowing smile and greeted us, "Welcome! Please, take a seat anywhere and I'll bring you a menu to look over!" She walked over to a section of the bar where she pulled out two menus before walking to the left side of the bar where she lifted up a platform to let herself out and walk over to the booth Freya and I sat at. She set the menus down in front of us and pulled a small notepad and pen out from her apron pocket. She looked between us with that polite smile. "What can I get you to drink today ladies?"

I looked over to Freya first. She smiled up at the waitress and said, "I would like a sweet tea please. With a lemon slice." and then began to look over the menu that was only front and back. The waitress jotted down on her notepad and then looked at me expectantly.

"Uhm... a coke for me. Please," I requested quickly, never looking up from my menu. I didn't like eye contact much. Ordering always made me nervous and I wasn't comfortable meeting new people even if it was only for a split moment. I always tried to hide in my own skin. It's just how I was.

The waitress jotted down my drink as well before putting the notepad back in her apron pocket. She once more gave a polite smile. "I'll be right back with your drinks." She then went back to behind the counter and into the swinging doors to make our drinks for us.

As I mentioned before, the menu was simple. It consisted of a few different kinds of hamburgers, desserts, and a few non-burger items like fried fish and salads. So, it didn't take me long to decide on the mushroom swiss hamburger they had with fries. I sat my menu down and looked out the window. I was too scared to look at Freya. I didn't want to get caught staring so I simply looked the other way. After a short while, Freya sat her menu down and did the same as I.

We sat in silence for no longer than a minute before she was the first to break it. "I keep looking to see if the wolf is there now," she spoke softly, almost in a whisper. She clasped her hands together and I could see her glance at me from the corner of my eye.

I turned my head towards her and gave a soft smile. "I understand. My entire life I only ever heard voices. But the wolf?” I paused, chewing on my lip. “I thought my medicine had stopped working… I started expecting him to pop up everywhere I looked.”

Her small hand reached forward and took mine. She squeezed softly and gave a soft chuckle. "Well, he's not a hallucination. So, you don't have to worry about that anymore," she reassured me. I smiled back to her and gave a small nod before averting my gaze once more to the window.

The waitress came back and Freya removed her hand from mine before smiling brightly. The waitress set our drinks down and once more took her notepad out. "Have we decided what we want to eat or would you like a couple of extra minutes?"

"Oh, I think we're ready!" Freya said, not wasting anymore time to give the waitress her order of a cheeseburger all the way and extra fries. I could hear the scratching of her pen before she turned to me. I then gave her my order and the waitress collected our menus after writing my order down as well.

"Alright, sweethearts, your food will be out in just a little while," she said, before walking to the back once more. Freya then turned her attention to me.

"So, where would you like to go after this, you think?" She asked, placing her cheek into the palm of her hand and resting her elbow on the edge of the table. Her eyes were practically glowing with the prospect of exploring somewhere new. She loved discovering new things. I think that was another reason she wanted to come with me. I loved her for that. I loved that about her in general.

"I think I saw a book shop around the corner, if you would like? I think it had a coffee shop too." I fiddled with putting a straw inside of my drink and kept my gaze down. I was trying so hard to keep things seeming platonic.

"Ooouuu! Coffee and browsing books sounds wonderful!" she said, clapping her hands together and I could hear the excitement in her voice. I couldn't stop the corners of my lips lifting up into a smile from the sound.

"Then, there you go," I said, putting the straw into my mouth and taking a sip of my drink. Freya always knew just what I needed, cause I could feel myself being lifted into a better mood. The jumbled thoughts and feelings filed away into organized shelves in my mind slowly but surely.

Freya then leaned back into the back of the booth seat and smiled at me. "I like going out to do things with you. You start coming out of your shell when we do," she said, a warm look on her face. I could feel my cheeks heat up and I continued to look down at my cup. I was too embarrassed to say anything. Even if I wasn't embarrassed, what do you say to that?

"I uhm...I like going to do things with you too..." I responded, awkwardly. I hoped she couldn't see my reddened cheeks with me looking down. I could hear a small giggle from across the table. I took another long drink from my cup and tried to think of a way to change the direction of conversation. Of course, me being unable to carry a conversation to save my life, my mind was blank of any ideas.

Her sweet voice was heard once more. "I would hope you do. I think I would be a little sad if you didn't." She leaned slightly forward once more, putting her cheek into her hand and leaning against the table. With her other hand she was stirring her sweet tea. Her eyes were glued to me. I made the mistake of looking up and meeting eyes with her. My heart got caught on the beat it was working on. Her green eyes became emeralds once more in the sun. The sparkling gems were absolutely awe-inspiring.

We held eye contact like this for mere seconds before I quickly looked away at the sound of footsteps. It was the waitress coming with a tray that held our baskets of food. I almost saw angel wings on her. My saving grace from any further embarrassment. I adjusted my posture to sit up more and removed my hands from the table so she could set our food down in front of us. With a small smile she said, "Enjoy your meal." and went on about her other duties once more.

I immediately took a bite of my burger to avoid having to say anything else. Freya had a soft smile on her face as she started to eat as well. We didn't say much else for the rest of our lunch.

*~*~*~*

We walked out from the diner and into the cobbled streets once more. Our bellies were full and our moods a little brighter. I then led the way to the bookstore and cafe I had seen. Freya stuck close to my side, only leaving a few inches between us. It made my heart flutter being this close to her. Our hands were almost brushing at this point.

We reached the bookstore that was on a corner and I opened the door for her. Once she had walked through, I followed her. Immediately, a blend of the smell of books and coffee enveloped me. It was a very comforting smell to me. It was even a little warm inside, making me feel as if I was being hugged by a motherly librarian. I instantly felt relaxed.

Freya took my wrist and led me to the coffee shop first. She smiled warmly as she let her eyes soak in everything about the small store. It was set up like a library. A few computers and desks in the center of the coffee shop. Then all of the walls with shelves almost up to the ceiling full of books. Separating where the coffee shop and bookstore met was a half wall set up around the perimeter of what the coffee shop was. These half walls also served as bookshelves on the bookstore side. On the coffee shop side, the shelves were filled with mugs, small decorative succulents and flowers, and a few magazines and books here and there.

Since there weren't that many people inside, there wasn't much of a line to wait in. We walked up to the counter and looked over the menu for a little while. Freya rocked on her toes as she looked it over. She smiled and quickly chose what she wanted. "Can I get a large white chocolate and vanilla latte with a pump of chocolate?" she requested, giving the kindest smile. The male barista smiled back and started tapping away on the screen.

He then looked at me. I chewed on my lip a little and glanced over the menu once more. "I'll have a large caramel coffee with extra caramel in it please." Once more, he tapped away on the screen.

We paid for the coffee and sat at one of the tables for the order to be done. Both of our eyes were wandering around the shop, just taking it all in. The lights had a soft orange glow to them and it gave the shop a warm and slightly dimmed look to it. Not so dim for the few that just liked to come in and read to have a hard time, but just dim enough to set the mood. Once our names were called, we gathered our coffee and started to roam the shelves.

Every now and then Freya would get my attention to talk about a book she found either interesting or that she had read before. Since she had to whisper, she would lean in close to me so I would be able to hear her better. The soft sound of her voice in my ear was almost unbearable. I could feel goosebumps rise up on my arm. I would smile and listen of course. I loved hearing her talk about things she was passionate about. Besides, I didn't have much to say anyways so her doing most of the talking was no problem.

We took our time, sipping on our coffee as we browsed through the books the store had to offer. By the time we finished our coffee we each had about three books in our arms that we were gonna buy and bring home. We made our way to the counter where a middle aged woman was working. She was looking down, seemingly doing inventory, and looked up at us. She smiled warmly at us and started to scan our books.

She was looking at me with a peculiar look as she did. A small frown on her face. Her eyes gave the impression she was trying to remember me from somewhere. Finally, she opened her mouth. "Where...did you get that necklace?" she asked, pointing a red polished nail to the small moon charm around my neck. My hand reached up to caress it and I looked down a little.

"It's mine...well, it was when I was younger. I just recently found it," I answered without giving away my whole life story. But, the woman's expression changed completely at my answer. From confusion to complete surprise and shock.

"Emelia?" she exclaimed. I flinched slightly and looked back up to her. Now it was my turn to look confused.

"You know me?" I was just as shocked as her. She did seem somewhat familiar but I couldn't remember her. I was racking my brain in order to hopefully pull up some kind of memory. Of course, it wasn’t working.

She smiled brightly and clapped her hands together. "My name is Alyssa. I used to work at the orphanage before it burned down... I was one of the caretakers for the children. You don't remember me?"

I averted my eyes down in shame. "I'm sorry...I lost my memories from before I was adopted... that's actually why I'm here," I explained.

"I see," She said, then finished scanning our books. She smiled warmly. "I get off around seven tonight. If you want, we can meet up at the local bar and we can talk more there. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have," she offered.

I was surprised. "Really? That sounds great actually. What time would you like to meet there? Eight?" I looked over to Freya who was also smiling. Not in a gloating manner, but she had a 'I told you so' look on her face. It would work out in the end and here we are.

"Eight sounds good to me. That gives me enough time to go home and get changed," she agreed, then handed us our bag of books. "Your total is thirty dollars," she said with a wink. I know for a fact the books were about fifteen bucks each. I quickly shook my head. There was no way I was going to accept such a thing. She gave me a soft sigh. "They're buy one, get one free, darling. It's okay." I knew it was a lie but I didn't want to argue. I paid the fee and smiled politely.

"I'll see you at eight..." I said before giving a wave and walking out of the bookstore, feeling almost elated but mostly nervous. Freya, on the other hand, was bouncing with glee.

"See?! I told you! It would work out just fine if we went out for some fresh air!" she exclaimed, bumping her shoulder against me. She giggled and started to hum softly to herself as we walked back to the hotel to wait for eight to come around.

*~*~*~*

Seven o'clock came around within what felt like just a few minutes. Freya and I started to get dressed. I put on a pair of dark blue skinny jeans with some factory made holes here and there, a black tank top that had a loose fold around the bust area and hugged my waist, and some slip-on flats (also black) to complete the look.

I looked over to Freya to see how far along she was at getting ready and felt my breath hitch. She was wearing a navy blue dress. The hem of it was above her mid-thigh and it had a pinched look on one side, making it hug her curvy figure. It was sleeveless on one side, curving up into the off the shoulder side. Small sequence diamonds starting from the pinched area that scattered off to the rest of the dress were dazzling in the light of the motel room. I could hardly look away. She was standing there putting her hair up into a half ponytail with a navy blue scrunchy. The words fell from my mouth, "You are absolutely beautiful."

She gave a warm smile and turned to me, finishing up her ponytail, to give a small giggle. "Thank you~! You look beautiful too," she said, grabbing her makeup bag now and heading to the bathroom where a large mirror was to finish getting ready. I wasn't one for makeup usually, but given the circumstances I decided on eyeliner and mascara to finish my look today. I grabbed my bag and headed in there with her. I just did a winged look, and since I had hooded eyes, I did the trick where you make it angled at the crease of your eye so that when your eye was opened it looked like a normal wing.

Freya, on the other hand, did a full face of makeup. Different shades of blue to make a smokey eye look with a simple cat eyeliner style. She put on some neutral pink lipstick and smiled over to me in the mirror. "All ready to go then?" She asked, putting away her makeup and neatly setting the bag to the side.

I nodded, still speechless before the angel in front of me. I put away my few items I used and headed back to grab my purse.

*~*~*~*

We walked through the door of the only bar that was in town. It was busier than I was expecting it to be, considering how small the town was. The music was loud, like at any other bar, and it was more set up like a nightclub than anything. Young adults and a few middle-aged adults were gathered in the center of the room dancing to the music with drinks in hand. My eyes scanned the room trying to find Alyssa.

Freya exclaimed a little and grabbed my wrist. "Oh! Look, she's over there!" She had to yell in order for me to hear her over the music. She pointed to a corner of the bar where a blond woman was sitting facing out to the crowd like she was looking for someone. It was, in fact, Alyssa. I nodded, walking over to her.

When she saw us she smiled warmly like a mother who just had a surprise visit from her children. "Hey! You made it," she said, waving to the two chairs she had been saving for us at the bar. We both sat down.

"Freya, by the way," the curly haired woman said, sticking out her hand for a handshake. Alyssa took it and smiled more.

"Charmed. You already know my name of course." She laughed a little and then turned her gaze to me. "Let me get you two a couple of drinks and we'll talk." She then raised her hand to the bartender and called him over. "Two strawberry daiquiris please and thank you."

The man nodded and smiled, "Of course, Lyss, anything for you." Then, he turned to make the two drinks. While he was occupied, Alyssa turned to us once more. "So, where did you come from to visit this little old town? I can't seem to remember where that nice couple who adopted you came from."

"Oh, New York. But, my parents live in Maine," I explained. "I'm going to school there..." I trailed off. She didn't need to know too much.

Her smile never left her face. "I'm glad you've been having a good life. I was a little bit worried about you.." she began, looking down to her glass. "You and Stefan came from such unknown backgrounds I didn't know what would become of you after you left…" she finished, giving a soft sigh before taking a drink.

Our daiquiris came and I took a drink of mine through the thick straw that came with it. "What do you mean?" My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Hmm? I mean, when you and Stefan were left at our doorstep, tears in your eyes with scratch marks all over you and dirty little faces... I will admit I was a little worried. Especially Stefan," she explained, her smile fading a little bit. "He was..” she trailed off, “a troubled child. He was a few years older than you and so very protective of you. He barely let you out of his sight." She started to ramble a little bit. "Always getting into fights...the only person I saw him being friendly to was you."

I frowned. I couldn't remember any of this. "Really? I...really don't remember." I fell silent for a moment while I processed everything she had just told me. "Wait, we came together? Like...from the same place?" I looked up to her, my eyes wide. "Is he my brother?"

Alyssa shook her head. "No, we did a DNA test to see if you were biological siblings and that wasn't the case. Since we didn't know where you two were from...but we didn't inquire to see who may have been your parents. It didn't matter. There's no point trying to find parents of dropped off children..." She covered her mouth. She must have not meant to say that. "Ah, please don't take that the wrong way. I just mean that when children are dropped off we don't inquire about the parents... we don't judge. And we certainly don't pester..." She sighed and shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not good at explaining myself." She gave a nervous chuckle.

I listened to her every word and sighed. "Well if we aren't brother and sister then we must have felt like we may as well have been if what you say is true."

"Oh, most definitely. If you wanted him you would even say 'I want my brother.' When you were upset. You must have grown up together in some way or another," she continued to explain. "He was so upset when you got adopted. He was inconsolable. His anger was even worse than it was before. Lashing out at everyone and keeping to himself." She sighed. "I tried so hard to give him extra kindness. It was like he didn't trust anyone other than you."

I frowned more. The more she spoke of him, the more it felt like a memory was clawing its way out from the vault it was trapped in. "Did I by chance...call him 'Effie?' when I was younger?" I asked.

She seemed surprised. "Yes, actually. I guess you had a hard time pronouncing his name when you were a toddler. You called him Effie until you were about five years old. Then, you only called him if you were sick or hurt." She smiled a little. "I see you're kind of remembering a few things." Her eyes fell down to the necklace and she fell silent for a moment.

"You both had one of those charms when you came in," she said, pointing to my necklace. "His, was on a cloth string though." She sighed once more. "Do you have any questions for me? I really feel like I'm just rambling." Another nervous chuckle.

I looked over to Freya, who was so intrigued she was basically buzzing. I smiled a bit then looked back at Alyssa. "What happened? The fire?" I asked.

Her face fell. "I had already left by this point. But I remember rushing over when I heard about it. I saw all of the firetrucks racing towards the direction of the orphanage. It was absolutely terrible." She shook her head. "They said it was old wiring but...I have a really hard time believing that." She chewed on her lip. "If you want my honest opinion about it.” She then talked quieter, so no one else could hear her. “ I think Stefan may have done it." She looked down almost in guilt. "He was so much angrier after you had gone and threatened the other children on several occasions...I think one day he just...finally snapped." she said, fiddling with her own fingers.

My eyes widened. "So...you think he set the fire and then ran?"

A small nod.

Freya piped up. "Do you think he's still alive out there?"

Alyssa turned her head towards Rey and nodded again. "He was a resilient little boy. He knew how to hunt and survive out in the wild. He and Mel would spend many nights out in the woods when they first got there. It was like...that's all they knew almost." She glanced over at me. "You finally convinced him that it was safe inside. But every now and then I would catch you two out there."

Suddenly everything clicked inside of my head. Well, most things. Like the forest in my dreams. A small memory of camping out in front of a fire. Okay...so there was that answered. But there was still so much more. So, so much more. "Uhm... would you have any clue where he might have gone after? Any kind of clues?"

She shook her head. "He never opened up to us. So, I would have no idea, sweetheart. I'm so sorry."

I looked down to my drink again and sighed too. Fuck. I took a large mouthful of my drink. I couldn't think of anything else to ask. And considering Rey's silence, I don't think she could either. "Well, thank you... I know more about my past now regardless. I appreciate that."

Alyssa smiled and rubbed my head gently, running her fingers through my hair just slightly. "Of course, darling. I am so glad to have seen you. Now, how about we just enjoy the rest of our night, hm?" she suggested before finishing off the mixed drink in one large gulp.

*~*~*~*

It was probably about eleven o'clock when Freya and I walked back into the motel room. We were both a little tipsy but not really drunk. I felt really relaxed. More relaxed than I have been in a very, very long time. A smile that wasn't forced was plastered on my face and giggles were erupting from down in my belly. Freya had her arm wrapped around my waist because we were both a little unsteady on our feet.

I kicked my flats off and walked over to my bed, falling backwards onto it and giving out a contented sigh. "I feel so much better," I admitted, closing my eyes and just relaxing into the bed. I felt movement on the bed and then Rey put her head on my arm.

"Mmm, I'm glad. It's always nice seeing a genuine smile on your face," she said, relaxing into my arm. Of course, I was sober enough to be aware of how close she was. So, my heart started to pound in my chest. I was just drunk enough to fight off the nervousness and tighten my arm around her to move her and get her head on my chest instead. I just hoped she wouldn't notice my heart rate.

“They're always genuine, thank you," I retorted, my fingers idly running through her curly hair in slow and soft motions. "Well, when I'm around you, anyways." The words slipped from my mouth. I felt my cheeks warm up in a blush but I didn't correct myself. The words were true.

I heard a soft chuckle and felt her nuzzle a little more into my chest. "Even better." She wrapped her arm around my waist and scoot closer to me. Her whole body was pressed close against my side now. I could feel my heart start to pound harder inside of my chest. So loud it was thumping in my ears. There was no hiding the fact I was nervous. She giggled and gave me a squeeze but didn't say anything. A silence fell between us.

Before too long, she grabbed my wrist and brought it over to her chest. She placed my palm over her heart and looked up at me with her emerald eyes. Beneath my hand I felt a drum. Her heart was beating just as fast as mine. I felt my tension ease and I smiled. "I'm glad I'm not the only one then..." I bit on my bottom lip a little. I couldn't look away from her eyes. My own brown eyes looking over her round face, examining every detail. Every freckle. Every perfect blemish that makes her...well, her.

Thump, thump

I moved the hand that was in her hair to the base of her neck and ran my thumb along the side of it with gentle fingers. I could feel small chill bumps beneath my thumb. Her cheeks started to turn a soft pink in color. But, she didn't move away from my touch like I thought she might have. I repositioned myself to my side to where I was facing her. Our faces were not even an inch apart. I could feel her shuddering breath against my skin. Warm. The light scent of sweet alcohol from the wine coolers she was drinking still lingering around. My own breath started to shudder with nerves and excitement.

I slowly moved my face a little closer. My grip on the base of her neck tightened as I pulled her into me. Closer and closer and closer .

I chickened out at the last moment and simply placed my forehead against hers. I smiled and my thumb went back to gently caressing her neck. I heard a very small whine and I just knew she was pouting.

"Not with alcohol in our system. I don't want a drunken, heat of the moment decision to mess with the friendship we have..." I explained myself, and moved my hand to cup her face. I caressed her cheek tenderly and kissed her forehead instead.

I felt her head move in a nodding motion. She nuzzled into my neck and sighed softly. "I should go get changed into pajamas, hm?" she said, but not making a move to get up. "...In a minute, though," she muttered quietly. I had no objection. I wrapped both of my arms around her and just held her for a little while. My heart eventually settled and instead started to radiate a warmth that I hadn't felt since I was a little girl. The warmth of pure happiness.

A few minutes went by and she shuffled slightly. A yawn escaped from her lips and she slowly sat up from between my arms. "I'm gonna go change before I end up passing out with my clothes and makeup on..." she said, stretching a little and then looking over to me. She looked a little nervous before she leaned down to plant a soft kiss on my cheek. She stood up and quickly hauled ass to the bathroom after grabbing a quick change of clothes.

My hand went up to my cheek in surprise. My lips curled up in a smile and I decided I would change too. I grabbed my black plaid pajama pants and an oversized Nirvana t-shirt. Once I was changed I laid down in my bed. I closed my eyes and just relaxed.

I heard the bathroom door open and not too long after, I felt Rey crawl into my bed. I turned to face her and wrapped my arms around her once more. I heard her soft voice say, "Cuddles..." and how could a woman say no? I chuckled softly and rubbed her back in slow and circular motions.

"Okay, okay. You can have cuddles," I said. Us cuddling wasn't unusual. She always liked to sleep in the same bed as me back at home too. Of course, this was slightly different but that's besides the point.

It wasn't long at all before Rey's breathing slowed down as she drifted off to sleep. My own eyes were heavy and the exhaustion of the day caught up. Mixed with alcohol it was perfect sleeping conditions.

The last thought to go through my head before I faded into unconsciousness was, I hope I can find him.