赤裸裸的滑稽故事

“So, you still put the ice cream in his mug… even though he isn’t here to drink it?” Ashleigh asked, looking at the full mug.

Galen took a breath, looked at the mug, and nodded.

“I make it just like I would if he were here,” he said. “I serve it and drink mine while I talk to him, just like I would if he were here.”

Ashleigh looked at Galen.

“What do you talk about?” she asked.

“Everything,” he said. “And nothing.”

Galen smiled, looking her in the eye.

“Just like I would if he were here.”

Ashleigh swallowed. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and then she smiled. She looked away and took a breath.

“This is your offering…” she said softly.

Galen nodded. The only other person that he had told about his offerings was Bell. Not even Fiona knew.

“You don’t burn anything…” she said.

“No,” he said, shaking his head.

Ashleigh leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and smiled as a tear fell from her eyes.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Galen looked at her.

“For what?” he asked.

Ashleigh turned her head and opened her eyes. Galen was surprised by what he saw in them. Relief.

“For sharing this with me…” she said. “For showing me that someone else believes he isn’t dead. He just… isn’t here.”

Galen swallowed.

He had agreed with Fiona and the rest. Life had to move forward. As much as they missed him, they couldn’t stop living for Caleb.

He wanted to search, but the fact was, they needed somewhere to do so. But there were no leads, no traces… there was nothing. Six months of nothing.

It made sense to believe that Caleb was dead.

But Galen could not believe it. He couldn’t accept it. Galen had tried, if for no other reason than to help Fiona get through her grief, to process it together. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not think of Caleb as truly gone.

He just wasn’t here.

“I don’t have any real reason to believe it…” Galen said softly.

“You just do,” Ashleigh said.

Galen nodded.

“I know the feeling,” she sighed. “It’s why I can’t stop searching.”

Galen felt a painful grip on his chest. Guilt.

“I can’t help you find him,” Galen said softly. “Summer, Fiona, Bell, and Ren… they need me here.”

“I know,” Ashleigh said with a nod. She turned to him with a smile. “It’s where he would want you to be anyway.”

Galen nodded, but the guilt didn’t ease.

“If you wouldn’t mind…” Ashleigh began. “Can I join you again? The next time you make your offering?”

He looked at her and smiled.

“I would be honored,” he said.

***

[PRESENT]

Ashleigh had barely fallen back to sleep when a gentle knock at the door stirred her. She sat up and sniffed the air, searching for the scent of who stood on the other side of the door. It was Maeve.

She took a deep breath, carefully lifting her body from Caleb’s arms. He made a quiet sound of protest, but her hand petted his hair gently, reassuring him enough to allow her to pull away and move off the bed.

Grabbing her robe, she quickly covered herself and hurried to the door. Opening it and catching Maeve’s eyes, she brought her finger to her lips.

Maeve nodded in understanding and stepped back from the door, allowing Ashleigh space to step out and close it behind her.

“Still making up for lost time, I see,” Maeve smiled with a raised brow.

Ashleigh rolled her eyes.

“You and Liam spent a month practically locked in his room when we returned from Winter, so I don’t want to hear it from you.”

“Fair point,” Maeve laughed.

Ashleigh smiled and took a deep breath. She and Maeve had become good friends over the past year as they had gotten to know each other.

Maeve was a good person, kind and funny, but she was also a strong and fierce woman when she wanted to be.

When Maeve first came to Liam’s pack, she was as scared and quiet as a mouse. But Ashleigh immediately recognized the source of the panic and concern on her face. She could see the doubt that fought against her desire for the man.

Having experienced fighting the bond, Ashleigh felt an immediate connection to Maeve. While she did like Liam, she didn’t particularly care if Maeve chose him or not. She wanted to help Maeve decide for herself and no one else.

Ultimately, Maeve chose Liam, and Ashleigh made a new friend.

“Ashleigh,” Maeve called, “I’m not here interrupting yer fun for nothing.”

“What’s wrong?” Ashleigh asked.

“I think we all got a wee bit lost in our own heads after yer man reappeared,” Maeve replied, “maybe forgot about the world around us… about certain events… or schedules we’ve got arranged…”

Ashleigh furrowed her brows, unsure of Maeve’s meaning. But then it dawned on her, and she gasped as she covered her mouth with her hand.

Maeve nodded.

“Yep…” she whispered.

“What day is it?” Ashleigh asked.

“She’ll be here the day after tomorrow,” Maeve replied.

Ashleigh closed her eyes and swallowed. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and her chest felt tight. She wasn’t ready for this. There was still so much she needed to tell Caleb before anyone else found out he was back.

She needed more time with him.

“We need to… uhm..” she stuttered. “We need to find a way to stall her... to keep her from coming here.”

“Easier said than done,” Maeve sighed. “You know how she is. The more I try to make her look left—”

“The more I’ll know to look right,” a familiar voice interrupted from behind Ashleigh.

Maeve’s eyes widened, and Ashleigh felt her heart stop. She swallowed and slowly turned to look behind her.

Leaning against the wall three doors down with her arms crossed over her chest and a half grin on her face was precisely who Ashleigh was desperate not to see.

"So, ladies," Alice said with a raised brow as she pushed away from the wall and stepped toward them. "What exactly am I looking at?"