Chapter 103

I went to bed early, leaving everyone to make snacks and forage on their own. I had to get up before dawn to start preparations, so I needed my rest. I could hear them down the hall, laughing and enjoying themselves, and I wished I knew where I fit in. I fell asleep to that sad thought.

* * * *

When I awoke, the alarm clock said four o’clock. Time to get up. Felix slept like the dead next to me, and I couldn’t help but reach out and stroke the hair back from his forehead. The strands had started to silver at his temples. I loved the man to distraction, and I was confused, hurt, and at a loss as to how to fix things between us, and it was a problem I’d created. With a soft sigh, I stood and silently padded from the room, taking the clothes I’d left on the floor so I could dress in the bathroom.