�Huh,� he said.
�What?�
�The wine�s gone. Maybe that means it�s time for bed,� Denizen said. They had been talking for three hours and had eaten an entire bag of pretzels and drank an entire bottle of wine.
�I think you�re right,� she said. She felt warmly buzzed from the wine and the daiquiris she had earlier. �I should go to my car to get my pajamas.�
�Don�t worry about them, you can wear some of mine,� Denizen said. He stood and held a hand out to her. She took it and got about halfway up before her knees gave out and she tumbled back down to the floor taking Denizen with her. He fell with his arms braced on either side of her head and his body flush against hers.
�Hi,� she said with a smile.
�Hi,� he said back. He studied her eyes. They were ice blue, a sharp contrast from her jet-black hair. �I think I�m going to kiss you,� he said softly.
�Okay,� she breathed. He leaned closer to her until his lips brushed hers. Abigail gasped; it felt like electricity passed between their lips. He pulled back.
�Are you okay? Do you want me to stop?� he asked quickly. She smiled and shook her head.
�I�m fine.� She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back to her lips.
A few moments later, Denizen pulled back again.
�Maybe we shouldn�t be doing this,� he said.
�Probably not,� Abigail answered. �It must be the wine. And the drinks from earlier.� Denizen nodded in agreement.
�Come on, I�ll help you up,� he said. Abigail laughed.
�That�s how this all started,� she said. He smiled and stood up, once again offering her his hand. She took it and stood up without her knees buckling this time.
�Come on, I�ll take you to your room,� he said as he led the way to a room just off the kitchen. He opened the door and showed her in.
It wasn�t as large as his living room, but it wasn�t much smaller either. The bed stood in the corner, the frame made of black iron with a blue quilt on top of it. The room was painted blue and there was a wooden vanity in the corner opposite the bed.
�It was my sister�s. Blue was her favorite color, if you couldn�t tell,� Denizen said. Abigail turned to look at him and could see the sadness in his green eyes as they swept the room.
�Where is she now?� Abigail asked softly.
�She died giving birth to my niece six years ago. She and her husband were going to live here until they could afford a place of their own. I haven�t changed anything. I couldn�t bear to after�after she died,� he whispered.
�I�m sorry, I didn�t mean to pry.�
�It�s fine. It stopped hurting a long time ago,� he said. A chill ran through Abigail�s body and she rubbed her gloved hands over her exposed arms.
�Wait here, I�ll get you some pajamas,� he said. She nodded and continued to examine the room. In one corner, a net full of stuffed bears hung halfway up the wall. A full-length mirror hung on the back of the door. She stepped closer to the mirror and removed the glove from her right hand. As soon as her fingers touched the gilded frame, an image flooded her mind�s eye.
Denizen�s sister stood in front of the mirror in her wedding dress and veil. She heard a knock at the door and told the knocker to come in. It was Denizen. He stepped in the room in a black tuxedo and grinned.
�Wow. You look so much like Mama in that,� he said. He held a small white box out for her. �Here. I found it in Mama�s jewelry box.� His sister took the box and opened it. She gasped and tears shone in her eyes as she took it out of the box. It was a simple silver chain with a blue teardrop-shaped sapphire.
�It�s her favorite necklace,� she breathed. Denizen nodded.
�I was looking through the boxes in the attic a few months ago trying to find something, and I saw the box with all her jewelry boxes in it. I opened one and saw that box. Mama had taped a note to it. It said �For baby girl�s wedding.� I knew she wanted you to wear it today,� Denizen said. He had taken the necklace from his sister�s hands and fastened it around her neck.
�Thank you, big brother,� she said. She turned and hugged him.
�Anything for my baby sister.�
Denizen knocked, but Abigail didn�t answer.
�Abby?� he called. Still no answer. He opened the door and knocked Abigail to the floor. �I�m sorry. Are you alright?� He reached his hand out to her and pulled her back up. He noticed she only touched him with her gloved hand. She hurriedly pulled the other glove on before he handed her one of his shirts and a pair of drawstring pants.
�My room is down the hall. It�s the only one with green paint on the door. The bathroom is just across the hall. You know where the kitchen is. If you wake up in the middle of the night and want a snack, help yourself,� he said.
�Thanks, Denizen. I really appreciate you doing this for me.� She stepped closer to him and kissed his cheek.
�It�s not a problem at all,� he said. �Sweet dreams.� He smiled and walked out of the room closing the door behind him.
Abigail awoke covered in sweat a few hours later with a scream lodged in her throat. Taking a deep breath she dug in her purse until she found her watch, which told her that it was seven in the morning. She had slept for four hours. She knew she wasn�t going to get back to sleep, so she decided to make breakfast for her and Denizen.
The smell of cooking bacon wafted underneath Denizen�s door and slowly woke him up. Groaning, he got out of bed and made his way to the kitchen where he found Abigail.