Love's Arithmetic

XXII: Acedia

She was warm. That much registered in Caer's brain before she smelled something that must have been paradise. Bacon. She loved bacon. But how was bacon cooking in her house, whens she wasn't awake?


It was then that she remembered all that had happened the previous day. Sitting up abruptly in bed, she realized she didn't remember going to her room to change and go to bed. The last thing she remembered was watching the end of the horribly sad movie. Then how...? She looked down at herself and realized she was wearing only an oversized t-shirt. He undressed me! Horrified at the thought, Caer stormed out of her room, not even pausing to put pants on.


He stood there, looking as good as ever, cooking breakfast in her apartment. "You bastard!" She yelled. Garrett turned around surprised and smiled as he saw her.


"Good morning Duchess. Sleep well last night?" He asked, lazily leaning against the counter as though he didn't have a care in the world.


"You changed my clothes!" She yelled coming close to him. She had told herself the night before that she would give him a chance, but he had wasted it, he had ruined it and she was going to get rid of him. "How could you do that?" She poked him in the chest with each word.


"You were asleep, I didn't want to leave you on the couch in your clothes, so I changed them for you." He said the words with nonchalance.


"Really?" She yelled, poking him again.


"Poke me one more time and see what happens." Garrett said, his voice lowering, becoming flat. Caer should have seen the warning signs, but she didn't. She was too busy being angry with him.


"I'll poke you as much as I want to! This is my apartment. You broke in here uninvited, and the only reason I let you stay was because you startled me. Well I'm through being startled-what are you doing?" She cried as he grabbed her wrist to stop her from poking his chest. He twisted her arm, gently, so that it was pulled behind her back, ignoring her screeching. "Garrett! Stop whatever the hell it is you're doing! This is unacceptable!" He continued to ignore her as he pulled out a pair of handcuffs and trapped first her right, and then her left wrist behind her back with little effort.


"I warned you Duchess." He said as he turned her around by her shoulders while she flailed her hands behind her back, trying to release them. Instead she was certain they looked like landed fish. "You chose not to listen, now, you suffer the consequences."


She snorted, "Consequences? You're not my father. And this is ridiculous! I'm not your kidnap victim anymore, this is unnecessary!" When he showed no response she decided to take drastic measures. "If you don't let me go, I'll scream as loud as I can." At that, Garrett sighed and turned around to face her. Caer felt triumphant. She had found a hole in his armor and she was going to use it to the fullest.


"I believe it's already been proven that I have no qualms about gagging you." Caer felt her heart stop. He was serious. "So unless you wish to have tape wrapped around your head again, I suggest you keep the screaming inside your head." He must have seen her fear for he sighed again and crossed to where she was standing in the middle of the tiny kitchen. "I'm doing this for your safety. I saw what Toby did to you the last time, and I'm not going to let that happen again. And if he were ever to get his hands on you, the damage would be much worse, I promise you."


He ran his fingers through her sleep tangled hair. The one time he decides to touch my hair, it has to be messy. Can't a girl get a break! Caer thought desperately. "When I first saw you laying on that cot with him standing over you, I thought you were dead." He drew a shaky breath and traced a cheekbone with his thumb. "I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to make things right. Because in that moment I was desperate to. I wanted to get you home, get you away from the horrible pain I had caused in your life. Granted it didn't happen for a while because I found out you really weren't who I thought you were, but I was desperate then.


"Garrett," Caer breathed as he leaned closer and closer to her. She knew she was going to be kissed. Knew she was going to feel a surge of electricity down to her toes and couldn't wait for it to happen. She had dreamt about kissing him, as much as she would like to deny it, she had wished to kiss him, desperately, passionately, and with no restraint.


She closed her eyes as his lips stayed a breadth of a hair away from hers.