Chapter 27 Quite Comfort
The morning was so quiet. It was just me, Carson, and the soft sunlight filling the living room. I hadn’t felt this calm in weeks, maybe months.
I stretched on the couch, barefoot and wrapped in one of Carson’s soft shirts. Carson walked in from the kitchen, holding two mugs.
“One with milk, just the way you like,” he said, handing it to me.
I smiled. “You always remember,"I said.
“I try,” he replied, sitting beside me.
We didn’t speak for a moment. We just drank slowly, letting the peace cover us like a blanket.
Then he looked at me.
“You look different today,” he said.
I raised an eyebrow. “Different how?"I asked.
He leaned back and smiled. “Softer. Lighter. Like you finally took a breath,”he replied.
I smiled a little. “Maybe I did. Maybe it’s the first time in a long while that I feel… safe."I said.
Carson reached for my hand. “You’re safe with me,” he said gently.
“I know,” I whispered.
Later that afternoon, we went for a walk and we walked slowly, our fingers locked together.
A woman with a stroller passed by and smiled at us. Carson smiled back and then glanced at me.
“Have you ever thought about this?” he asked.
“About what?” I asked, looking up at him.
He nodded toward the woman. “A normal life. House. Kids. Slow walks. Morning coffee.”he said.
I looked away for a second, then back at him.
“I used to,” I said. “Then everything got messy,"I added.
He stopped walking and gently pulled me closer.
“It’s still possible, Annabel,” he said. “We’re not broken. We’re just… healing.”he added.
I looked at him for a long time. His eyes were soft and kind, the kind of eyes that made you believe again.
“Would you really want that?” I asked.
“With you?” he said. “Yes. More than anything,”he replied.
I smiled and leaned into him.
“I think I’d like that too,"I said.
When we got back home, a box was at the doorstep. Brown and small, with a note taped to the top.
Carson picked it up carefully.
“What is it?” I asked.
He read the note out loud.
“From someone who owes you both. Hope this makes your day better.”
He opened the box slowly, just in case.
Inside was a small kitten.
Tiny. White. Big green eyes. And a pink ribbon around its neck.
I gasped.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, dropping to my knees. “She’s beautiful."I said excitedly.
The kitten looked up at us and meowed softly, curling into the corner of the box.
“She’s shaking,” Carson said, carefully picking her up. “Poor thing.”he said.
He placed her in my arms, and she immediately snuggled into my chest.
“She’s so small,” I whispered, petting her.
Carson smiled. “Looks like we just became parents,”he said jokingly.
I laughed softly. “Of a cat."I said.
“Still counts,” he said, grinning.
We took her inside and gave her some warm milk. She licked it slowly, blinking up at us like she trusted us already.
“What should we name her?” I asked.
Carson thought for a moment.
“What about Hope?” he said. “Because that’s what she feels like,”he said again.
I looked down at the kitten, resting in my lap.
“Hope,” I said softly. “I like that.”
That evening, we stayed in the living room, curled under a blanket with Hope sleeping between us.
The TV was on, but we weren’t really watching it.
Carson had his arm around me, and I leaned my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
“Do you think things will ever be normal?” I asked quietly.
He was quiet for a while.
“I think normal is what we make it,” he said. “We may not get the same kind of normal as everyone else, but we can have our own version.”
“Our own version,” I repeated softly.
“With Hope, and coffee, and quiet walks."I said.
“And slow mornings,” I added.
“And your laugh,” he said.
I smiled.
We didn’t say much more after that. We didn’t need to.
Some moments don’t need big words.
They just need love, and time, and soft blankets on quiet evenings.
And sometimes… a kitten named Hope.
The night came slowly, and the house was so quiet it felt like the whole world had gone to sleep.
Hope was curled up in a small basket we made for her beside the couch. She had fallen asleep on Carson’s lap earlier, and it took everything in me to move her without waking her up.
Now she was snuggled up and peaceful.
Carson was in the kitchen, making tea. I watched him from the doorway.
“Do you know,” I said softly, “you don’t look like a billionaire right now?”I said again.
He turned, holding two cups.
“No?” he asked, smiling.
“No. You look like a husband making tea for his wife after a long day,” I said, stepping closer.
He handed me one cup.
“Well,” he said, “maybe that’s not such a bad thing.”he added.
I smiled, and we clinked our cups together like it was champagne.
“Cheers to fake husbands,” I said, teasing him.
He looked into my eyes and said quietly, “Some fake things become real.”he said.
I looked down quickly, my heart fluttering.
We sat by the window, sipping our tea and watching the moonlight through the curtains. It was such a simple moment of no drama, no fear. It's just us.
I sighed. “I could live in this moment forever,"I said.
Carson didn’t say anything, but he reached out and touched my hair, brushing it gently away from my face. His touch was soft, careful, like I was something he didn’t want to break.
“You’re really beautiful, Annabel,” he said, his voice low.
I looked up slowly. “Even like this? No makeup, tired eyes, messy hair?"I asked.
“Especially like this,” he said. “Because this is the real you,”he added.
I smiled and looked away.
“You know, for someone who used to be so cold when we first met,” I said, teasing, “you’re turning out to be very soft."I said again.
He chuckled. “Maybe you melted the ice,”he said jokingly.
Later that night, I was in bed already when he came in.
He paused at the door.
“You awake?” he asked softly.
I turned to him. “Yeah.”i said.
He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Can I ask something weird?” he said.
I nodded. “Sure,”i said.
“Can I just stay here tonight? Not for anything. Just… I don’t want to be alone tonight,”he said.
“Of course you can."I said.
He pulled off his shirt, leaving on his sweatpants, and climbed into bed beside me.
We both lay on our backs, staring at the ceiling. The room was dark except for the little night light I left on for Hope.
After a few minutes, Carson reached for my hand under the blanket.