Bash left Gaia in bed to run the water in the bathtub. He prepared it warm so they could bathe together. As he waited for it to fill, Gaia appeared behind him and coiled her arms around his waist. Sebastian placed his hand atop hers while Gaia caressed her cheek against his back.
“Bash!” Gaia woke from her dream screaming.She shot up in bed. Her eyes quickly scanned the room as she gradually realized she was alone in bed. Gaia’s body was drenched in a
Quin wiped the blood that dripped from his nose with the back of his hand as he opened the front door. The sun had set two hours before, and he hadn’t slept a wink. He’d been by Sebastian’s side the entire day as the doctor worked on him, and the bleeds were setting in. Bash wasn’t dead. Yet—Sebastian’s burns were very bad. In some places, the flesh had melted down to the bone. The doctor had removed the bullet upon arrival, but a decent amount of silver had been circulating through Bash’s body, causing a near halt in his natural healing abilities. The doctor administered an agent to extract the silver from his system.
Gaia slunk into work with bags under her bloodshot eyes. Her normally well put-together style, screamed “train wreck” instead of her usual “pin-up girl chic”. She was on autopilot as she attempted to hold herself together through the morning rush. Lucky for Gaia, her dick of a boss, Derek, had called in sick. Something must be going around, and Gaia hoped she wouldn’t catch it.The droves came in for their coffee and breakfast sandwiches, while Gaia tried not to burst into tears. No one likes salty coffee. She still hadn’t heard a peep out of Bash and as the hours passed, she lost more hope of ever hearing from him again.
Gaia awoke to a still dark room. Bash pressed her into the mattress and kissed her deeply. At first, she was startled and confused. But the moment his lips touched hers, Gaia’s body and mind gave in. She returned Sebastian’s kiss with tears trickling down her cheeks.
The sun had yet to set, but Quin was already up. He hadn’t really been able to sleep, anyway. Bash stirred. He’d been groaning and crying out in pain for most of the day. The doctor was there with him, and Bash had quieted down.“What do you think, Doctor?” Quin asked.“Well, the silver seems to be completely out of his system,” the doctor replied.“Sir? Wh
Gaia finished mopping the floor behind the counters at work before Oliver arrived. He waited in his car outside the café for her to finish closing up.Gaia was looking forward to going out to dinner with Oliver, but her intentions weren’t entirely noble. Bash had shown up anytime she was out with Ollie. She was internally hoping that going out with him would bring Bash out of hiding. If Bash was still secretly watching her, there’s no way his jealousy would keep him from making his presence known. Then, Gaia would get her answers from him.
Bash’s roar echoed through the entire house. “What are you saying?” he yelled.“Sir, I apologize. We couldn’t locate it,” Elena replied in a meek and timid voice.
Gaia arrived home late from the "Paint & Sip" event. She sipped probably a little too much if she were being honest with herself. As she stepped into her apartment, Gaia’s foot caught on a piece of folded paper lying on the floor.Gaia yawned as she bent down to grab it. What’s this? She thought.She opened it, but the handwriting wasn’t familiar. It read:Dearest Gaia,