worry?” I searched his expression, but Jacob didn’t respond.
Lois loudly coughed when re-entering the room, and I removed myself from Jacob’s comforting hold while willing the blush on my cheeks to evaporate. I cleaned up my workstation while Jacob maintained a polite conversation with the flustered Mrs. Lois. I noticed her twirling the end of her braid around her dainty finger while she laughed at whatever he said. Once through, Jacob and I said our goodbyes and made our way to the train station.
We walked in comfortable, yet foreboding silence, neither one of us willing to discuss the Scavenger meeting. Both our hands swung with purposeful carelessness at our sides, and occasionally our knuckles brushed, causing tingles of anticipation to move up and down my arm. A part of me wanted to grab the tips of Jacob’s calloused fingers, but each time courage boiled up within me, self-preservation and the reminder of Jules’ crime stopped me.
I repeated my usual mantra to keep from blurring the lines between us: Not mine. Not mine. Not mine . Our fingers continued to collide until finally, Jacob huffed and grabbed my hand. His thumb carefully caressed my wrist, and I enjoyed the feel of him. It was reassuring to know that he, too, felt this unspoken desire to touch.
Jacob remained silent while we walked hand in hand, neither of us willing to say out loud what we were thinking. The sound of my beating heart drowned out all the thunderous doubts floating about my mind. It felt like I was in a continuous cycle of falling and standing back up.
Just as we were about to arrive at the train station, a breathy but shrill voice stopped us in our tracks. Jacob immediately dropped my hand and whirled around to address the interloper on our little moment, and I felt a sudden vacancy at his departure.
“Oh Jacob, I’m just so glad I caught you. One of the shopkeepers mentioned that you and the Walker are going to the train station,” Jules panted out while jogging towards us in her ostentatious heels that sunk in the soft dirt each time she took a step. She wore a thin black dress that showed off the outline of her ivory bra, with a plunging neckline and an opened back. As usual, she looked perfect, and I absentmindedly ran my calloused hands over the wrinkles in my modest tan dress with pockets and splatters of paint across the chest.
Once closer, Jules threw a sneer at me before fixing a fake smile back in place upon her porcelain face. The house dynamics had changed drastically since Jules moved back in to Black Manor. Charged tension bounced between the home's walls like balls of electricity. We no longer had family dinner, and everyone avoided her like she had X. Jules was an ornery combination of persistent and snobby. I tried to provide her with politeness, but she made it clear that I wasn’t worthy of her attention or kindness, which left me tiptoeing around the manor in an effort to avoid her.
“Ash and I are going on a picnic,” Jacob briefly explained while tossing a purposeful glare towards me. His intensity indicated that he didn’t want Jules to know about our trip to the deadlands.
“How odd," she observed. "Did the Walker not prepare you a basket?” Jules twirled her glossy raven hair around her thin finger. “I’d love to join you both. The fresh air is simply lovely today, don’t you think, Jacob?” She then took a step closer to him, and I felt my teeth begin to grind against one another with impatience.
I was never one to handle conflict particularly well, and Jules was like a steamroller; she crashed through whatever got in the way of what she wanted—consequences be damned.
“I was hoping for some alone time with Ash,” Jacob said with more force than necessary. Once again, his calloused hand found mine, and I felt reassured by his contact .
“I see," Jules scoffed. "I wasn't under the impression that you both had formed that sort of relationship. I guess she's moved on from her dear Josiah then." Jules gave a calculating smile. "Well, I’ll be heading back home, then. I do truly hope to get some alone time too, Jacob. I—I’d like to talk to you.” Jules gave him a sad look before pushing her perfectly styled hair over her shoulder. She turned around and began walking with a forced, sensual sway along the dirt road back towards the