Hope(less)

Chapter 9

Chapter 9 

It was still dark when I woke. Not only dark, but also colder. The mild weather we'd enjoyed last night while eating outside had apparently fled with the sun. I nestled under the covers, trying to avoid the chill in the air. When I stretched my legs searching for Clay's weighted warmth, I felt nothing. His spot was cool. 

"Clay?" 

My bedroom door creaked open, and he jumped up on the mattress, causing it to bounce. He settled on my feet, and his heat immediately warmed me. 

"Thanks." 

Laying my head back down on the pillow, I burrowed deeper. The warm nights of summer, of sleeping with the window open, had retired for the year. Soon, going outside during the day would require a jacket. The thought was a little depressing. I didn't really care for the cold. 

I wanted to sleep a little longer and tried to close my eyes again but they popped back open on their own. Clearly awake, I knew I should really get out of bed and do something. Yet, the thought made me cringe...until I remembered I owed Clay for last night. This early, there'd be no one around outside, especially with this first cold snap. We needed to take advantage of the still above freezing weather and do something together. He'd like that. 

"Hey, Clay. Wanna go get breakfast with me?" 

With a sigh, he jumped back down off the bed. 

"You could have said no," I said with a soft laugh as I rolled out from under the covers. 

Grabbing my clothes, I tiptoed to the bathroom. When I reemerged, Clay sat next to the back door, waiting patiently. I glanced at the car keys. Drive or walk? Walking would save money, and I enjoyed it. 

"You up for a walk?" I kept my voice low since I didn't want to wake Rachel. 

The idea of walking outside with Clay before dawn made me smile. He looked like a beast. Any sane man would keep his distance. It would be vastly different from the heckling first walk I took to campus. 

When he didn't move away, I took that as affirmation and clipped on his leash, loosely looping it around his collar so I wouldn't need to hold it. He turned to me with a questioning look. 

"What? I'm following the law...you're on a leash. Let's go." 

I opened the door, and we soundlessly slipped outside. As expected, crisp air engulfed us, but the lack of wind made it tolerable. After pulling the hood up over my loose hair, I tucked my hands into the pockets of my hoodie and stepped off the porch, suspiciously testing the air to see if my breath clouded. Clay trudged next to me, still looking a little tired. 

We walked in the direction of the campus, toward a small diner that was open all day, six days a week, closed Sundays. Wellknown on campus, Ma's Kitchen served good, cheap food for the perpetually broke college kid. With ten dollars in my pocket, I figured we could stuff ourselves before walking back home. 

The sidewalks remained empty. Streetlights buzzed overhead. The soft scrape of Clay's nails on the pavement comforted me, and I filled my lungs, relaxing. Very few cars passed us as we made our way from one pool of light to the next. 

The walk to campus offered an eclectic array of buildings. Businesses jumbled in with residences. Some so close together their shadows merged, creating perfect places for hiding. But Clay's calm presence allowed me to enjoy the walk without using my sight. 

We strolled in companionable silence for a few minutes before I spoke up. 

"So what do you like for breakfast? Oatmeal?" He laughed, and I smiled back. "Yeah, I was thinking you're more a steak and eggs kinda guy."