Side by Side

Your words lingered in the quiet corners of my mind. Warm. Outside, faint rain ticked against the distant windowpane, but here in the dim lower shelf of the bookcase, the air was still and dry. I carried the small wooden die from under the table and set it down upon the smooth dark wood. Next to it rested a discarded little red plastic cube. Using both hands, I nudged their flat faces together until they touched along the seam, perfectly aligned. A low, gentle murmur vibrated in my chest. ... Safe. I folded my long legs close and remained there in the gloom, watching over the pair.