Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C Bennett

up the wall and over the ledge, falling to the floor with Rapunzel beneath him.
    He stared at her, his face inches from hers. They both breathed heavily in the aftermath of his near fall. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly against him. “Thank you,” he whispered in her ear before standing, pulling her up with him.
    Rapunzel felt shaky as relief washed through her. She laughed, unable to stop the sound. Fane stared at her before laughing along. He reached out and ran a hand down her braid. She tipped her head to watch the gesture before returning her gaze to him.
    “Seriously, thank you,” he said earnestly. “You saved my life.”
    “Oh, well . . .” She didn’t know how to respond, glancing down shyly.
    He put his hand against her cheek, caressing his thumb along her jaw. Her heart beat staccato, and she felt heat rising in her cheeks as it always seemed to do when he was near.
    “Did you remember breakfast?” she asked with a tremor, meaning it to come out sounding nonchalant.
    “How could I forget?” He grinned and, thankful he was back to his usual self, she led the way to the kitchen.
    The breakfast sandwiches they ate, which had to be heated a little in the microwave, were yet another item Rapunzel savored. It did give her a bit of a bellyache, but she’d never admit it to Fane. She decided her next grocery list would include English muffins, sausage, cheese, and eggs so she could make her own version.
    “I have to admit,” Fane said around a mouthful of the breakfast sandwich, “I never thought my life would be saved by someone’s hair . That’s definitely a new one for the books.”
    Rapunzel fingered her thick braid. “I didn’t have anything else to throw to you. I panicked.”
    “Well, thank heavens for your particular way of panicking. Seriously. That was some quick thinking. I was panicking as well, but in a completely different way. Still, never would have thought to yell, ‘Rapunzel, throw down your hair.’ ”
    Rapunzel laughed at the image of him calling that. Had he done so, she probably wouldn’t have thrown her braid out just for the sheer ridiculousness of the request.
    “Ready to explore some more?” Fane asked when they finished and cleaned up.
    “Yes, let’s go,” she said, walking to the door and opening it.
    “Where’s your mask?” he asked.
    “I’m not wearing it today.” When he lifted an eyebrow at her, she shrugged. “The air out there has to be the same as in here, right? I believe I’ll be safe enough.”
    Fane wavered but finally followed her out the door. Rapunzel felt confident until they came to the same set of stairs where they’d heard the voice the day before. Fane recognized her hesitancy.
    “It’s okay. Her car is gone.”
    “Oh,” Rapunzel said. She still felt a little frightened at the thought of going into this portion of the house. Fane took her hand in his as he continued down the stairs, and she felt some of her confidence return.
    At the bottom of the stairs they turned left into a large kitchen. The large gleaming appliances, including two ovens, wide counter spaces, a fridge that was double the size of hers, and a six-paned window that allowed the brightness of the early-morning sun to wash the room in light awed Rapunzel.
    “Cool,” Fane said, running a hand across the granite counter. Rapunzel was afraid to do the same. She just clutched Fane’s hand tighter.
    They discovered a fully stocked pantry as large as Rapunzel’s main living area. A door at the other end of the room opened to a high-ceilinged dining room with a long, elegant, dark wood table large enough to seat twenty people, but only had six chairs clustered at one end. Red brocade wallpaper covered the walls and a red and black oriental rug nearly covered the entire wood floor. A chandelier above the table dripped crystal that matched the sconces above the sideboard. An overly large bouquet of dried flowers dominated the center of