Breaking Even(102)

“Let’s get out of here,” he whispers, breaking the silence at last as he stands and helps me to my feet.

He stares at the picture of a small boy being held by a loving mother—the memories from a good day. Then he threads our fingers back together, and he tugs me toward the car. Our footsteps are slower, heavier, and much wearier as we make it to the vehicle.

“Can I ask why you decided to share this with me?” I ask when we reach the gate.

He smiles tightly as he opens the door, and ushers me in on the passenger side. Just as I make it into the seat, he answers me.

“You brought me the peace I haven’t ever had. I just thought you might want to know what you saved me from.”

He shuts the door while my lips part and a confused breath of air slips free. Even now he’s the most confusing person I’ve ever met.

He climbs in and cranks the car, and with the streetlights, now I can see his face. His eyes are glossy, but his tears are gone.

“What peace?” I ask as he pulls out onto the road.

His grin grows, and he reaches over for my hand once we’re on the straightaway.

“No anger, tiger. None. You broke it down little by little, and now it’s just... gone. I never thought it was possible. Even when you were pissing me off with your vicious, unprovoked attacks, you were drawing out the real anger that I never thought would leave.”

My attacks were completely provoked, but this hardly seems like the time to joke. Especially since I’m crying harder now and exerting a tremendous amount of effort not to start bawling like a baby.

He grins over at me, and I reach over and take his hand, wishing I could just climb onto his lap. He pulls his hand back as he turns onto the road that takes us home, but I hope he doesn’t plan on taking me to my house.

“So you’re not angry anymore.” It’s not a question. It’s just me recapping his words and slowly processing it all.

His smile only grows as he pulls up to his side of the curb, parks, and turns the car off. My eyes lift to find his house as he answers.

“No. It started off subtle. I thought maybe you were just a fun distraction, but the more time I spent around you... I kept changing, and I didn’t even know it. I’ve never laughed as hard as I do with you. I’ve never been laughing and pissed at the same time. I’ve never smiled so much as I do when I see you, and I’ve never felt so damn good about being me. You make me enjoy being me.”

My tears drip for a new reason, and I finally give up and cross over the center console to be in his lap, leaving my towel and his jacket behind. He grins as he pushes his lips against mine, and I cling to him for a minute before pulling back just enough to speak.

“I guess that makes us even,” I murmur softly, watching him tilt his head questioningly. “You make me enjoy being me, too.”

His responding grin could slay me if I wasn’t already completely and utterly his.

***

RYE

Perfect. No one could have ever been more perfect for me, and fate dropped her off right across from me. Maybe this is my reward for the shitty cards I was dealt. All I know is that I don’t want to lose her ever again.

I honestly can’t believe I was able to tell her about everything, but more importantly, I can’t believe how free I feel right now. I can breathe so easily, and for the first time since I can remember, there’s nothing holding me back. From anything.

“Will you come inside?” I ask her as she hugs me a little tighter.

“Yes,” she says in a near whisper.

I swear I could never get tired of holding her like this.

“Will you stay the night?”

She grins as she kisses my neck, and I pull her closer, letting her do that divine thing with her tongue against my skin, imagining her doing that somewhere else, especially since I know how heavenly that mouth is.

“Yes,” she whispers again.

“And tomorrow morning, afternoon, and night, too?” I ask in quick succession, smiling as she giggles against me.

“Yes, yes, yes.”

I open the door, but I don’t let her go. Instead, I keep her held to me, and she clamps those small but strong legs around my waist as I carry her toward the house.

“Have you been with anyone since me?” she asks, surprising the hell out of me with her seemingly random and offensive question.

“No. Of course not. Why would you ask that?”

She just grins again, but I’m confused.

“I want to feel your piercing,” she says with that sultry voice that makes my knees wobble.

If she doesn’t want me to drop both of us to the ground, she can’t say things like that when I’m trying to walk. She laughs when she sees what she’s doing to me, and the sound reverberates and carries through my bones.