Page 72 of Here In Your Arms

“Should we go see what Kyle’s procured from the great outdoors?” I ask.

She gives a small smile and nods, moving to stand. I grab all the blankets and the couple of pillows, then follow her out of the room. In the living room, Kyle is dumping out his grocery bags full of coloring pages, colored pencils, a deck of cards, some polymer clay, and some fuzzy socks.

“Fuzzy socks?” Rory asks.

Kyle shrugs. “Who doesn’t love fuzzy socks?”

“Good point.”

She grabs a pair and opens the minimal packaging they’re stored in. A look of bliss falls on her face as she puts them on.

“Okay, best idea ever.”

Kyle grins and leans over to her to grab a quick kiss. She obliges before settling down on the couch, starting to withdraw again.

“I could see that you’re starting to have a rough day, so I figured we could do some of these activities, none of these activities, or other activities so we’re all together but you don’t have to do much thinking,” he explains.

“Sounds perfect.”

“Are you willing to talk to us a bit more? About what’s going on in your head?” I ask.

“Maybe in a bit, if that’s okay?”

“Of course, whatever you need, precious.” Looking over the array of activities Kyle brought, I lean down and grab the clay. “Let’s make terrible clay sculptures.”

“Okay,” she agrees softly.

Kyle chuckles and grabs a second package of clay. At first, I think maybe that would be overkill, but as we each try to make some kind of animal, it’s clear we would need the additional supplies. I wanted to make a fish since I figured it would be pretty easy. I thought wrong. This damn thing is so complicated and tricky. I try to get the body to look like something that’s not just a long piece of poop.

Kyle is silently cracking up at his own terrifying creation of something with four legs. I think it’s supposed to be a dog, but the legs are way too long for the body and I’m not even sure what kind of shape he’s going for with the head. Now and again, when he tries to fix something, a snort escapes him, which never fails to get a small giggle from Rory. Her sculpture isn’t fairing much better. I think she’s going for an elephant, but the ears are the same size as the body. She’s also chosen to use a variety of colors for each body part.

Rory heaves a deep breath, and while nobody stops what they’re doing, I know Kyle and I are both listening intently. I’m hoping she tells us what’s going on in that beautiful head of hers, but I also remember that she might not have a reason.

“I, um, I spent a year in a bad relationship. My mom loved him. My dad wasn’t a huge fan, but he was always on the road. Claire hated him, still does. He wasn’t so bad at first. I’ve never had much since going out on my own, and I’m okay with that. Bartending pays the bills well enough, and I like how busy it keeps me. It’s hard to slide into a slump when you can’t even take a breath.

“When he came around, he made me feel special. He gave me nice things, which made me think I was worth spending money on. He liked it when I dressed up nicely, and I was the center of his world. Eventually I realized that he’s the center of his world, while I was very much expected to be his biggest fan.”

Rory stops as she tries to position the elephant’s trunk and gets frustrated when it’s not doing what she wants. Kyle and I both scoot a little closer. We don’t crowd her; we just want her to remember we’re here with her. After taking a calming breath, she continues her story.

“I got out eventually, but it was almost a year of toxicity that I stuck around for. When I left, he wasn’t very happy. He didn’t come at me, but he made it known how mad he was. My mom still thinks I should get back together with him, and I keep telling her it’s not happening. So, after seeing him while we’re out together twice now, I’m feeling shaken and exhausted.”

Silence takes over and after a moment, I set down my aquatic abomination and sit back a little. Kyle follows my lead, and Rory slows what she’s doing, but won’t look at us.

“How long has he been hanging around the bar?” Kyle gently asks.

“He started about two weeks after I left.”

“Did you tell anybody?”

Her head snaps up at his question, and she shakes it vigorously. “No, I don’t want to cause a fuss. He just sits there. He’s not doing anything.”

“He’s doing a lot of looking, that’s for sure,” I chime in.

Rory throws me a rueful smile but says nothing.

“Do you feel safe?” Kyle asks.

She thinks before replying, “I did until he showed up at the gardens, then at food trucks. I’m not feeling quite as safe anymore.”

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