Page 32 of Broken Bonds

“No. But we can rest under the overhang for a few minutes. We need to eat and drink something.” It took us another long thirty minutes to reach the deserted overhang. I didn’t know what to say to her to make this situation sound any better, and I didn’t know how much longer we were going to be able to walk in this rain.

We sat down in the only dry spot in the center of the gas station’s overhang. It smelled like gasoline and rubber, but the break from the rain was welcoming. I sat first, and she glanced at the ground, a look of disgust taking over her features before she sat beside me, stretching out her long legs. My back ached from carrying the loaded backpack with our only belongings, and I nearly groaned as I eased the pack from my shoulders.

I rummaged through the bag, hoping that in my haste I brought the right supplies. She slid her shoes off, sighing loudly, and I grimaced at the blisters forming on her feet.

The pair of clothes we threw in the bag were still miraculously mostly-dry. I saw her take a peek, and a look ofrelief crossed through her eyes before she looked away. I took out two meal bars and handed her one. She ate it quickly while I took out one bottle of water. I had a small sip before handing it to her. She looked at it and then at me before finally drinking some of it.

I basically ate my bar in one bite and considered eating another one, but I knew we were both still hungry—starving even. It wouldn’t be fair, and besides, we needed to conserve what little we did have.

She passed the water bottle back to me—still a quarter of the way full. I was still thirsty, but it was only fair that we split it. “Are you sure, princess?” She nodded quickly, her eyes urging me to drink the rest.

I could feel her eyes on me as I swallowed the last bit. It tasted even better now than before. I stared out to the edge of the overhang, where the rain had begun to fall again, loudly beating down onto the tin roof above our heads. I wasn’t looking forward to going back out into that.

“Can I have my phone?” I didn’t hear her at first, lost in my mind, trying to figure out a plan. She held out her hand expectantly. Blinking to get out of my head, I found the phone after rummaging through the full bag. “Do you want to call your parents?” she asked.

I wasn’t even sure if they knew I was in Florida. My mom had stopped caring long ago.

“No; they won’t even care anyway.” I looked away from her intense gaze, not liking the questions in her blue eyes. My family was the last topic I wanted to talk about, especially with her and her perfect family. She would never understand. I didn’twanther to understand—not in the way that would be needed. I would never wish an unloving family on her.

“I’m going to call my mom and tell her what’s happened.” She looked upset when I didn’t answer but smiled a moment later.I wondered what her parents were going to think of me. I knew her survival was important. I knew they were counting on me to get her home safely.

I was lost in thought, going over all the worst-case scenarios, when I heard the panic in her voice.

“Tell them we should be at the Ave in maybe two or three hours, depending on our pace,” I told her as I listened into the conversation. I was watching the rain fall, the droplets hitting the asphalt harder and harder with every passing second. The weather was just getting worse and worse.

“Asshole,” I grunted in annoyance, “says we should be at the Ave in two or three hours. Do you think there will be a shelter, Dad?” I sighed and glared at her. Did she really have to call me that to her parents? I thought we’d moved past the whole asshole thing.

Still, despite her brattiness, she was a pleasant distraction from the chaos surrounding us. She had this no-care attitude that was starting to grow on me, and she trusted me, even if she didn’t like it. Watching her lips move, the urge to kiss her swept through me again. I should have done it last night.

But it would’ve been a mistake. I knew it down in the depths of my soul.

A normal girl would have brought up why I didn’t want to kiss her. But Celine wasn’t normal; she had a lot of baggage she carried around on her shoulders and wheeled behind her in a sparkly suitcase. Nobody survived a tragedy like she had without scars—both visible and invisible—and I knew each one ran deep. I had them, too. Adding feelings to our situation would only be our downfall. I had to focus on getting her home safely. That was all that mattered. That was all thatcouldmatter.

“Dad said to go down the Ave to find a shelter,” Celine said, dragging me out of my head again. “That should take us another two to three hours from the Ave. If we get going soon, we canmake it before the sun sets.” She looked beyond the overhand at the dark sky, the heavy wind, and the dreadful rain. “I don’t want to be wandering the streets in the dark.”

I ignored the fear I heard in her voice, and the instinct to protect her flared up inside of me. But I decided to play it cool. She didn’t need to know that I was equally as afraid.

“Sounds like a plan, Princess. We can go in five minutes. I need a rest.” I leaned back against the backpack and closed my eyes. I needed these five minutes to mentally prepare myself for the next three hours. I didn’t know what we were going to encounter, or if we would make it to the shelter together by nightfall.

Rest—what little I could get—would be vital to our survival.

chapter fourteen

ACE

A few minutes later, I stood to my feet, picking up the heavy bag and tightening the straps over my shoulders. The familiar ache settled in my bones as we headed for the edge of the overhang. The rain hadn’t stopped, and I could hear her wet shoes slapping against the ground behind me as she rushed to catch up, considering I hadn’t waited for her.

We walked side by side for another hour. I didn’t know how to start a conversation with her. I had never been just friends with a girl, especially not one I wanted to fuckso badly. She was under my skin. I just wanted to scratch the itch, but Icouldn’t. She was off limits. Her older brother was my best friend, for fuck’s sake.

Her phone suddenly rang, and she stopped to answer it quickly. I blinked back into the moment as her side of the conversation reached my ears, thankfully dragging me away from thoughts of Celine I shouldnotbe having.

“I’m with Ace, remember? I’m not alone,” she said to whoever was on the other side of the conversation. At least she wasn’t calling me ‘asshole’ anymore. That was an improvement.

“It wasn’t your fault, Ryan, and this time isn’t, either. Ace isn’t Aidan. I’m not going to die. I promise you, Ryan, I’m goingto be okay. It’s just an adventure,” a small laugh spilled from her lips, sounding like music to my ears, “a really scary adventure.” I knew she was talking to her brother now, and it wasn’t a good conversation considering he was comparing me to her ass of an ex.

“I told him about the accident.” I stopped and looked at her. How many people had she told? Was telling me not as special as she made it seem? I hated that the thought of her trusting just anyone with her painful history pissed me off.

“No.” She was staring at me now, fear in her eyes again. My feet were aching to take me closer to her, but I wouldn’t dare. Ihadto keep my distance from her.

---