Page 81 of Corrupt Obsession

His hand flexed on the wheel. “We do.”

She flung her hand in front of her. “So, talk! Why are we leaving Austin?”

“I don’t want us to be interrupted, and I need to clear my head.”

“We’re going to be late for school.”

“We’ll make it back in time. We aren’t going far.”

She twisted her hand in the folds of her light sweater as they traded the congested, six lane freeways for a two-lane highway. At this hour, everyone was headed into the city for work and school, while she and Jesse sped in the opposite direction.

Despite Jesse’s reassurance that they weren’t going far, they were going further than she was comfortable with. She considered calling Mom and Dad to tell them Jesse had lost his mind, when he finally slowed and turned off the main highway onto an unmarked dirt road.

“Where are we?”

“We’re almost there,” he yelled as they rattled down the pitted road.

“Almostwhere?” she demanded, clutching the door handle.

“Here,” he said as they rounded a bend.

Trees gave way to rolling flatlands covered in a blanket of bluebonnets that stretched as far as the eye could see. Taking photos amidst the wildflowers was a rite of passage for locals who flocked to every park, field, and even along the highway in hopes of getting the perfect shot.

As Jesse pulled off the road, she rolled down her window to admire the cerulean beauties. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized what a gorgeous day it was. The morning chill was giving way to what promised to be a warm spring day. Birds chirped to one another. There was no sound of cars or people, just a lone farmhouse in the distance. The scene was so idyllic, it looked like a painting.

“Logan’s aunt lives at the end of this lane,” Jesse said. “I thought you’d enjoy seeing this.”

“It’s stunning,” she murmured as she closed her eyes and tipped her face to the sun.

Her worries about getting to school on time and why they were here dissolved. Minutes passed in blessed silence. When she opened her eyes, she blinked back tears. She wasn’t sure why. She braced her chin on her arms and stared at a sea of blue so dense, she imagined she could swim in it.

“Violet.”

Her bubble of tranquility popped. Tension crept back in. Anxiety stole the sun’s warmth from her face.

“What?” she said woodenly.

“I’m sorry if I went too far this morning.”

The clean taste of toothpaste was canceled out by the aftertaste of betrayal, which tasted like bitter grapefruit. “But that isn’t going to stop you from doing it again, is it?”

A pause and then, “No.”

She swung around to face him as her chest quaked. “You have to stop! You can’t do this anymore! Don’t you see what it’s doing to us?”

His expression was pained as he held his hands out to her in supplication. “I’ve tried, Vi. I?—”

“Try harder!” she bellowed.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “I swear I am. But the more I resist, the more I try to push it down…” His hand balled into a fist. “The worse it is when I lose control.”

“This isn’t normal, Jesse. It’swrong!”

His expression hardened. “It could be right if you’d...” He looked away from her, down the empty road.

“If I what? Gave into you? Did whatever you wanted? Isn’t that what I’ve been doing? What more do you want?”

“I want you to want me back!”

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