Page 30 of Magic or Madness

Unfortunately, this conflict of interest weighs over us both, and I feel terrible for sending their plans into a scramble, but my information is valuable. If I didn’t share, and Ozzy got caught, I’d never forgive myself, but he doesn’t say anything as we’re driving, and I can see the frustration on his face.

“Ozzy, are you upset with me?” I break our silence, reaching for his hand, but he doesn’t meet me halfway like usual.

“I can’t do this again, Fallon,” he says softly, never taking his eyes off the road.

“Do what? All I did was point out a flaw in Max’s plans.”

He shakes his head, not answering me, and I’ve never seen this side of him. For the first time, he’s disconnected from me, and I can feel it in my bones.

I let him work through his thoughts, not wanting to push the issue any further, but my mind is scrambling, hoping to fix whatever I did wrong. I thought I was helping, doing what I could to keep him safe on the job, but he obviously doesn’t see it how I do.

“I’m not mad at you, Bambi,” he whispers, looking over at me while we wait at a red light.

“Then what is it? I don’t like the feeling of you shutting me out.” I search his eyes and see the same pain I did last night.

Then, it hits me.

I’m reminding him of Masha.

Joining on the job and becoming someone he feels he needs to protect. If something were to happen to me, he’d feel responsible, and he’s already living through that pain daily.

I unbuckle, and move into the middle seat, letting him know that I understand his pain through the connection we’ve created.

“Masha was supposed to stay behind the scenes, run surveillance in the van, or back at our warehouse. I can’t lose you, Fallon, it’d kill me. You don’t need to get involved with my shit, or corrupt yourself to be with me,” he says slowly, parking next to the Riverwalk, and resting his hand on my cheek, sighing deeply as he looks into my eyes.

“I won’t end up like Masha because I’m not a part of your world,” I whisper, and he breaks down in my arms, that toughness he exudes melting off him.

I hold him as he cries, the emotion completely catching us both off guard and the reminders of his fallen sister consuming his thoughts.

“I’m sorry, Fallon. I shouldn’t have gotten upset with you,” he says, wiping the tears off his cheeks, finally looking at me like he has the last few days.

He sees me again, and it’s like his clarity has come back through the haze.

“I’m sorry for inserting myself into your business,” I counter, raking my hand through his curls, and his eyes close slowly while I scratch my nails into his scalp.

“You saved our asses,” he purrs, a lazy smile crossing his lips, the pride beaming across his face.

“Let’s reset our date?” I offer, putting the tension and sadness behind us as we try to enjoy the day ahead of us.

His face lights up, all the pain from before seemingly erased as he hops out of the truck, racing around to open my door.

“Not quite the beach, but close enough in this weather,” he says, wrapping his arm around my shoulder once my feet hit the ground.

His constant need to have our bodies touching is one of my favorite things about him. I feel the connection between us when we’re this close, like we’re two halves of a magnet that are reuniting each time our skin touches.

We walk along the river, sharing stories from our past and learning new things about each other. I tell him how this Riverwalk used to have a basketball court, until the town tore it up, and replaced it with fresh grass.

“You really pride yourself on knowing the most random things, don’t you Bambi?” He teases, and I shove him off me, playfully.

“I’m a walking trivia champion, Ozzy. Respect the game.” I take off running down the sand shore of the river, and he catchesup with me, spinning me around in the air until my legs latch around his waist.

“You’re too smart to be with someone like me,” he confesses, but I put a finger to his lips, shaking my head at such a ridiculous statement.

“I’m damaged, just like everyone else. I just have useless facts to go with that.”

“About that –” he starts but I cut him off as he places me on the ground.

“I know what you’re going to ask me,” I say, reaching into his pocket for his phone. “I don’t want to say it out loud, so can I show you?”

---