Page 29 of Bound by Wreckage
9
Nox
Three gamesand the little vixen has a ton of pretzels on her side. I wasn’t trying to lose either, but she’s got a wit about her that I know she doesn’t see. Everything inside her is locked up so tight and I can’t blame her for that, but I hope in time she’ll letit free.
She shouts and pumps her hand in the air. “Mine!” Carsyn reaches over and pulls the sticks in her pile. It’s her smile, though. The one that shines in her eyes. The one that has been lost for far too long. It’s the same as when we were in school, except better because it’s coming from a woman instead of the kid I once knew.
It’s the best part about her winning.
Itoss the cards down dramatically. “Fine. What chick-flick are you gonna make me watch?” Her smile dies on her lips and she shifts in the chair, the air around her becoming tense. “What’s wrong, Carsyn?”
“I have no idea what’s out to watch. I haven’t watched a movie in years.” Damn, she hasn’t been let out of her cage to be the free woman she’s meant to be. She has this shame around her,and I hate that shit.
A few of the pretzels make their way into my mouth. “Okay, what do you like to watch? Do you like to laugh, have action, or sweet and romantic?”
She shakes her head. “I have no idea. I guess I’d want to laugh.”
“Sounds perfect. Let’s see what this place has for choices.” Getting up, we make our way over to the beds. She sits on hers, and I sit on mine.It feels strange after her falling asleep next to me earlier. Part of me wants to get up and go over to her. The other is afraid that if I do, I’ll scare her away.
It’s like walking on a tightrope. Just a little to the left and this will happen, a little to the right and that will happen. All of it like glass I’m afraid to break.
Thoughts of my sister Austyn come to mind. She wasso broken, but no one saw it. It didn’t even come up on my radar, and to think she felt like this and no one was there to help her eats away at my insides. That’s not going to happen for Carsyn. I may not be able to stay, but she’ll be protected.
“How about this one?”
She stares at the television.
“It’s about a woman who goes back to college with her daughter. I’ve heard it’sfunny.” Looking over at her, her expression is blank. This is a new thing for her, and it amazes me that something so simple that everyone should experiences was lost to her.
“Sure, why not.” Her tone is laced with apprehension only making me want to go out and beat the fuck out of Buck.
“You do realize this is a chick-flick, right?” I tease, hoping to break through and get a smilefrom her.
Her head snaps to mine. “What, is it encroaching on your manhood?”
I burst out laughing, loving that it worked. “Damn right it is.”
“Tough.”
Fuck, I love her spunk, when she lets it out. There’s so much inside of her that’s been suppressed for so many years. I want her to find it again.
Clicking the remote, the movie starts and Carsyn lays down. Hergiggles and laughter intertwine with mine. It’s a great sound, one I’ll never get tired of hearing.
“Nox?”
“Yep.”
“Will you come over here with me?” When I turn to her, she’s staring at the screen and her bottom lip does a slight tremble.
“Of course.” There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
Maneuvering, Carsyn scoots over and I take her spot. She lays her head onmy chest, and my arm goes across her back. We say nothing and do nothing but laugh. It’s the most comfortable I’ve ever been with a woman.
So comfortable that we fall asleep just like that.
I wake with a start, the knob on the door rattling. Carsyn wakes as well, and I press my finger to her lips. Reaching over for my gun, I exit the bed and look out the peephole. Two people, a manand a woman, stand there. They’re laughing and having a hard time standing up. On the other side of the door, a card gets inserted, but nothing happens.
“Are you sure this is it?” the woman whines.
