Page 12 of Where We Found Our Home
Well, say something before he thinks you’re a crazy bitch.
I am literally having a conversation with myself in my head so…he may not be far off.
“Yeah, just thinking.” Lincoln takes a seat next to me on the couch, closer than he was before, and I lose all focus. He smells like sandalwood and something else that I can’t quite put my finger on, but it’s intoxicating.
“So I’m sure this isn’t how you saw your Thursday night going.”
“Definitely not.”
“I’m really glad you’re okay.” I look at him and the sincerity I see in his eyes threatens to undo me.
“Me too. Thank you for being there.”
“No thanks necessary. I didn’t do anything. I couldn’t get to you in time to stop it.” He tries to brush that off as a casual statement, but I can hear the pain in his voice. “So, do you have any family in the area? I’m just wondering if there’s anybody we should’ve called for you.”
My hackles rise. I should’ve known the personal questions were coming. What’s crazy is that a part of me wants to share with him, and that should alarm me. I guess I can tell him a little about myself, but nothing about the past two years.
“No, no family here. I moved here from Baltimore. I should call them and let them know, but it can wait until tomorrow. I don’t need them worrying tonight.”
“What made you move here?”
A deranged asshole.
Hush.“I needed a change. To be honest, I chose this city at random. I made a top five list of cities I wanted to visit and picked one out of a bowl.”
“Really? That’s kind of awesome. What cities did we beat out?”
“Memphis, Houston, Portland, and San Francisco.”
“Well, I happen to think Austin is the best of those options, but I’m biased. I’m happy our city won out.”
“Yeah. I am too, so far.”
But if I let you get too close, I may be going to one of those other cities anyway.
Do you have an off button?
I shake off my thoughts and immediately ask another question. “So were you guys born and raised in Austin?”
“Yeah. My dad is from here. My mom was raised in California but came here for college. She met my dad, and they never left.”
“That’s sweet. So tell me about your other siblings.” Ugh, what is wrong with me? Asking Lincoln questions only opens myself up for him to return the favor. But I want to know more about him.
He smiles and runs his hands down his beard. “Well, you know Sasha already. She gets under your skin in the best way and just stays there. She’s a firecracker. My oldest sister, Regina, she’s tough. She has the biggest heart but she will also cut anyone down who tries to fuck with her. My younger brother, Isaiah, is a fool but so damn lovable. My sisters won’t even ask him to babysit because he acts like a big kid himself half the time. He’s always been like that, but a few years ago he moved to Arizona for awhile, and when he came back he was a little bit lost. Since then he’s amped up the big kid routine.”
“What happened in Arizona?”
“He doesn’t talk about it.” I nod. I understand that better than anyone. He rolls right into another question. “What about you? Any siblings? I know your mom said never to let your kids outnumber you so I’m willing to bet you’re either an only child or only one sibling.”
I chuckle even though I cringed when I told him that earlier because I couldn’t believe I let a personal anecdote fly out my mouth so easily. “Only child here. My dad wasn’t in our lives so she was a one and done.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. I didn’t miss anything.” He smiles at that.
We go back and forth asking each other questions, and I give him more information than I’d given anyone in a long time. He makes me feel comfortable, safe. I know that’s a problem, but I can’t stop spilling my guts.
“Wait, what? You’re a firefighter, like that’s been what you wanted to be since you were a kid. So you’ve always wanted to run into burning buildings and save lives and yet you’re afraid of…zombies?”
