Page 58 of Far From Sherwood Forest
I used to have these dreams. Well,onedream. It came to me over and over during those two years I lived alone in that cabin. Mercifully, they stopped after Ivy found me.
Robin Hood was the most familiar thing to me in this world. Theonlyfamiliar thing. My subconscious seemed to latch onto that, tohim. I always liked to believe that I’d find him one day, that I’d get to take my revenge.
In my sleep, he was the one to findme. He was justthere. I wasn’t alone anymore.
It was nothing more than that. It’s not like I thought about him in the ways I have recently.
I still hated him, but I didn’t hate him in my dreams.
After leaving the cabin, those dreams changed to nightmares. Robin saw my scars, and those memories visited me while he was in my bed, the same ones that have been haunting me ever since.
But then something different happened.
That dream I hadn’t had in years came right after. He picked me up off that dirty ground and told me everything would be okay. I woke up clinging to him like he was my lifeline. I letmyself have that moment, briefly holding him tighter, giving into those dreams I used to hate so much.
And then it was over, and I took him home while the sun was rising.
That was a few days ago, and I haven’t heard from him since.
Not that it bothers me. I told myself it would be one time, and I meant it. The only problem is that he’s not out of my system. Not even close. If anything, he takes up even more space.
On the positive side, I haven’t missed more work, needing the distraction more than anything right now.
Leaning back in the chair in my office, I take a sip of coffee. I’m just finishing up replying to a few emails before I go out on patrol. As much as I hate this part with the damn computer, at least I’m too busy to focus on my hate of other things.
“Hey, buddy!”
My eyes snap up, and I nearly drop my mug when I see Ivy standing in the doorway. I haven’t seen her since I first transferred to Colorado, and I wasn’t expecting her to just show up. I haven’t even heard from her in a couple of months.
“Ivy?” I set my coffee down on the desk, not having had nearly enough of it for an early morning surprise. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Good to see you too, Henry,” she says with a roll of her eyes.
As she takes a step forward, her gaze sweeps the bare, undecorated room. She looks the same as the last time I saw her, her black hair the same length, a few small braids throughout. She wears a pair of strange patchwork pants in shades of green and a black top. Ivy has always been beautiful in an odd kind of way, but I’ve never seen her as anything other than a friend. And barely that.
I honestly never expected to be attracted to another person again, which is just another reason my attraction to Robin Hoodof all people confuses me.
Shoving thoughts of Robin away, I narrow my eyes. “Seriously. You never just show up like this. What’s going on?”
“Can’t a girl visit her bestie without having ulterior motives?” She plops down in the chair opposite me and places her Converse-covered feet on top of my desk, causing my jaw to clench. “I was in the neighborhood, and I hadn’t heard from you in a while. Just wanted to see how you’re doing.”
“You’re very intrusive.”
“I’d like to think of it as invested.”
I suppose I can’t blame her since she is the reason I’m out in the world after all. Still, it’s a bit annoying when I hate talking. Aboutanything. Somehow, Robin keeps getting me to talk to him, which only makes me want to close myself off even more.
“You haven’t given me any updates or asked me to transfer you out of here. Consider my curiosity piqued. You haven’t done what you wanted. You’re sticking around.” She drops her feet and leans forward, tilting her head as she pins with me with a sparkle in her eyes. “Change your mind about Robin Hood?”
Looking away, I grind my teeth until they’re at risk of cracking. Just like me. Cracking right down the middle between killing Robin or kissing him.
“It’s just not worth it anymore,” I tell her with a shake of my head. “There are bigger problems out there.”
“Like bears?”
My eyes jolt back to her. “Excuse me?”
“You know, the one that attacked you. The one that Robin saved you from.”
