I smile and sit down next to him. “Yeah I know, I don’t think it’s such a bad idea really. I’m just worried how Sam will take him being here. Who knows? She might even decide there’s more important things in life than the past.”
I look across from us at a man that’s holding a bloody rag attached to his hand and cringe.
“Daddy? What’re you doing?” I gasp.
I’m five years old and I’ve stumbled into our garage after hearing screams. There’s a man tied up with chains in a starfish pose and he has something over his mouth. My friend Hunter’s dad is here and three more men, all holding different tools.
He stalks over to me and says, “Daddy’s busy, honey. You need to go find your mom, you’ve got no business being in here.”
I glance over at the hanging man, he’s losing blood by the second from deep gashes across his chest and mine constricts as his begging gaze focusses on me.
“NOW, Keeley!” He shouts.
I jump and run out the garage, away from all the blood.
I wish my mind would get the memo about the past not being important. The sight of blood doesn’t bother me, it’s the memories that it brings with it that does. I look around the emergency room trying to think of anything but my past, I spot Connor walking past us with determination, an unreadable look on his face.
I jump up and grab his arm. “What happened?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing, I need to go. Take care of my girl.”
His girl? He doesn’t say anything else, just walks right out the doors and Lewis rubs my shoulders as I stare after him.
“Kee? Lewis?” Shit. I turn toward Sam knowing she’ll be mad as hell at me. “I thought so.”
“Don’t blame me, blame this goon here who called him.” I slap Lewis’s shoulder.
“Sorry, Sam. I thought… I dunno what I thought. That it would help?” He says, running a hand over his face.
She stands there and waves him off as if it isn’t important and asks where he’s gone. Looking over at Lewis, he looks as confused as I feel.
“Well, he left.” I shrug.
Wait, why does she look so upset?
“So, he’s really gone then?” She asks, staring at the automatic doors.
“Lewis.” I have a feeling she needs to talk so I motion for him to make himself scarce, but he just stares at me. “Men! Would you go get us a cup of coffee please?”
I smile and thank him as he stands up, still looking a little confused.
Sam laughs, sitting down in the sage green chair beside me, and I turn to her and tell her Connor really did mean well. She doesn’t know how lucky she is right now but I think she’s starting to see it as she admits she hadn’t wanted him to leave.
“What am I going to do?”
I shrug. “What do you want to do? The ball’s in your court, Sam.”
I can tell she’s exhausted even trying to sort through the mess in her head, and she clearly wants to be alone because she tells me to go home.
I hesitate and say, “You’ll text me as soon as you know anything?”
She forces out a smile and I pull her into my arms for a hug. She tenses at first before melting into me, letting me know she needs this. She pulls away and says goodbye as I walk in the direction I saw Lewis head in earlier. I want to find him and tell him I’m going home now, it was a huge waste for him to come here but I know why he came. How am I going to tell him that I don’t see him in that way? He’ll be one hell of a good friend, but the romantic feelings are all one sided.
I spot him bashing a vending machine in frustration and I giggle watching him.
“I think you’ve hurt its feelings.”
He turns and lets out a hearty laugh. “It deserves it, it hurt mine first. All I want is my Hershey’s bar.”
I sidle up beside the machine and throw my shoulder into it, smirking as I hear the clink of the candy falling.
“Show off. I loosened it for you,” he mumbles, pouting.
He takes the bar out of the machine and we walk toward the emergency room.
“Sam said we should just take off and come back tomorrow. No point in all of us being here when nothing is going to change before then.”
I lean over and take a bite of his Hershey’s bar. “Hey! You’re not entitled to eat the prize just because you helped.”
He raises a brow at me and his gray eyes sparkle with humor. I stand with my hands on my hips, staring at him and lunge for the candy, taking it out his hand in a flash and run toward my car. I can hear him following me so I run as fast as I can in my tight jeans. I reach my car just as I feel his hands come around my waist and pick me up.
“Aaah! Put me down!”
He lowers me with my back against the car and his hands drop from my waist and reposition themselves either side of my body, effectively trapping me.
“Is that better?” He says, only a few inches away from my face.
My chest heaves from running, I’m not sure what’s going to happen until it’s too late. His lips are on mine and I curse myself for putting us in this position. Not wanting to give him mixed signals, I stand still and don’t reciprocate the kiss.
“Text me when you’re coming back tomorrow,” he says, pulling away slightly, his lips brushing against mine one last time.
All I can do is stare at him and nod as he walks away.