Page 134 of Ransom

RANSOM

Blair's drunk.

More than drunk. Fucking off her rocker.

And I'm completely fascinated.

We never did this when we were kids. We shared a beer once, and a few sips of something fruity and disgusting, but that was it.

Now she's sprawled across my couch, her long legs dangling over the armrest. The bottle of whiskey dangles from her fingers, nearly empty now. I've never seen her like this—all loose limbs and unguarded expressions.

"You know what's funny?" She takes another swig, grimacing. "I always thought you'd come back. Even after five years. Ten years." Her grey eyes fix on me, unusually bright. "Kept thinking, 'Any day now, that idiot's gonna show up in his stupid leather jacket.'"

I lean forward in my chair. "I don't wear leather jackets anymore." That’s more Nick’s thing. He’s got the whole motorcycle-riding-bad-boy thing going on.

"No shit." She laughs, a real laugh that makes her whole body shake. "Look at you now. All..." She waves the bottle at mysweats. "Corporate. Well, not that outfit. But usually, right? You had a fancy outfit on the night you drove into the ditch."

"I didn't drive into the ditch. The damn cow forced me off the road."

"Sure she did." Blair rolls onto her side, propping her head on her hand. "You know what else is funny? I went on dates after you left. A whole bunch of them. Turns out I was popular and didn't know it. The boys liked me anyway."

My chest tightens. "Just dated, or more?"

She shrugs but doesn't give me an answer. And I really fucking want one. "Doesn't matter. They weren't you. They were never you."

The raw honesty in her voice hits me hard. "Blair?—"

"No, shut up. I'm talking now." She points the bottle at me. "You broke my fucking heart, Kyle. And Maggie got sick again, and my dad died, and you weren't there for any of it."

"I wanted to be."

"But you weren't." Her voice cracks. "And now you're here, looking at me like... like you used to. And Maggie's dying, and Max needs me, and I can't..." She takes another drink. "I can't handle you looking at me like that."

I move to sit beside her on the couch. "How am I looking at you?"

"Like I'm still seventeen and beautiful."

"You're still beautiful."

She snorts. "I'm old and tired and scared all the time."

"Tell me about it. Tell me everything I missed."

"There's nothing to tell really." Blair waves the bottle dismissively. "Just a small life in a small town."

"Bullshit. Tell me everything."

She snorts. "What? About fixing cars? About watching Max grow up? About holding Maggie's hand through chemo?" Her words slur slightly. "Or maybe you wanna know about Adam?"

My jaw tightens. "Yeah, actually. I do."

"Oh my God." She bursts out laughing, nearly tipping off the couch. "Fine. You really wanna know about Adam? He came by the shop one day. I was sitting in front watching the sunset, and he sat down. I hadn't seen him much. He was gone for a long time, in the army. We talked about nothing important." She takes another sip. "Did that for months. Just... sat and talked after work."

"And then?"

"Then I got tired of being alone." She shrugs. "Everyone else was getting married, having kids. Even Maggie had Max. And there I was, just... existing. So one night, I kissed him."

My hands clench into fists. Why the fuck am I doing this to myself? I should change the subject, or haul her to bed. "Just like that?"

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