Page 58 of Savage Keepsakes

I nod, and he grabs my hand, leading me out of his room.

“You took me to the bookstore? Who ever let you go?”

I turn to look at him. We’ve been at the laundromat for most of the day, and how he can make that fun is beyond me.

As we walk into the small store, books stretch across the walls, and he shrugs.

“Well, you need some reads to withstand your shifts with the Cotton Candy Whore.”

“Facts,” I say and grin.

I stroll along through the narrow aisles, glancing everywhere and picking up books. I didn’t even know we had a used bookstore here. The abundance of great selections causes my arms to fill.

“Want me to carry?”

“No, I’m done.” We’re the only ones in the store except for a very bored-looking teenager behind the till.

“You sure?”

“I have enough books. Let’s be fair. I don’t even need these.”

“If you need additional shelf space, tell me.”

“Stop. Don’t feed my addiction,” I whisper, and laughs.

“You’re my addiction,” he says before grasping the books and heading to the cashier.

Once I have the bag in hand, we’re out the door and he guides me to the car.

“Who’d have thought I’d find someone who can fuck and understand me?” I tell him.

“I’m so fucking glad youdid,” he says.

As we drive home, his hand rests on my thigh while the grunge music blares through the speakers. I feel free, swaying in my seat to the rhythm of the tunes.

He grins at me. Today is everything I have to hold on to in order to get through the next few days.

“Ignore her bullshit. I can see you’re already stressing about it. She ain’t worth a single thought in your mind. Soon, if sales keep up the way they are for me, I can take care of you.”

I know that no matter what she throws at me, I’ll be able to handle it, because even if she took Miles away, she did me a solid and it led me to find the true love of my life.

Sixteen

Billy

Darkness cloaks everything in the night’s stillness, making it the perfect time for my secret side hobby.

However, now that I’m working on the property, I have no choice but to adhere to Lou’s schedule to keep it hidden from her. Two of the three days have passed, and I haven’t found the right people to pick up.

Stopping by a mailbox out of town, I drop the homemade leather journals for Brian’s parents. I’m sure it would be wiser to go further away from the city, but whatever.

I think about Miles’s mother. Whether she finds out what the wallet is made of or not, she’ll be able to hold her son in her hands once again.

The laugh bubbles up in my stomach, but I swallow it down. It’s not socially acceptable to be manically laughing on the street. That being said, Iincluded a little note typed up that says,Think of me while you hold this. Love, Miles.

Cruising out of town, I see a group of three girls walking down the dusty road and wonder what the fuck they are doing.

One of them juts out her thumb, but the other pulls her back and shakes her head. The third just stands there.

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