Page 28 of Fence

12

Fence

Damn it. Damn all of it to hell.

Her eyes were round, her mouth open, her breath steaming as it hit the almost cold air.

Once again, the world went on all around us, while the two of us were frozen in a solitary moment. Only this time, there was a serious feeling of dread in the air between us. Enough dread to choke me if I wasn’t careful.

We were at the edge of a cliff, with only a half-second between standing on firm ground and falling through empty air. Once we fell, there was no going back.

She was about to find out something about me she could never forget. She’d never be allowed to forget.

I couldn’t even lie. There wasn’t a lie in existence that could accurately cover what had just happened. I should’ve been gushing blood onto the sidewalk—that glass had lodged itself deep in the meaty part of my palm. I had known then and there that I needed to get away from her, immediately.

What I should’ve known was that she wouldn’t allow me to.

Her question was still unanswered. Who the hell was I? If she were half as smart as I thought she was, she would’ve run.

I opened my mouth with every intention of telling her to do just that. Run away and forget everything you saw tonight. Forget we ever met. Forget I exist. Go on with your life. Be happy.

It just wasn’t an option.

“Ciera, let me explain.”

“You’d better explain,” she whispered through clenched teeth, suddenly fierce and demanding.

All she did was stoke the fire that had been burning in me all night.

“I will. Just not here, in the middle of the street.”

“Why not? What are you afraid of?”

“Give it some thought, Ciera.”

It was the first time I allowed myself to be sharp with her, and she visibly recoiled. I spied a free taxi and flagged it down, taking her by the arm. She was probably too surprised to attempt to fight me off—not that she would’ve been successful, at any rate.

“Give him your address,” I ordered after we were both seated.

“What?”

“Your address.”

She glared at me, and I glared right back. Challenging each other in a staring contest in the back seat of a taxi. She blinked first, muttering the address of her apartment. We were off in a flash.

I leaned back, pretending to relax, and held a finger over my lips. She took the hint. How had everything fallen apart so quickly?

I was stuck in a corner, and there was only one way out. I took advantage of the silence during our ride to get my thoughts together—or something close to together, at any rate.

In the back of my mind, I registered the fact that she was shaking from head to foot. I wished I could reach out and take her in my arms, assure her everything would be all right. She wouldn’t regret meeting me. She wouldn’t regret knowing me. I would never hurt her.

Except I knew she’d recoil in horror and maybe scream a little. I couldn’t have our driver witnessing something like that. He was already eyeing us both up in the mirror, distrustful. Would he remember us? For his sake, I hoped he didn’t.

I had already made too many mistakes.

We came to a stop in front of a nondescript building not far from the university, the sort of place a student could afford, especially when they were living on a grant. I paid the driver and made short work of helping Ciera out of the car.

She wouldn’t take another step.

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