Page 27 of Touch Her and Die
Still nothing. This time I was really certain his cheek twitched.
“What is going on Parks?”
I reached my arm up. It wasn’t taking as much effort, making it so much easier to comfort him. The more I moved, the more I felt like myself. Or rather, I felt like a person. Not the Halle that was ready to leave his ass though. That Halle severed heads and left them to rot. This Halle sat in her boyfriend’s car wondering what she could do to make him be him again.
The stubble of his chin was abrasive over my fingers.
Damn it.
“Parks, talk to me.”
I looked at the white knuckled grip on the steering wheel and realized that I’d made a mistake. I wasn’t in charge.
I maybe should be afraid, but he was Parks. My Parks.
For the first time in my life, quiet might actually be the right choice. I wanted to tell my sister how much I was growing, but it bothered me that even she wouldn’t be enough anymore. I wanted Parks to notice how much I was growing.
* * *
It seemed like hours since we’d left the city. No, it had been hours and Parks still wasn’t talking to me.
I walked out of the gas station with a drink in hand and several snacks. I’d peed out the last of the drug and was feeling mostly normal. Mostly.
I was wearing a shirt he’d handed me and still looking a bit rough, but the further we got from the city, the less anyone fucking cared what I looked like. I’d thank Nate later for the shoes in the backpack at least. He might have drugged me, but he at least made sure I had my footwear.
“So, I grabbed Cheetos. The puffy kind. Oh, and beef jerky. Protein and all that. Hey, is Richard being taken care of?”
Parks finally looked up from pumping gas. He was a lot taller than the sports car so I know he could hear and see me. No avoiding me now.
“You’re worried about the dick? That’s all?”
I cocked my head, pulled my brows tight, and seriously couldn’t understand what his problem was. Or rather, which problem to start with.
“No?”
When he didn’t move and just shook his head over and over, I was at a loss for what to do.
“Wanna murder the guy at the register?” I asked as I pulled the car door open.
Nothing.
“He looked at my ass. Pretty sure he’s got no moral high ground.”
Still nothing. I slid into the passenger seat with my road trip staples, but I’d lost my appetite.
He put away the gas pump and seemed to pause before getting back into the car. Finally, I watched him get in. The muscles of his biceps flexing as he put his hands on the steering wheel with the car still off. How in the hell had this all become my fault? A little voice in my head screamed I’d been the one to kill his cousin and then I’d run out on him. That alone might have been enough. Maybe?
“Parks, you need to talk to me at some point.”
I ran my fingers over his ear, playing with the lobe.
“Or at least look at me.”
I let my snacks fall to the floor and leaned over to kiss his cheek.
“Look. I know I walked out on you, but it’s better this way. How would it look if pictures got out of your mistress?”
Slowly, his turned to me and glared.
