Page 6 of Slow Burn
Slowly, I pried my eyes open and immediately let out a breath of relief when I realized my demons hadn't come back to haunt me. I maneuvered myself into a seated position, my body protesting furiously.
It didn't matter that I spent hours a day exercising in my garage; I still felt every one of my thirty-five years. Or maybe it was the shitty position and crappy couch that accounted for the gnawing pain in my lower back.
Pushing to my feet, I reached for the ceiling before twisting first to my right and then my left. My backbone giving a satisfying crunch with each stretch. The dull ache just above my tailbone showed no sign of going away, and I made a mental note to add another set of deadlifts to my workout routine later that day.
But first, coffee.
As I shuffled into the kitchen and began preparing my caffeine fix, my mind tried to focus on a million things at once. The wood supply for the deck I was building was running low and I had to put in an order. The guest bedroom and bathroom needed to be redone from the ground up. The floorboards weren't in the best shape, and the color on the walls an awful shade somewhere between pumpkin and shit.
No one really understood why I'd bought this specific house. Much like me, it wasn't in the best shape. And honestly, I had no real reason other than it felt like something I needed to do. An unmistakable pull to this town. Or maybe it was a sliver of hope that I'd find peace here, as undeserving as it may be.
My thoughts were still a jumbled mess when I grabbed milk from the fridge. As the door slowly closed, a little note stuck under a magnet caught my eye. With a wrinkle of my nose, I tugged it off and stared at the words I'd scribbled down a few days ago.
I needed to check in with my parents.
The move had been hard on them. Especially since they'd packed up their lives in Texas City to take care of me after the accident—even though I'd begged them not to. So when I told them I couldn't live in Sault Point anymore, their disappointment was understandable.
Right up until the day I left, they'd voiced their concerns over and over again until I promised to check in at least once a week and even went as far as to tell them they could drive down here unannounced if I didn't.
They jumped on it because being the bastard I was, I went for weeks without talking to anyone when I was still living in the same town as them. Therefor a once a week face to face—if you could call video calling that—was kind of a big deal.
My mind still stuck on my parents, I poured copious amounts of sugar and milk into my coffee and decided to give them a call as soon as I had enough caffeine in me to deal with their endless ways of asking me if I was okay.
I wasn't and I didn't think I ever would be, but they didn't need to know that.
Steaming mug in hand, I poked my head out of the glass door leading to my back yard to check if the coast was clear. I was in no mood to be approached by my neighbor again.
Hell, if I never had to make niceties with another person—except for my family—again, it would be too soon. Even before things went south, I hadn't been the most social person on the planet.
It became a lot worse after the accident.
Satisfied that there was no one, I slipped outside and sank into the Adirondack chair. Bright orange rays burst from the line where the ocean met the sky, with thin strips of yellow streaking through the blue.
It was beautiful.
If only that beauty had the ability to reach inside and touch the dead parts of me, maybe then—
Before the rest of the thought could fully form, a blur of gray and white came rushing toward me. "What the hell?" I couldn't stop my face from contorting even if I tried. Scratching at my legs had to be the ugliest creature I'd ever laid eyes on.
Its body had no coat while the top of its head was covered in long white strands of fur that looked like a stylist had been in there. "Good heavens, you're ugly."
Fugly dropped onto his or her butt and angled its long nose my way. "Shoo. Go away now!" Paying no mind to my not so nice request, Fugly's head simply tilted all the way to the left.
"Oh crap. I'm so sorry."
Just as it had a few days ago, every cell in my body stilled at the sound of her voice. I dropped my chin to my chest and cursed. That right there was what I'd wanted to avoid. I didn't want to make small talk with my neighbors.
Especially not with one who had a voice sweeter than honey.
"Uhm." She sounded hesitant. Good. "Would you mind handing him over? He's very nice and won't bite, I promise."
Nice or not, the woman had to be deluded if she thought I was touching that thing. My gaze flicked to Fugly, who was still watching me. "Go. Away," I muttered through clenched teeth. Unfortunately, it didn't have the desired effect because the stupid mutt thought it was playtime. Jumping onto its hind legs, Fugly's front paws scratched air. A move that most people would find adorable.
I wasn't most people.
"Uh…yeah, hi." It might've been my imagination, but that sweet voice held the slightest tinge of annoyance. "I realize that you're offended by interaction of any kind, but Sheldon doesn't know that. I'd come over and get him myself, but I don't want to get shot for trespassing."
Head still bowed, my gaze shot to her. Big mistake. If the sunrise I'd witnessed mere moments ago was beautiful, she was whatever trumped that. She looked like she'd just come back from a run. Her blonde hair twisted into a messy knot on top of her head. Cheeks tinged a rosy color and her skin glistening with perspiration.
