Page 37 of Love is Strange
He runs a hand over his face irritably before he nods and leans back in the chair again.
“Before I go too far into this, I want you to know that I’m okay now—for the most part, anyway. Sometimes I’ll wake up and have a cry over it but Miko always makes me feel better when I feel like the world is against me again.” I take a deep breath and look down at my hands, smiling sadly, before I glance back up at him again and continue.
“It started when I was about five. My brother was seven years older than me and puberty was doing a number on his hormones. Anyway, for the first year it was innocent enough. Just a few kisses here and there, nowhere he shouldn’t have, you know? Like a peck on the cheek while I sat on his lap, or he would have me kiss him on his cheek, promising me a piece of candy each time. On my sixth birthday, shit escalated to kisses on the mouth. I guess since he had gotten away with it for as long as he had, and I had kept my mouth shut for the sugar rush, he knew that I wouldn’t tell on him. He would cry each time he would send me back to my room because he knew what he was doing was wrong and I didn’t understand what the hell was going on. Fast forward to my tenth birthday when he slid his dick in my mouth for the first time and the rest is history. It stopped when he moved out a couple of years later. Dad helped him find a job and a place of his own. When they would ask me if I wanted to go see him or stay over at his house for the weekend and I would start crying, they knew that something was up, but they never knew the extent of it because I didn’t tell on him. Neither of us did. And now, besides Miko, you’re the only person that knows what happened to me. I do feel a bit better being able to finally talk about it, so thank you for listening.”
I glance at the doorway when I feel like we’re being watched and chuckle slightly, patting my lap. Miko must have heard her name, and with ears that size, I’m not surprised. I never did want a pet, but I found her online through a breeder once when I was looking for something to cheer me up and Fennec Foxes are happy little things to have around for the most part.
I run my hands over her soft, tan fur as she curls herself up in my lap and closes her eyes. I won’t lie—I feel envious of her ability to nap right now when I’m the one that’s feeling drained from telling the story.
“So, um, what happened to him?” Silas asks, finally breaking the silence. “Like where is he?”
“Don’t know and don’t care,” I reply, shaking my head. “I try my best not to think about shit I can’t change, you know?”
“Damn, Axelle,” he says quietly as he leans forward and rubs his face again. “I mean, if you ever find out where he is, you’d tell me, right?”
“Why?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
Silas shrugs and cuts his eyes away from me. He’s trying to hide something in his eyes and because I can’t see them, he’s succeeding.
“I don’t think the two of you have very much in common,” I add, dryly.
“But we do,” he says softly as he glances up at me. “You.”
“And I’m more than happy to keep you and him in a completely different memory box,” I reply firmly. “Don’t worry about him and don’t worry about me. I just felt like I owed it to you to tell you something about me so that maybe you can understand where I’m coming from when I snap at you for getting too close sometimes.”
Silas gets to his feet and retrieves his car keys from his pocket, jingling them in the palm of his hand for a moment as he looks at me with curious eyes.
“Let me know you if you ever find him, huh?”
Before I can tell him again that there’s no chance in hell I would even know where he is, nor would I care to look for him, he comes over, pats Miko gently on the head, then leans down and kisses me softly on the forehead.
“I’ll see you later.”
Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
Three daysof silence is what I faced next. I’ve been good at not contacting Silas or Vanessa, but as I look down at my phone, a rueful smile playing on my lips, I can see that maybe one of them isn’t so good at staying away.
There should be a cab pulling up outside soon. Get in it and come over.
I walk over to my door and crack it open to find that a cab is indeed patiently waiting for me outside.
“Just a sec!” I call out to the driver, who glances over at me, then smiles and nods.
I’m dressed casually in a pair of loose fitting, black Victoria’s Secret lounge pants and a white V-neck t-shirt with no will to change into anything else.
I don’t assume we’re going to be doing anything too earth shattering, so my attire will have to do just fine. I quickly walk over to the couch and slip my feet into my flip-flops before I reach for my purse, then hurry outside.
Once I’m in the cab, the driver nods again. I lean my head back against the seat and close my eyes. I haven’t slept much in three days and I’m not entirely sure how long it takes to get to Si’s, but I think a nap is in order.
* * *
“Miss? We’re here,”the driver announces in an amused tone.
I sit up and give him a startled look, then grin sheepishly. I reach into my purse and ask what the fare is, but he shakes his head and tells me that it’s been taken care of already and I raise an eyebrow.
This bastard thinks of everything,I think as I toss my wallet back into my purse with a shake of my head.
