motions.
“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Skye,” I said with a smile. My lips brushed the back of her hand for a moment, and she apparently couldn’t hold in the laugh anymore. It literally exploded out of her, and her eyes went wide. Her hand quickly covered her mouth as a few other people looked over in her direction.
“Nicole…geez…” Her father patted her on the back. “You all right?”
“I’m fine, Dad,” she insisted. “It’s just…well, Thomas and I have biology class together. We’re partners on a project, so we already know each other.”
“Oh good!” my father said with a smile and some more beaming. “Thomas, why don’t you take Nicole over to the refreshments and maybe show her around a little?”
“My pleasure,” I responded, and I completely meant it. Nicole’s eyes widened again as my father put his hand on the sheriff’s shoulder and walked him toward another group of people. I held my arm out for Nicole. “Shall we?”
Her eyes narrowed a bit, but she accepted my offer.
“Would you like something to drink?” I asked as we walked over to the banquet tables. Nicole had her hand around my arm, loosely holding on to me. I felt giddy. “The iced tea is pretty good.”
“Sure,” she said. She looked up at me with slightly narrowed eyes. I poured two glasses and then led her over to one of the balconies. I held the door for her, and she walked through, still eyeing me kind of warily.
“You look exceptionally lovely this evening,” I told her.
Nicole’s eyes went wide for a second.
“Um…thank you,” she said. She gave me another strange look. “You look really good in a tux.”
I gave her a half-smile.
“Thanks,” I replied. “I only wear it to this banquet and the occasional wedding.”
“And a real bow tie?” she noticed. “Do you even know how to tie it?”
My mind flashed through my altercation with Dad before we got here. I allowed it to flow because sometimes trying to push it back was just too hard.
“Yes, I do.”
“That’s kind of cool.”
“Mom insisted I know how to do it,” I heard myself blurt out and immediately wished I could take it back.
“So, is your mom here tonight?” Nicole asked. She took a sip of her tea.
I stiffened a second. My throat tightened up on me. I wasn’t used to anyone asking about her. We lived in such a small community, and everyone knew the story, so I was never questioned about it.
“Um…no…uh…my mom’s dead.”
“Oh shit!” Nicole spit tea and tried to catch it dribbling down her chin. I couldn’t help but smile a bit as she pawed at her face and her dress to get it off while simultaneously nearly spilling more of it as she tried not to drop the glass at the same time. “I’m so sorry, Thomas! I had no idea!”
“It’s all right,” I replied. Her messy display had lightened the mood but couldn’t completely stop the lingering memories. “It’s been a while.”
“Still…wow…I’m really sorry.” She wiped the liquid from the front of her dress. For a couple of minutes, we just stood there in an awkward silence and looked out over the balcony rail at the river beyond. My mind was going at top speed, trying to figure out what I was supposed to do in this situation. What was my part? What were my lines? Was I supposed to tell her more?
I couldn’t keep it in, and eventually some of the overflow spilled out.
“It was a car wreck,” I said. I couldn’t call it an accident. If it weren’t for me, it never would have happened, so it wasn’t a fucking accident. “I was twelve at the time.”
“What happened?” she asked quietly.
Too much.
Reaching down and grasping the railing to steady my hands, I looked out over the river. I tensed inside, trying to keep the memory from coming back—literally squeezing it out of my head until my temples began to throb.
“I’m sorry,” Nicole said. “You don’t have to talk about it.”
I swallowed past my clenched throat. I didn’t
“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Skye,” I said with a smile. My lips brushed the back of her hand for a moment, and she apparently couldn’t hold in the laugh anymore. It literally exploded out of her, and her eyes went wide. Her hand quickly covered her mouth as a few other people looked over in her direction.
“Nicole…geez…” Her father patted her on the back. “You all right?”
“I’m fine, Dad,” she insisted. “It’s just…well, Thomas and I have biology class together. We’re partners on a project, so we already know each other.”
“Oh good!” my father said with a smile and some more beaming. “Thomas, why don’t you take Nicole over to the refreshments and maybe show her around a little?”
“My pleasure,” I responded, and I completely meant it. Nicole’s eyes widened again as my father put his hand on the sheriff’s shoulder and walked him toward another group of people. I held my arm out for Nicole. “Shall we?”
Her eyes narrowed a bit, but she accepted my offer.
“Would you like something to drink?” I asked as we walked over to the banquet tables. Nicole had her hand around my arm, loosely holding on to me. I felt giddy. “The iced tea is pretty good.”
“Sure,” she said. She looked up at me with slightly narrowed eyes. I poured two glasses and then led her over to one of the balconies. I held the door for her, and she walked through, still eyeing me kind of warily.
“You look exceptionally lovely this evening,” I told her.
Nicole’s eyes went wide for a second.
“Um…thank you,” she said. She gave me another strange look. “You look really good in a tux.”
I gave her a half-smile.
“Thanks,” I replied. “I only wear it to this banquet and the occasional wedding.”
“And a real bow tie?” she noticed. “Do you even know how to tie it?”
My mind flashed through my altercation with Dad before we got here. I allowed it to flow because sometimes trying to push it back was just too hard.
“Yes, I do.”
“That’s kind of cool.”
“Mom insisted I know how to do it,” I heard myself blurt out and immediately wished I could take it back.
“So, is your mom here tonight?” Nicole asked. She took a sip of her tea.
I stiffened a second. My throat tightened up on me. I wasn’t used to anyone asking about her. We lived in such a small community, and everyone knew the story, so I was never questioned about it.
“Um…no…uh…my mom’s dead.”
“Oh shit!” Nicole spit tea and tried to catch it dribbling down her chin. I couldn’t help but smile a bit as she pawed at her face and her dress to get it off while simultaneously nearly spilling more of it as she tried not to drop the glass at the same time. “I’m so sorry, Thomas! I had no idea!”
“It’s all right,” I replied. Her messy display had lightened the mood but couldn’t completely stop the lingering memories. “It’s been a while.”
“Still…wow…I’m really sorry.” She wiped the liquid from the front of her dress. For a couple of minutes, we just stood there in an awkward silence and looked out over the balcony rail at the river beyond. My mind was going at top speed, trying to figure out what I was supposed to do in this situation. What was my part? What were my lines? Was I supposed to tell her more?
I couldn’t keep it in, and eventually some of the overflow spilled out.
“It was a car wreck,” I said. I couldn’t call it an accident. If it weren’t for me, it never would have happened, so it wasn’t a fucking accident. “I was twelve at the time.”
“What happened?” she asked quietly.
Too much.
Reaching down and grasping the railing to steady my hands, I looked out over the river. I tensed inside, trying to keep the memory from coming back—literally squeezing it out of my head until my temples began to throb.
“I’m sorry,” Nicole said. “You don’t have to talk about it.”
I swallowed past my clenched throat. I didn’t
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