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Who knows how his life might’ve turned out if he’d taken a different tack. He probably wouldn’t have ever met Raketa either, and he was glad he had, no matter how much she currently hated him.
9
Raketa didn’t see Gunner the rest of the day. She heard him come and go, but never ventured out of the bedroom unless she was certain he was outside, and then, it was only to use the restroom or get some water.
It would be dark soon, and he would likely be inside for the rest of the night. Eventually, she’d be forced to talk to him, and she still hadn’t figured out what she’d say.
She could ask again to be let go, but that would be a waste of breath. He’d never let her; he was protecting her.
What else could she say? That she’d realized she had no one else in the world she could turn to?
She jumped when she heard a knock on the door and waited for it to open. It didn’t, and while she hadn’t heard his approach, she did hear him walking away.
Admittedly, she was starving, and it was only her own stubbornness preventing her from eating. Now she was kicking herself for not getting food earlier when she was sure she wouldn’t run into him.
The pangs in her stomach grew worse when the smell of whatever Gunner was cooking wafted into her room. It smelled divine, and she couldn’t remember the last time she ate. She knew she wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.
Less than five minutes later, Raketa opened the door to her bedroom and walked into the kitchen.
Gunner didn’t say anything, but he did stand, walk over to the oven, take out a covered plate, and set it in front of her.
Beneath the cover he removed was grilled salmon, rice, and vegetables.
“It’s really good,” she said after several mouthfuls. “Thank you.”
When he didn’t respond, she looked up.
“You’re welcome. Would you like more?”
“Yes, please,” she muttered. “I can get it, though.”
“Yeah? Know your way around a kitchen?”
He was trying to tease her, and she appreciated his effort to lighten the tension between them. “Actually, I don’t.”
“Good,” he said, standing and taking her plate. “It’ll give us something to do.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll teach you how to cook.”
“Oh, uh…”
He set the plate down in front of her and then went back to his seat across the table. “Look at me,” he said, waiting for her to do as he asked before continuing. “Got a better idea?”
When Raketa’s eyes met his, her mind filled with several better ideas. How could her body respond so quickly when a few short hours ago she couldn’t imagine ever wanting to look at him again? She looked down at her plate and raised another forkful to her mouth.
“Yeah, I can think of a lot of better ideas too,” he muttered, almost causing her to drop her fork. “Listen, I think we should start over. Things got out of hand earlier.”
Raketa nodded. “I agree.”
“That things got out of hand or that we should start over?”
“Both.”
“Good.” Gunner finished the food on his plate and took it to the sink. “When you’re done eating, I’ll build a fire and we can sit outside.”
Raketa nodded. “Thank you.”
