AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER FIVE
Tina
I followed Talon inside his home, feeling more than a little nervous. This wasn't any more dangerous than going to the homeless shelter as a teenager. Or at least, that's what I told myself. But inside these walls, he was in complete control. He could trap me and use me for his own pleasure if he wanted to. The thought filled me with terror but also a small shiver of excitement.
Talon turned on a light to reveal the interior of the house. It held minimal comfort. The living room just had a couch and a TV, but no throw blankets or pictures on the wall. There wasn't even a rug to cushion the hardwood floor. He led me down a barren hallway to bedrooms. He opened one to reveal a queen-sized bed covered in a comforter. It was next to a nightstand with a lamp, but there wasn't anything else in the room. Talon's house reminded me of him-- cold and unattached.
"My room is across the hall and the bathroom is next to your room," Talon said. He wasn't looking at me. He was looking at a spot on the wall past my right shoulder. I couldn't tell if he felt awkward or just annoyed he had to open up his home to me. "You can help yourself to anything in the closet. And your door locks from the inside if it makes you feel more comfortable."
"Thank you," I said. "And thank you for letting me stay here. I promise I won't be too much trouble. I'll be quiet. And clean up after myself." I just hoped his place wouldn't get blown up like my car did.
Finally, his eyes met mine. "Don't worry about that," he said. "Really. I don't have guests often, but I like your company. And I would rather have you here than in even more danger. I don't want you to worry about me kicking you out suddenly because you put your shoes in the wrong place or something."
I felt a lump form in my throat. Because as much as I didn't want to admit it, I was worried about exactly that. If he kicked me out, then I would be stranded and completely vulnerable, just like when I was fifteen. So I felt a little better with his words.
On impulse, I reached out to hug him. He tensed up as my arms went out his waist, but he recovered enough to put an arm around my shoulder. I stepped back. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I really wanted to do that. It’s been a rough day, but you’ve made it better.”
He gave me a strained smile as he took a step back. “I get it,” he said. “You’ve been through hell. I hope you sleep well.”
He left without another word. I felt a little weird from the hug, but it was an impulse from being exhausted. So far Talon was the main thing keeping me away from that awful man from earlier and I had just wanted to hug him. I would have to apologize to him in the morning.
After locking the door, I undressed, folding my clothes up neatly and putting them on the nightstand. It still wouldn’t hurt to be as neat as possible, even if Talon said he won’t kick me out.
Remembering what he said about the closet, I opened it up. There wasn’t much in there, just some old clothes hanging up. I grabbed a t-shirt that was so big, it would practically be a nightgown on me. And in the corner of the closet, in a small basket, were a bunch of stuffies. I stared at them. Why would Talon have these here? There wasn’t any evidence he had a kid or anything.
I bit my lip. He probably forgot about the stuffies in there and only meant I could use the clothes. But I wanted to curl up with a stuffy. I couldn’t be hurting anything just cuddling with one, right?
I grabbed a small teddy bear and hugged it to my chest. Just holding a stuffy made me feel immediately better.
I shut the closet door and went to bed dressed in one of Talon’s old t-shirts and holding a teddy bear. As soon as I was under the covers with the teddy, I was asleep.
The next day, I woke up to the smell of coffee and the sound of bacon sizzling. I groaned, thinking I was still dreaming. I had to be dreaming about the diner, right? There was no way this could be real. Right?
I stood up and slowly padded to the kitchen. Talon was at the stove, cooking. He tensed up and spun around when I entered. I shrank back a little. “I’m sorry,” I said automatically.
“No, no I’m sorry,” he said, his expression immediately softening. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m… I’m just not used to having guests. Did you sleep all right? I see you found the closet. That’s good.” He nodded to the teddy bear I was still holding.
I bit my lip. “Yes, thank you,” I said, sitting down at the kitchen table.
He turned back to the stove. “I hope you liked eggs and bacon,” he said. “I should have asked what you prefer for breakfast, but I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Eggs and bacon are fine,” I said. “Can I ask you something?”
“It depends.”
“Why… why are there so many stuffies around here and at Hawk’s Landing?”
