AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Any other reasons for this unexpected rant?”
“You gotta have a fork to eat it,” he sighs with exaggerated disappointment.
An unexpected laugh bubbles up from my chest as I look up at him. He’s actually doing a decent job of keeping my mind preoccupied. “Are you seriously upset because you can’t eat cake with your hands?” I shake my head in bewilderment. “What about cupcakes?”
“Messy fuckers. Cupcakes are the hot mess of the dessert world.”
My mouth falls open as his comparison stuns me into silence.
“Now, pie,” he yanks on my arm to keep me walking, “pie is where it’s at. So many flavors, the buttery crust. Pie stands on its own.”
“You have to use a fork for pie, too.”
“Not hand pies.”
Once again he stuns me into bewildered silence.
“I see I’ve rocked your world.” His honey brown eyes lock onto mine and he gives me a slow and suggestive smile. “The first of many times to come.” He wiggles his brows.
My brain struggles to sort through the past five minutes. I mumble through short responses as he goes on a rant about brunch and avocado toast as we keep walking. All through school he was the guy who could strike up conversations with anyone and then charm any teacher when called out on it. It’s clear that he’s using that skill on me right now and fuck if I’m not appreciative.
“Here we are.” He pulls me from the tree line. “Home sweet home.”
The cabin is small and basic, made from logs. A tiny wooden porch is just big enough for two people to stand on. He walks around the side to a metal box with a dial lock. After entering the combination, he flips the lid open and turns on a generator.
He closes and locks the box before walking me back around to the door. It creaks as he opens it and dust motes dance in the stagnant air as the fading light filters through. The interior is all wood, echoing the exterior. There are two bunk beds pushed against one wall with a couple of chairs in front of a wood burning stove. A small counter holds a coffee pot and hot plate next to a sink. On the wall opposite the beds there are two doors.
“The door on the right is the bathroom. The hot water heater should have everything heated up in about twenty minutes,” Cody says. “You can shower if you want, everything is pretty basic, but we do have soap and shampoo.”
“A shower actually sounds amazing,” I croak and clear my throat.
“Do you want coffee? Or tea while we wait? It’s all instant, but gets the job done.”
“Just some water.”
He nods and walks to the tiny kitchenette, pulling a glass from a small set of cabinets and filling it for me. His fingers brush mine when he passes me the glass. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” The first sip of icy cold water hits my lips and I swear it’s the best thing I’ve put in my mouth. Well water up in the mountains really can’t be beat. The cold liquid soothes my throat, raw from the screaming and choking.
A few minutes pass in silence. All of a sudden, I miss his random thoughts on desserts. My mind is going back into dark territory, reliving the moments of terror. Panic begins to well up inside me.
Cody looks at me for the first time since finding me at the creek without any flirtation, just worry and compassion bleeding out from him. I watch as his eyes study my injuries. “How are you doing?”
“I’m okay.” I sigh and finish off the glass of water. “Better than I would have expected.”
“Good,” he says with a soft smile, taking my empty glass back to the counter. “The water’s probably warm by now. The towels are in the cabinet over the toilet. Holler if you need anything.”
“Thank you.”
I’m pleasantly surprised when I step into the bathroom and see how spacious it is. I guess it’s the one extravagance his family wanted out here. I note the composting toilet, which makes sense. Luckily I’ve used plenty of them before so I know what to expect. The shower is a simple glass stall, but large with shower heads high enough that Cody wouldn’t have to duck down.
I grimace through undressing myself. When I look in the mirror, I see the dark bruises around my neck and on my shoulder, and my clavicle looks swollen. My mind goes to dark places when I notice the bruises on my thighs. There’s only one thing that could have been on that psycho’s mind when he had me pinned down the way he did.
I swallow thickly, pushing the thought way down deep and compartmentalizing. With a bitter scoff, I think about how easy it is for me to push uncomfortable feelings aside and ignore them. I’ve been doing it for seven years, so what’s another deep dark secret to hold.
The water only takes a few seconds to heat up. The steady, hot stream feels better than anything I’ve ever felt before. I tip my head back, wetting my tangled hair and loving the heat on my cold and clammy skin. I pump some shampoo onto my palm and rub my hands together to lather it up a bit.
I cry out as I lift my hands toward my hair. A sharp pain shoots down my arm, bringing tears to my eyes. I was careful removing my clothes, but the water felt so nice I was lulled into complacency.
