AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Kenzie is silent beside me, and I let loose a long exhale before finally meeting his gaze. I expected, at the very least, an incredulous expression on his face, but what I find isrecognitionwhich leaves me confused.
“Do you not remember what you told me those first few days at the ranch?” he says slowly as if weighing every word coming out of his mouth.
I scoff in disbelief. “You left me alone those first few days, remember?”
“No, I didn’t… who do you think brought you your meals?”
Disbelief forms a crease between my eyebrows as I study Kenzie for a beat.
“What are you trying to tell me, Kenz?” I say, trying to ignore my heart beating inexplicably faster.
His smile is mischievous as if he’s getting a kick out of this, and I fight the urge to just stand up and leave.
“You told me you saw your future. Said you were older, had a lass too—built her a house near the water.”
“You’re full of shit. I don’t remember any of that,” I say dryly.
“Maybe I am,” he says, standing up and giving me a knowing wink. “Or maybe life is much more complex than even that big fucking brain of yours,” he says, tapping my forehead with his index finger, and I’m too stunned to wave him off. “Anyway, I gotta get back to it. Find me before you leave, will you?”
I nod, the words lost somewhere in my chest, and watch him walk back into the garage as I’m left sitting on the shoddy couch, wondering if I even understood what he was alluding to.
Or am I just that desperate for a genuine connection?
32
Ihad been surprised to find a vegetable garden on my first day on the compound, tucked in a small patch of greenery before the thick wilderness of the forest began. It looked alive and healthy and I wondered who was taking such good care of it. It reminded me of the gardens back ho–in Sacro Nuntio. But somehow this garden did not carry the usual ache of my past, it simply reminded me of community. Something I, at times, vaguely missed when feeling lonely in the big city of Noxport.
When I woke up this morning, my body sore but my mind feeling so alive, I decided to take a walk to the garden. I’ve been here most of the afternoon, laying on a blanket I brought from the room, my cowboy hat covering my face from the sun.
I feel a little nudge on the sole of my foot before hearing Bastian’s playful voice above me.
“What are you doing over here, Baby Blue?”
The new nickname hangs in the air between us as I slowly pull my hat off my face, my heart beating that much faster as my stomach does a little somersault in response. Then I see him… and tumble into a state of breathless awe at the sight.
I have never seen him smile so freely, reaching all the way up to his eyes, crinkling the thin skin on either side of them. Backlit by the sun, the rays bouncing off his head, his hair a white gold halo as he continues to look at me with such openness I feel like I might cry.
I am not really sure why.
I clear my throat trying to shake off all these sudden surging emotions, and push myself up into a sitting position. “Just enjoying the fresh air,” I say, forcing a casual tone into my voice. Shielding my face from the sun with my hand, I meet his gaze.
Bastian’s expression turns into one of curiosity when he bends over next to me, and I realize too late that I’ve left my notebook open beside me.
“Don’t!” I yelp much too loudly, as my hand snatches at the air, my notebook already in Bastian’s hand above me.
“What are you hiding in here, Luce?” he says with an amused chuckle.
I am up on my feet in one swift movement scrambling for the notebook, but Bastian has it raised up above his head, his other hand palming me in the forehead and with the few inches he has on me, I cannot reach far enough to snatch it away.
“It is nothing I swear.” My voice coming out high and shrill, still fighting against his grasp.
“Sure it is,” Bastian says with a taunt and a smile, squinting at what I have crossed off my list. “Does that say…” he pauses, squinting even harder. “Threesome?”
“Give it back!” I say in horror. Next thing I know I’m climbing up on him, ready to do anything for him not to read anything else out loud.
“Sweet little Luce has a dirty bucket list,” Bastian says with a shocked laugh, wrapping his free arm around my waist while my legs circle his hips trying to gain some height.
“You were not supposed to see that,” I retort, suddenly laughing with him, my hand finally on the notebook. He lets it go, and I hold it against my chest like a guarded treasure. My laughter transforms into a giggle. Bastian is still smiling so widely I think my heart will burst if I keep staring at it head-on.
