AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When the truck finally comes to life, we make our way down the gravel road that leads to his small house and turn onto the main road.
Braxton doesn’t say anything, just turns his face to stare at the blackness outside. His fingers are clenched together tightlyand he’s sitting so damn rigid, like he’s preparing to jump out of the truck at any moment.
Hell, I hope he doesn’t jump out while I’m driving. Don’t want him hurt or nothing.
“Um, so I was thinking we could head downtown or we could just go for a drive down some old roads. I know of an old barn a ways back we could go to, if you want.”
Braxton turns to look at me and then shrugs. “Don’t give a shit.”
In this moment, I decide not to bring his surly ass downtown where he can scowl at people and make even fewer friends than he currently has. So instead, I turn down a bumpy dirt road toward an old, worn-down barn at the far end of an unused cornfield. It’s not a long drive, but long enough to get our teeth rattling. His hand reaches out and grasps for the bar above his window, and he grunts his disapproval.
Well, this is Kansas after all. Don’t know where he moved from, but he’s gotta get used to this. It’s bumpy and a bit hilly. And people think Kansas is flat. Crazy.
When we pull up outside of the dilapidated barn, Braxton frowns.
“Trying to kill me, Jimbob? Because this is right out of a horror movie.” The way he says my name, as if it’s a curse, makes my lips twitch. I can’t help it. I love to smile. Love to laugh.
“No killing. I prefer cuddling.” And, boy, is that true. I just want to cuddle. I mean, kissin’ is good too. But man, I could just wrap him up in my arms and cuddle his cranky ass for hours. I snort at the thought because like hell he’d let me. He’s like an angry cat, just scratching and hissing.
“I’m not cuddling with you. No fucking way.”
“I wasn’t offering,” I reply gently, and he winces, even though I so would if I didn’t think it would get my head bitten off. I feel bad almost instantly for my snarky retort, but before I canexplain my quip, he’s out of the truck and skulking toward the barn. I follow him closely, not wanting him to misstep and hurt himself. Don’t want him hurt on my watch. Nope, not at all.
“Wait, don’t step on that,” I caution him. “That board is really loose. Last year, Beck fell through it and sprained his ankle real bad.”
He purses his lips and steps around it, moving farther into the barn. It smells like old hay and a bit of dirt, but it doesn’t bother me none. I don’t mind that smell at all. It reminds me of home.
“So what do ya think? This was the old Thompson farm. They died a while back and the sons didn’t want a part of running it, so it’s just been sitting here. Um, there’s a ladder right there that we can climb up and see the lights of the town in the distance. It’s pretty cool.”
Braxton glowers at me. “Is this like romantic or some shit? Is this where you bring all your hookups?”
I study him for a moment, even through all his anger, I wonder if he wants this to be something more than it is. I know, I know…he’s not gay, but I can sense he’s struggling. Instead of asking all the questions I want to, I just shrug it off. “Nah, not really. Just kind of neat.” Although, I suppose it could be romantic with the right person.
And Braxton is not the right person. He doesn’t wanna be.
I move up the ladder, the old wood creaking under my feet, but holds just fine. I move to sit at the open window, letting my legs dangle down. Braxton joins me a minute later, his shoulder brushing against mine. I feel a zing of something pulse through me, but I push it away. He’s made it clear that I’m not what he wants.
Despite kissing me.
Over and over.
Talk about confusing a man. He hurts my head, sending all these mixed signals, but he’s a complicated guy. I get it. Sort of, even though I’m as simple as they come, and I really like it that way. There’s no guessing with me, no illusions. I say what I mean and always mean what I say.
We sit in silence, the two of us staring at the sparkling lights of the town in the distance. It’s a small little piece of land and nothing like the big city lights of like New York or San Francisco, but it’s a little piece of Heaven. I never wanna leave this place. I was born here, and I’m gonna die here.
“This is pretty cool,” he says softly, and I nudge him gently.
“It is. Glad I showed you. Now you can come here when you want to escape. It’s a quiet place and not many people know about it.”
It’s the wrong thing to say because Braxton stiffens. “What do you meanescape? Why would I want to escape?”
I don’t answer, knowing that I’ll dig myself into a hole if I do. Even if I feel like he’s trying to tell me something with his angry persona. Like he’s stuck inside his body, screaming internally for someone to really see him.
“My life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows like yours, but it’s not bad,” he adds.
He’s growing defensive so I continue to sit in silence. I’m literally biting my tongue. I want to talk and say something, but I’m worried I’m just gonna make it worse.
“My mom just has some issues. She’s working through them. But it’s not a bad life.” Honestly, I’m surprised that he’s talking, and I don’t want him to stop.
