One and Done - S. Briones Lim Page 0,45
that I hadn’t said or done anything that could have insulted her—yet—I figured it was the weather bringing her down. My arm instinctively reached out to bring her closer to me, but catching myself, I stopped midway.
Now’s not the time.
Diverting my arm, I gestured toward the end of street. “I scored a spot by the curb around the corner. The walk shouldn’t be too bad.”
“O-o-ok-ay,” she stammered. “L-l-let’s go.”
Cold breeze after cold breeze blew through, making me feel as if we were under attack by some frost magician. Desperately wishing I was in South Carolina’s warmth, I bared my teeth and spat out in disgust. “Forgot how cold it gets here.”
“It doesn’t get cold in Charleston?” Rocky asked as we climbed into my even colder car. She kept her head down and chin tucked into her wool jacket.
“We have our winters, but we’re further south. Nothing like it is here.” My mind began to wander toward images of Rocky in tank tops or bikinis. Her olive-toned limbs bare and slick with sweat. My body instantly heated up, but I knew it wasn’t from my car’s heater.
Almost as if she could read my mind, Rocky looked away and blushed. “Oh.”
Awkward silence is one of the most excruciating things that exists in this world. It was right ahead of slow claps and right behind people who pick their noses at stoplights. Rocky and I leaned into our heated seats and stared straight ahead, watching the windows fog. It was so silent that we could easily hear the blast of warm air escaping the vents.
After a few moments, Rocky huffed in irritation and blurted out, “So why cut me out of your life? Why cease all convo with me?”
My eyes widened and I didn’t know whether to laugh or squirm. “Wow! You’re going straight for the punch.”
She scowled. “Jesse, I’m serious. I thought we were better than that.”
Well, this is why I invited her out anyway, right? To clear the air. It was finally time. “Fine. I guess I owe you an explanation.”
“Yeah, you do.” Rocky paused, waiting for me to speak. When I didn’t, she just about growled. “Jesse, seriously?”
Just because my brain knew it was time didn’t mean every other part of my body did. Heart pounding, muscles tensed, I admitted, “I’m not ready to tell you everything, okay? Just take what I give you and roll with it.”
“It’s not like you’re giving me anything at all,” she pointed out.
“I was just getting to that part,” I replied with a chuckle.
And so started my litany about my fucked up life. Sure, none of my revelations came as a surprise, but I guess speaking the words out loud was an entirely different experience than witnessing it firsthand.
Soon I felt myself surrender to my memories. It’s funny, but it was oddly therapeutic revisiting certain instances with a clear mind. In fact, I was finally able to fully understand my father’s motives in abandoning my family without feeling the pangs of anger that I had usually associated with him leaving me alone with Mom.
Unfortunately, Rocky wasn’t as apt to forgive. “If your dad felt that way, why did he leave you with her? Surely, he wouldn’t want his son to grow up in such an environment.”
“I guess he thought leaving me would sort of give my mom the kick she needed to get her life together.” I paused, feeling a veil lift from my eyes. “I honestly think my dad always planned on coming back.”
Her eyes darkened. “What changed?”
“Life,” I replied simply. “When he moved to Charleston everything just fell into place for him. New job, new home, new wife.”
“New wife?” She gaped.
I frowned slightly. How could she have forgotten the main catalyst to my nervous breakdown? After all, she was there when the shit hit the fan.
Guess she didn’t care about you as much as you thought.
If she reacted to Teresa like this, there was no way I’d tell her about Jason. My temper spiked thinking of my lovely older ‘brother.’
I cleared my throat and shook off my unease. “Like I said, life happens.”
“Wow.” She exhaled slowly, allowing her lips to pucker. “Is that why you never came back? Because you liked your dad’s new life better?”
My eye twitched. I was still feeling a bit perturbed at her sudden ‘forgetfulness,’ though I knew I didn’t deserve any real estate in her mind. Still, seeing the slight hint of pain on her face twisted my gut like a knife.
“To a degree,” I agreed, finding