Unraveling (Second Chances) - By Micalea Smeltzer Page 0,72
friend. When you said your friend was a ‘him’ I saw red. I thought you had a boyfriend and I was so angry that I was going to lose you before I even knew you. When you told me he was just a friend and gay, I’ve never felt so relieved in my entire life. I took your hand and you tried to pull away, but I wouldn’t let you. I needed to feel your skin on mine, to make sure you were real and not some figment of my imagination. You told me what Rollo looked like and I spotted him immediately, but kept steering you in the opposite direction. I just wanted a few more minutes with you. And then… you left. Like a dumbass, I didn’t get your number. But I’m guessing you wouldn’t have given it to me anyway,” he looked over at me for confirmation.
I laughed. “I wouldn’t have.”
“I decided then, that if by some miracle I ever saw you again, it would be destiny. When you came crashing into my training room, I was so pissed at first, but then you looked up and my stomach dropped out of my body. I knew then, that I would do whatever it took to get to know the girl with the pain filled eyes,” his voice filled the car, my head, and every crevice of my heart, “and that I would do anything to make happiness shine in her eyes again.”
I think I stopped breathing.
“There’s happiness in your eyes now, Katy, and I put that there,” he spoke fiercely, “and I will spend the rest of my life making sure it stays there.”
I was stunned into silence. Thankfully, Jared seemed to understand that I couldn’t form a coherent thought, let alone speak.
We continued on down the road, while I tried to wrap my mind around his words.
I couldn’t believe that this crazy, beautiful man was so affected by me.
I was nothing special. I was just Katy.
But I felt it, the draw to him, like the one he felt towards me.
It was a pull that went beyond love, beyond human understanding. We were connected now, and we always would be.
~***~
“This place looks interesting,” Jared said, pulling off the road in a quaint town. He dropped some change into the parking meter before helping me out of the car.
I looked up and down the street, where unique little shops and restaurants took up residence.
“Where do you want to go first?” I asked Jared.
He shrugged. “I just thought it looked like a neat little town to explore. Wanna head this way and make a loop?” He pointed to his right.
“That’s good with me,” I said, falling into step beside him. “This was a good idea,” I said, looking down at my feet as I walked. “It’s nice to just get out, no destination, no plan. It feels a lot like freedom.”
“That’s because it is freedom,” Jared said, stopping and staring up at the sky. The sun bathed him in a warm golden glow.
I watched him, the way the light played over his skin, the peaceful look on his face. I wanted that peace he possessed.
Jared tilted his head down and his eyes flickered to meet mine. “Our pasts don’t define us, Katy.”
“I know,” I whispered.
“No, you don’t,” he shook his head, pulling a pair of sunglasses from the collar of his shirt and sliding them on. “One day, you’ll understand that, but you don’t, not yet.”
He started walking again and I had to jog to keep up with his long stride. With a chuckle, he slowed his steps so that we were side by side.
“I want today to be about us. Just you and me. Katy and Jared. Not about our pasts and those that hurt us. For this one day, I want us to just be us, no baggage. Do you think you can do that?” Jared asked me.
“I can do that,” I said.
“Good,” he grinned crookedly, holding open a door to one of the various stores.
I went in first and was immediately taken by all the artwork. It was incredible. They were all landscapes and if I had to guess, I’d say they were done locally.
The woman behind the counter confirmed my theory. “Beautiful, aren’t they? A local artist does them.”
I turned around to face the kind looking woman. “They’re stunning,” I said, itching to reach my hand out and touch one.
The one I was most enamored by was of a sunset over a river. The trees