Page 15 of Three Minutes
She shrugs lightly. “I don’t know, you give off that bad guy look. The tattoos…with the mysterious vibes.”
I give an understanding nod. “Do you think I’m a bad guy?”
She studies me for a moment before replying. “No…I thinksome of it is a shield that you’ve put up in front of people, maybe because you’ve been through things. But deep down, I believe you care a lot for people, especially those close to you.” I glance away, chewing the inside of my lip. Raina quickly clears her throat to change the topic. “So are you here visiting a friend again?”
I casually slip my Zippo back into my pocket, trying to brush off her earlier comment. My face goes blank, my defenses snapping back into place. “Yeah, something like that. I’m heading to meet the twins from work. We have a little private spot by the lake.”
She gives a nod. “Sounds cool. Maybe you could take me there sometime?”
I quickly refocus on her. “I’m not sure how Scottie would feel about that.”
She rolls her eyes. “Scottie doesn’t get to dictate what I do.”
I hold back a smirk. “Point taken.” I pull my helmet down over my head, lowering the visor.
Raina glances toward her apartment. “Alright, I should get going…my lunch break is almost over.”
She gives me a quick smile before walking away, glancing back over her shoulder. “Oh, and I’m still waiting for you to text me,” she reminds me. I say nothing as I start up my bike. My eyes follow her as she crosses the street and heads into her apartment. I find myself staring at her room, waiting for a sign that she’s settled in and safe. After a few minutes, I finally catch a glimpse of her at the sliding doors that lead to her small balcony. She locks eyes with me for a moment before disappearing from my view.
As I drive away, Raina’s words replay in my mind, leaving a lingering feeling I can’t shake. I’ve always been pretty good at hiding my emotions, but somehow it feels like she can see right through me. But how? I hardly know her, and she knows little about me except that I run the bar and have a bit of a temper.There’s a part of me that wants to keep my distance, yet I also feel a strong urge to keep her close and protect her from the world. It’s a struggle to shield myself from how she affects me. And curiosity keeps getting the better of me. There’s just something about her—she’s like a gentle rainstorm, calm on the surface but capable of unleashing a torrent beneath. She could be the very thing that holds the power to extinguish the fiery inferno smoldering deep inside me, and that thought terrifies the fuck out of me.
Chapter Eleven
I gaze out at the mass lake, tuning in to the twins’ playful debate over who will take charge of the music on the Bluetooth speaker. I chuckle softly at their silly bickering. No matter how much time passes, some things remain the same. Glancing up at the sky I notice the overcast, but overall, it’s a perfect day to be here. Before long, the chilly days will set in, and the mountains will be blanketed in snow.
I pull my phone from my swim shorts and quickly scan the surveillance feeds from the bar and the house. As I scroll through my contacts, my thumb stops on Raina’s name. I had saved her number after I got home that night from the bar; my restless mind wouldn’t let me do anything else. I convinced myself there were good reasons to keep it. But honestly, that doesn’t matter much now. I know exactly where she lives and works. If I wanted to find her, I’m pretty sure I could track her down with little effort. Unless she’s somewhere withhim.
Beck settles down next to me with a dramatic sigh—I can only assume Blake won the battle. “You are lucky to be an only child,” she teases.
“I’m pretty sure I put up with your brother just as much as you do.” I glance over at her and give a playful nudge.
She leans back on her hands, arms stretched out behind her, and looks up at the sky for a moment before tilting her head andflashing me a knowing smile. “Yeah…you are right. We’re both screwed.”
A large hand grips my shoulder, and soon after, Blake crouches down between us. “You guys just can’t help but say my name, can you?” he teases with a grin.
Beck rolls her eyes at him. “Can’t resist,” she replies dryly, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Blake nods proudly and straightens up, rolling his shoulders as he scoots backwards. I can already tell what he’s planning. Beck and I exchange a knowing glance. With a playful wink, Blake takes off, sprinting toward us. Just as we shift apart, he dashes in between us, performs a front flip off the ledge, and gives us both the middle finger on his way down to the water. Classic Blake.
“The water feels amazing…bring your asses down here!” he yells from below.
Beck shouts back, “Be there in a minute!”
I look down at Blake floating on his back, catching him rolling his eyes. “I’m going to make a lap to the other side…you both better be in the water when I make it back!” Beck and I both snicker at his demands. Things then get quiet for a moment as we both stare out at the place that made some of our best childhood memories. This has always been a safe place for me, somewhere close to what home used to be, but far enough to escape the hell I endured.
I hear Beck take a deep breath next to me, running her fingers through her auburn hair. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this place…even after all this time.”
I nod in agreement. “Yeah…I feel the same.”
She lets out a soft laugh. “I still picture us as kids here…and you…before everything changed.”
I shift slightly at her words, pulling out my Zippo from my pocket and flicking the lid back and forth with my thumb. “I’m still me, Beck.”
We lapse into silence for a moment, and I see her turn a bit to face me. “Are you really, though? Sometimes I feel like I hardly know you anymore…ever since that night…with us.” I can hear the hurt in her voice, and it breaks something in me. I never wanted things to turn out this way. I never meant to make her feel like this. All I ever wanted was to keep her safe—from me.
Frustration wells up inside me as I snap the lid shut on my Zippo. “I’m not sixteen anymore, B...everything changed after that night, and you know it.”
I notice her biting her bottom lip while she nervously rubs her arm. “Like how you felt about me?” She clears her throat, taking a moment to gather her words. “I thought our moment was something special...I wanted it to be special for us, so badly. But then everything fell apart right after. I spent months questioning everything. But then we gave it another shot, and the way you looked at me that night made me believe it was all just a huge mistake between us.”
I can’t believe how many years have gone by, and she’s still felt this way. And it’s my fault. I never took the time to fully explain myself to her. Back then, I was just a teenager, grappling with grief and all the sudden changes in my life. And as time went on, I turned into a shadow of my former self. I buried my fears and pain, thinking I was shielding those I loved. But in reality, I ended up hurting someone I truly care about.
