Page 8 of All That History
She nodded, and then continued her herding.
Flynn was staring at me, when I turned back to him.Pointedly, I nudged the bag across the counter.
“Oli...”
I shook my head.“I have to serve other customers.”
He glanced around us, equally pointedly, at the nearly-empty store.Then, just as it seemed like he might call me out on my terrible excuse, he sighed and grabbed the bag.
“Fine, dude.Fine.Have a good day.”
Nodding, I waited until the door had shut behind him, before sinking down behind the counter to shove my hand in my mouth in the hope of stifling my groan.
It was the coward’s way out, but worse than that knowledge, it also left me no better off than when I’d woken up.The paranoia - the uncertainty about Flynn’s intentions with my secret - still unchecked, only now I had the added benefit of one further layer of regret on top of that.
“Please don’t tell anybody,” that was all I’d needed to say.“I’m not ready for it to be public knowledge, yet,” maybe.And, unless Flynn was a complete and utter asshole, I felt sure they were the sort of entreaties that he’d listen to.
Only I wasn’t sure it would end there, not really.Perhaps that’d been what stopped me, the fear of what I’d have automatically gone on to say, had I tried to call upon his better nature.I’m not ready to be out, yet, but I’m also not as strong as you are.Not as prepared to leave, even if this narrow-minded town is forcing me to hide myself until my life feels tissue-thin.Not as brave as you are, or as smart, or as lucky to have those qualities.
He’d see the resentment in my request, I was sure of it.Even voiced only in my own brain, it rang out loud and clear.
“Uh, excuse me?”
The woman from before, with the kids.Leaning over the counter, to look at me in my crouch on the floor.
Awkwardly, I stood.Bringing a stack of nearly-sorted clothes with me, as if to explain why I was squatting there so oddly.
“Sorry,” I told her, “just, um...working through the donations.”I set the pile down.“Did you find everything you wanted?”
“I guess.”She grimaced, as she dumped a heap of kid’s clothes by the register.“We’re not exactly spoiled for choice around here, y’know.”
Yeah, I thought, as I nodded in what I hoped looked like sympathy, I know that feeling well.
Chapter Three
Flynn’s SUV was goneby the time I pulled up outside the house after work, and I dared to think that I might be saved.A reprieve, at least; only the usual demons to try to ignore, not some new, seasonal collection of them.The rain thundered on the roof of the truck, as I grit my teeth and prepared for a dash to the front porch.
