Bound by an Echo

by Virginia Johnson

  She wiped tears from her face, he could hear a sob escape her, and it took everything in him not to run to her. He didn't want to scare her off, so instead, he stood there like a damn Peeping Tom. In this moment, he saw that sad little girl; the one with few friends, if any really, the one who would cower every time her father lifted his hand, and the one he had loved all these years. He had promised to take care of her and keep her safe. He had done all he could when they were kids, and now he didn't know what to do. It's one thing to think what if, and another to have her literally ten feet away from him. She lied back on his porch swing and her eyes slowly closed. Finally, she looked peaceful. He didn't know how long he had stood there watching her lightly swing back and forth, sleeping. He heard the rain start to fall on the tin roof above him. He tore his eyes away and made a decision, not willing to second guess himself again.

  He quietly opened the heavy wooden door, then pushed the screen door open. He carefully pushed the lever on the spring back to hold the screen open. He went to her, lightly brushed the hair away from her face, and scooped her up. He went inside and there was no denying that he wanted to take her to his bed, but instead, headed to her childhood room. He laid her down as easy as he could, and covered her with the blanket folded on the bottom of the bed. He watched her sleep until he realized how creepy this shit was, even to him. He backed up and out the door, pulling it until it was almost closed.

  Back to the front doors, he closed them and locked up. He turned the lights off, and even though it wasn't late, he decided to try again to get some sleep. He laid there staring at the ceiling, listening to the rain hit the roof. His mind raced, and he knew he had to figure out a way to get out of the job and to get from under Yury all together. There was a time he would go to Dale and come up with a plan, but now he didn't think that was even an option. Between the drugs, Laurel, and having a nagging feeling he was hiding something, going to him wouldn't work. He could call the cops, well not the local ones. Yury payed nicely to have them look the other way. FBI? He had no idea how far his reach really was, and if it got back to Yury, not only would he be dead, but Laurel as well. Maybe a bomb threat, that would stop production, give him some time to mess with some of the equipment to delay the opening. If it didn't open on the anniversary, they might pull out.

  He thought until the stars faded, the rain slowed, and the sun broke over the horizon. How would he pull this off? When the sun started to shine in his eyes, he got up. He grabbed the jeans in the floor and threw them back on. He figured Laurel would sleep a bit longer and he'd just come back for a shirt. He wanted her to have at least coffee, if not a full breakfast waiting when she woke. One of the only good things about growing up with a grandma that couldn't cook was he learned how to cook for himself. He started the coffee and hummed to himself as he got on breakfast. Just as he started turning the bacon, he heard a throat clear behind him. He swore his heart stopped. At least she wasn't yelling at him, yet. He turned towards her and took in her bed head. Her eyes were still swollen from crying, not that it mattered, she was still stunning. He went to the freezer and grabbed an ice pack. He handed it over to her.

  "Use it on your eyes. They will feel better. Coffee is made and breakfast will be ready in a few minutes." He knew he spoke quickly, but he wanted to get it all out before she could interrupt.

  She took the ice pack, but didn't say anything. He went back to cooking before something could burn. He felt her eyes on the back of him, but still she stayed quiet, finally moving towards the coffee pot.

  "The cups-" he started.

  "Trust me, I know where the cups are." He felt like an idiot. Of course she knew, this was her home first.

  She poured her coffee and sat down at his small kitchen bar. He finished cooking the bacon without being distracted enough to burn it. He put their breakfast on plates, and served her, sitting on the opposite side of where she sat. The silence as they ate wasn't really uncomfortable, he was just anxious for her to speak. Once their plates had been cleaned of all food, he carried them to the sink.

  "Why are you here? I mean, are you the one who bought the place?" She had taken her time, and once she spoke, it wasn't meek and quiet, but strong.

  "I bought it once I could afford it. I couldn't stand seeing someone else live here, it just didn't seem right." He turned to take in her reaction.

  Her eyes fluttered to the floor. "Thank you. I never thought I would miss this place. Even after all those bad memories, there were a few that outshined even the worse." She looked up and into his eyes.

  "Listen, Laurel, I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to come off like a fucking asshole." He took her hands in his as he spoke.

  "You mean it was an accident that your first words to me after twenty years was to yell at me and want to know why I dared come back here?" she laughed.

  He couldn't deny the easy banter they slipped into. She asked all about the renovations on the house. If he still had his grandmother's house as well. They talked a little about her life and career after she left Crater. They stayed on neutral topics, talking as if they were always friends. It was as if they had never drifted apart. They sat close to each other on the sofa, his arm behind her, her back against his chest with one leg tucked under her. This was one of the most perfect days he could remember having. All thoughts of anything outside of that house had vanished. They had talked so long, the sun outside the bay window was starting to get low in the sky. The room was filled with pink and purple and she looked even more amazing in that light. Lucky for him she couldn't see the way he stared at her while she talked. She had him laughing so hard he shook, and then her stomach growled loudly, causing both to laugh again. He turned her around and lifted her chin to see her clearly.

  "You don't know how long I have wanted to hear you laugh again. I've missed you Laurel." Her eyelashes flutter and her cheeks turned pink, the same shade as the sunset behind her. He slowly leaned in and their lips met. It was soft at first, he eased into a deeper kiss, more passion filled. Her hands tangled in his wild messy bed head he still sported. In the middle of their high school make out session, her stomach growled again and they pulled apart, laughing breathlessly.

  "Why don't I take you to dinner? We can grab your stuff from the B&B and you can stay here." Her eyes widened and he was worried she thought he wanted her to stay so they could sleep together. "Nothing like that, babe. I just thought you'd be more comfortable here. You can take your old room or you can have mine, and I'll sleep out here. Whatever would make you more comfortable."

  "Oh shit!" She covered her mouth like the word had inadvertently slipped out. "Rory, I'm so sorry, I can't tonight. I have to go, I completely forgot I had plans," she said as she started looking around for something.

  "You've only been here two days, and yesterday you said you were leaving. How do you already have plans for tonight?" He couldn't help sounding hurt and angry.

  "No, not tonight, last night. I had plans last night and I didn’t even call to cancel them. Have you seen my phone anywhere?" She was almost frantic now.

  He stood and backed away from her. An overwhelming echo of their past hit him. It was twenty years ago all over again, he was sitting on the porch swing, and she was telling him she was leaving. She was upset that night, and it had happened so quickly. He couldn't do that again. He wasn't ready to let her go again. He walked behind her as she searched in the couch cushions, spun her around, and kissed her. She melted into him, deepening the kiss as he backed her into the wall. This is where she was supposed to be; this was how their lives should have been. He pulled back, her swollen lips begging to be taken again.

  "Tell me you don't have to go. Stay here, tell me you will stay here tonight. Just a little longer before you leave and go back to your life." He didn't want to beg, but he didn't want to lose her, either.

  Her hand cupped his cheek. "I need to go take care of a few things, but I promise I will be back tonight." She kissed his lips and turned, walking away from him
again.

  He couldn't do anything but watch as she left. She said she would come back. She promised.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Laurel

  She couldn’t believe that she had to walk away again. Her head was all over the place and she didn’t know what to do, now. She chastised herself all of the way to the car. She was walking away from Rory, again. The best day; she was having the best day, and she walked away. She promised to come back and she wouldn’t let him down. Her inability to not let anyone down, caused her to run. She fell asleep on the porch of her childhood home and woke up to Rory making her breakfast.

  She crawled into the car, thankful that her purse and cell were still there. She dove for her phone knowing there had to be a way to get ahold of Dale. She missed dinner with him and she felt horrible because of it. The emotional turmoil that was torturing her was too much. She agreed to the date to thank him for all of the help he has been there to provide, but also to piss off Rory. “Fuck!”

  Slamming her hands against the steering wheel didn’t provide the relief from her frustration that she thought it would. She just had to drive. She had no idea how she was going to find Dale, and there were no unknown numbers on her missed calls. Fuck, she didn’t even know the name of the place she was staying.

  So, she drove. The closer to town she got, the less she paid attention. All she could think about was Rory. He kissed her, and she could still feel him on her lips. It was everything that she wanted, had been dreaming about for 20 years. Shit, she had been dreaming about it since she was 10. Even before she was ripped from the life she knew, she wanted Rory to kiss her. He was the only boy she had ever wanted.

  High school proved to be even more difficult to forget him. Everywhere she looked, there was someone that she tried to replace him with. He was hers, and he had no idea. Laurel knew that she should’ve said something, but she couldn’t. He had a life, probably a family that he sent out of town while the carnival was here, “Leave it to The Crater City Carnival to ruin my life, again.”

  Dale’s truck wasn’t parked in the lot of The Cliff as she had hoped. With a frustrated sigh, she made it back on to Main street, heading for the B&B. Terri might know how to find him.

  The streetlights worked in her favor, staying green as she crawled through town below the speed limit. A ticket would draw more attention that she wasn’t ready for. It was bad enough that Terri knew who she was. That was already one person too many. “Who am I kidding? If they paid close enough attention, they would all know who I am.”

  The B&B was dark when she pulled into the driveway. Porch lights were out, and there was no movement within the house. Maybe Terri was out for Bingo Night at the VFW.

  She needed to find Dale, and had no idea where to start.

  Pushing open the front door, she waited for a greeting that never came. She looked around before heading upstairs to her room. The stairs creaked under her weight as she made her way to the landing. Laurel was being unnecessarily paranoid, she looked down the hall, half expecting to see someone. She felt like she was being watched, but she knew there was no one there. To be sure, she checked all of the rooms from one end of the hall to the other. “Get it together, Laurel. You have shit to do,” she found herself talking to herself more, without Anibet around to talk to.

  She walked into her room, tossing her purse on the chair by the door. She sat on the corner of the bed with her head in her hands. She didn’t know where to start. Rory’s lips on hers; that was the only thing she could think about. The gentle kiss that stood no chance at staying innocent. The plea for more as he backed her against the wall. His hands gripping at her shirt while she silently begged him to rip it from her body. The events of the last hour played on repeat as she struggled to remember why she left.

  Fear? Hope? She had no idea why she thought it was easier to run. She didn’t know if she had actually run as much as…

  “Dale,” she whispered as the door to her bedroom opened. He was standing with one arm on the door frame and the other in the pocket of his well-fitted jeans, “I am so sorry. Time got away from me.”

  He smiled at her attempt to put a complete sentence together that wouldn’t resemble a 1st grader trying to write a novel. “You don’t have to apologize. I was worried when you didn’t come back last night, so I stayed for a while. Terri had to go to the store, so I took her down to the market.”

  Words escaped her, she was officially losing her mind. It had to be the water in this emotional disaster of a town. Laurel stood to thank him. He didn’t move from his stance. He just watched her move from the bed towards him. “Dale, you have no idea how sorry I am. Jet lag is a real bitch and I fell asleep. I think I slept forever.” She moved a few steps closer to him, “Can I make it up to you?”

  The sun was making its final decent to the horizon as he stood there. Neither one of them made an attempt to talk or move. She could feel her heart begin to race as he smiled at her. She wanted Rory, but there were so many unanswered questions between them.

  Dale lowered his arm from the door, taking one step towards her. His scent was overwhelming and she was already struggling to keep her cool. He reached for her cheek, rubbing the pad of his thumb against her skin. She instinctively leaned in to his hand, closing her eyes. He backed her up, one slow step at a time. Before her knees hit the bed, he stopped.

  “Come to dinner with me?” he asked, causing her to open her eyes. His pupils were dilated and the look in his eyes was primal. She reached for his hand, pulling it into hers.

  “Yes,” she said, “I need to get ready.”

  “Of course. I will wait downstairs. It’s safer for me down there.” He chuckled and backed away, his fingers slipping from hers. The door closed behind him and she was no better off in the emotion department.

  “Ugh…” she threw herself onto her bed, “Just get dressed, Laurel. It’s only dinner.”

  ********

  The restaurant was beautiful. The mahogany wood decorating the table tops and the beams above, were exquisite. Antique chandeliers hung from the ceiling with soft rays of light cascading over the diners. It wasn’t a Hollywood VIP lounge; it was better. The atmosphere was exactly what she had expected from a restaurant in Crater City. Dale was a perfect gentleman through dinner. After the close encounter in her bedroom, she was on edge from the beginning. Her instincts were not something to be trusted around the two men in her life. This had never been a problem in her past. Men came and went, but there was never an attraction that needed feelings; after Rory.

  “You haven’t touched your food,” Dale leaned in, touching her arm to get her attention.

  She shook her head, “Sorry, I have had a lot on my mind.”

  The spaghetti and meatballs were her favorite, and she never intended to have it go ignored. She wound the noodles around her fork, taking a bite, “Mmmm… very good.”

  He laughed at her, talking with her mouth full. Laurel covered her mouth with her napkin, covering her mouth until she could finish.

  “Babe, we’re in the country. No one cares, especially me, if you talk with your mouth full,” he consoled her.

  She could only smile, “My father would’ve.”

  Dale picks up a piece of steak with his fork and begins chewing it, “My mother would, too.”

  They both laugh at their contradicting scenarios to a simple comment.

  The rest of dinner was light-hearted and full of back and forth banter. She was all too familiar with how to put someone in their place, she just never had someone that needed it. Dale joked back with her, making her more and more comfortable. His foot crossed under the table, bumping hers for the third time, and this time he leaves it.

  “Thank you for coming out with me. Your boyfriend is a lucky guy,” Dale tries, successfully, to uncover a significant other.

  “No boyfriend,” she responds as her features fall and the tone in her voice changes. He noticed and tried to lighten the mood.

  He moves his chair arou
nd the table so he is right next to her. She looks to him with a somber expression. He has no idea what she is really thinking. Laurel knows, and she can’t tell him.

  He grabs her hand, “Look, we don’t have to talk about this. How about you tell me a little more about you.”

  Laurel didn’t want to tell him anything that he didn’t already know. She prayed that Terri kept her mouth shut and didn’t tell him who she was. So far, Laurel was convinced that he had no idea.

  She decided to talk about the obvious, “I grew up here and moved away many years ago. I was on my way to..., anyways, I decided to stop by on my way out of town.”

  He listened to her and nodded as she told him, “My car broke down… and you know the rest of the story. That’s when you came in.”

  “I guess I do. You must have found a few friends, blowing me off last night,” he joked as he bumped her with his shoulder.

  “I can’t apologize any more for that. I owe you so much, for all of the help you have given me.”

  He moved even closer; his lips were saying something but she couldn’t hear anything with her conscience screaming at her, she tried to focus on his words. You’re welcome? Won’t be around long? Needing this? She had no idea what he was saying. He was moving closer and she wanted him to, didn’t she? Dale was here, and she knew something like this was going to happen. She didn’t know what she wanted anymore. Everything became a bigger blur. She could feel his breath on her lips.