Whoever is coming for me must be out there.
19
CATFISH
Where the fuck is Wren?
I need to show them what I just found on my phone. A link. A clue as to who set them up.
I glance into the living room as I rush to the kitchen, realizing I forgot to put clothes on. When I get there, I find them crouched beneath the kitchen island, stool on its side, swirling, steaming coffee cup on the counter.
Their chest moves in and out like a racing piston.
“What are you doing down there?” I ask, picking up the stool.
They place their palm over their chest, and pink mottles their cheeks as they look at their knees. “I thought we were being attacked. I thought your yell meant I should…”
Lines form on my forehead, and then I piece it all together. Me yelling for them, no context, I scared them. “Oh, God. No. Sorry.” I offer Wren my hand and tug them to their feet. “Come here, sweetheart. No. I’m sorry I scared you.”
I wrap my arms tightly around them. Holding them close until I can feel their shaking stop and their heart rate normalize.
“There’s no one out there?” Wren asks.
I look out into the darkness of the early morning. “To the best of my knowledge, no. I found something I thought would help, something that might make sense of some of your situation. Just hurried to show you.”
“Is that why you’re naked?”
I huff a laugh and kiss their temple. “Happen to like being naked. Especially with you around. Woke up this way and wondered where you were, for a second. I had plans to take you. Or let you take me. A ride is a ride, whether you’re the one riding or being ridden.”
“You’re incorrigible.” Wren nudges me away, shakes their hands, and circles their shoulders. “But it’s also a nice feeling, to know that you woke up and your first thought was about me. If I’d been there, I would have happily taken you up on that offer. But I got an email.”
I tug Wren back against me. I like how straightforward they are about their sexual preferences. So, I tell them, “For the record, I’m a fan of free use. You wake up and you want me, you feel free to get started on my cock. I promise you I’ll wake up pretty damn fast and be fully on board. What about you? If I was feeling hungry and wanted something to eat…that thing I was craving being you.”
“The second foster home I stayed in, I was removed because the husband felt he could climb into bed with me.”
My body stiffens. “He did what?”
Wren presses their forehead to my chest. “Yeah, and when I raised it with my social worker, not only did he deny it, but him and his wife made me out to be a pathological liar who was way more—what was the phrase they used?—messed up in the head than they had been led to believe.”
I slide my hand into their hair, grip it tightly, and force Wren to look at me. “Did he rape you?”
The question comes out on a gruff rasp.
Wren shakes their head, and a momentary blip of relief flows through me. “No. Even that young, I knew it was wrong. So, I fought him off, and it was enough to make him leave. Although, he did tell me that if I told anyone, I’d get in trouble. Guess I fucked around and found out, huh?”
I step back and cup their cheeks. The rage I feel now is like the uncontrolled rage I felt when I was younger. Like I was a sieve it just had to flow out of. “Where was this?”
“DeWitt. A town north of Lansing, Michigan.”
“Fucker.” I study the lines of Wren’s face, promising myself that I’ll put only laughter lines there in the future. “You’ve really been through the wars, huh?”
They shrug. “I’m used to it.”
I kiss them softly, shifting us from side to side a little. Not enough that it would count as our first dance, but enough to get the blood circulating a little. “Doesn’t mean it’s right. Forget free use. We don’t need it. I’d rather you always feel safe in whatever we do.”
“Can I rain check it? We only just met, really. And while I trust you, I think I just need a little more time to?—”
“You got all the time you need. You can free use me anytime. I won’t free use you ever unless you tell me at some point in the future it’s okay.”
