“As yesterday?”
I stood, pulling him to his feet. He opened the pills in his hand, and popped two into his mouth. His perfect teeth crunched down on them because that was the only way he'd be able to swallow them. He washed them down with some water at the sink.
He stayed with me as I cooked, helping me to drop in herbs and ingredients, giving the dish our own special touch, and giving me the memories I'd need to survive those few lonely and heartbreaking hours without him, while I hunted for the easiest way to end my own life and the courage to see it through.
And after a few spoonfuls of dinner, when we were in the middle of a conversation, he disappeared.
Chapter 26
Hell—present day
The way her feet stalled behind me for a moment, told me she knew I wasn’t Woodrow.
Her bare feet kicked up grass. The sparkly pink that she'd just dressed her toenails in reflected in the sun. She was giving me alone time, but the light smudge on her little toe spoke of how her thoughts weren’t on the job she was doing to keep herself busy.
She stopped directly behind me, her hands on the ropes of the swing, not invading mine because they were balled in my lap, even as my feet pushed me into a slight swing.
She didn't talk for a moment, but the squawking of birds flying above in the dusking sky interrupted the silence I'd been enjoying.
I gazed at them as they fluttered by me in front of the dark cloud that always seemed to float above me, no matter the weather.
Her voice finally joined with the noise of the birds. “I know he’s stressed, and I’ve given him time. But he can't just disappear in the middle of that kind of conversation.”
“Tell that to him.”
“I will. Push him to the front.”
I didn't answer. The only sound was the squeaking of my sneaker, pushing into the ground to swing myself a little higher.
“I know you can. You did it in that restroom. You stepped down. Do it now.”
I bit my tongue, literally. I needed to cause pain.
And the tone of her voice told me she was in enough.
Jolie
Hell was giving me nothing. Unresponsive with words and actions, and I hated it. I gazed over the expanse of the land I now owned, and the urge to run shot from my heart to my bare toes as they wiggled into the soil.
I didn't run. My dodgy leg wouldn't allow me to outrun my thoughts anyway. The pain would quickly catch up.
I needed an escape, and I knew my daydreams and un-whimsical fantasies wouldn't remain uninterrupted by the worries in my head. I was low on options. The last one being, the tragic love story masquerading as a dark romance that was yet to make it a third of the way into on my Kindle.
“Where is my Kindle?” My words were a demand, and I almost felt I should stomp my foot for more of a reaction.
Hell swung on the swing again, still content to ignore me. He clearly didn't like me having the leverage of knowing he wasn't well. Knowing he was dying. And if I had my way, I'd give him what he wanted and forget all about it.
I stepped in front of him, interrupting his long legs from pushing him into swing. His somber expression, so different to the hate usually etched all over his handsome face, softened my mood. My body slumped, shoulders sagging in defeat. A lonely tear rushed from my eyes, eager to get out of me where all my pain was trapped.
A gentle breeze picked up, and I rubbed at my arms before using my hand to pluck the strands of Hell's fringe that had fallen into his eyes.
He clasped around my wrist, stopping me. My eyes shot to his, his stare hard again.
“Do not touch me,” he threatened.
I pulled back, confused by his actions. He'd never given me a warning. He usually taunted, happy to allow me any punishments without reprieve whenever I pissed him off.
“How do you know I know?” I wondered, my fingers rubbing away his touch when he let go of my wrist. “Where’s your diary?”
