I swallowed, as my mind went to Kansas.
“I—Constantine, I thought you were dead.”
“Answer the question.”
“I may be your wife, but it’s not the 60’s anymore. I don’t have to do a damn thing you tell me to.”
A slow smile crept over Constantine’s lips, and I wasn’t sure if I was scared, or it made him even more attractive to me.
“Oh, you’re going to regret that.” With one fell swoop Constantine tossed me over his shoulder and began stalking toward the cars, stopping right in front of a muscle car that made my mouth fall open.
“That’s yours?”
“You like it?” He grinned. “It’s a 1972 Chevy Nova.”
“Where did you even get something like this?” I asked momentarily forgetting I was angry. I stepped up to the silver car with black hood chrome accents. It looked fresh off the lot.
“A lot of searching. I got into cars a year or so back. Get in.”He opened the door for me, and I slid in. It smelled like new car.
“So what, you just show up right when the documentary crew comes around?” I asked, getting angry again. All this time, he’d been alive, and not once he thought to come find me. I’d been grieving over a much alive person.
“They invited me.” He turned the key in his ignition and the car roared to life. He peeled out of the parking lot and we started onto the road.
“Oh?” Guilt washed over me, but only slightly. I understood not wanting to come back to Shelley Vale after getting out, but why didn’t he come find me first? I would have spent my entire life in mourning.
“Yeah, paid for the trip out, the hotel, all that.”
“When did you get here?”
“Just a few days ago.”
“Where have you been this entire time?”
Constantine grew silent.
I turned my head and something in his expression chilled me.
“The next town over.”
“What?”
“I know. I was aware you were still here, and what you were doing. I just couldn’t come yet.”
My mind went blank for just a moment, and then suddenly, an explosion of ten years flew threw my brain of moments with just Kansas and I. Moments that Constantine could have been a part of, had he come to find me, and I lost it.
Without a second thought I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the door. I lurched forward and Constantine swerved the car as he snatched me back inside.
“What the hell are you doing?” He yelled.
“You bastard!” I screamed. “This whole time you knew I was here and you did nothing! You let me mourn over you, when you could have walked right on over at any time. Fuck you!”
“You’re not listening,” he snarled.
“Oh, I’m listening.” My stomach tightened as I began to put pieces together. “Did you know I was at the tavern?”
“I did.”
I reached for the door again. “Let me out.”
