Revealing Glances: Unsettling Short Stories & Their Making

Move On

I furrowed my brow at his anxiety. "Jed?"

"Sorry." He cleared his throat. "So, you and me, we've been together two months now, and I feel I've got to say something to you, b-but I don't know how. I ... I'm afraid."

I reached across the table for his fidgeting hands, stopping their assault on the tattered napkin. "Don't be afraid. Tell me, I won't judge."

His lip trembled as he looked at our entwined fingers. "Vee, you're too good for me."

I chuckled in relief. "That's it? That's what you wanted to say?"

"No. I ..."

He pulled his hands away and shrank into his seat, mumbling a few harried words. I was only able to catch one of them, and it made my blood run cold.

"Did you say you were kidnapped?" I whispered in shock.

He looked up at me with a heartbreaking expression, his eyes searching mine, his muscles tense.

I sat up in concern. "When? How? Do you need help?"

"No, b-but I still think about it," he said with self-conscious hesitation.

My stomach clenched as his words incited my own unpleasant memories. "Oh, Jed, I'm so sorry. You shouldn't be afraid to tell me this. Did they arrest who did it?"

"No."

"Have you talked to a therapist about it?"

"No."

"You shouldn't keep it bottled in. I can see how the movie could bring those memories back. Don't be ashamed. If you want, you can talk to me, I'm here for you. And ... and I can relate."

He swept his hair out of his eyes, his gaze expectant as he bit his lip.

My pulse accelerated as I braced myself for sharing my darkest moment. "I know this'll sound like a crazy coincidence, but I was kidnapped too, last year. My coffee was drugged and two guys took me. They told my parents to not call the police and gave them a week to pay the ransom.

"I stayed with them that entire week. At first, I felt so ashamed for being scared and helpless, but my therapist told me the fact that I'm still alive meant I did everything right. And the fact that you're in front of me right now means you did too. We shouldn't feel ashamed. We survived."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," he whispered.

"Hey, we both made it out alive and stronger, right? Do you want to talk about it?"

Jed looked at me in silence for a few seconds before he bowed his head. "Is it okay to forgive your kidnappers?"

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

He shifted in his seat. "If one of them was kind and took care of you, is it okay to forgive him?"

"Jed, if one of the guys who kidnapped you took care of you, it's because he had to. He had to make sure you weren't going to die before they got the ransom."

He shrank into himself and I regretted my bluntness. "Hey, listen, you were in a vulnerable position, so it's natural to appreciate kindness when you needed it the most."

"Did you feel it?" he asked.

"No, but that doesn't mean you're wrong to feel it. I guess I just wasn't as lucky as you."

I took a deep breath, both nervous and willing to share my experience with someone who could relate. "One of the guys who took me was very rough. He yelled a lot ... his voice still haunts my nightmares. I'm glad he didn't interact with me much, he only carried me and told me what to say to my parents.