Weighted Silence (Complete)

Chapter 13: Dion

13Dion

Saylor played as though her very life depended on whatever questions she wanted to ask me. As if I couldn't guess what some of them were, and I was betting they pertained to Misty, Jefferson, and my relationship with the two. Those were questions I didn't want to answer, but... I had picked the wager, so if it came to it, I would be honest, no matter how much it killed me. Saylor deserved that much.

Although I had made the wager so I would have an opportunity to learn a little more about her...

She was more willing to share than I was, but only marginally. And really... I just wanted to know why our few minutes in the hot tub had made her cry, and why she'd expected me to hit her after. I wanted to know what or who had hurt her, so I knew exactly what not to do to never see her hurt again. Why I cared so much either way, I didn't know. Maybe it was because she was Misty's cousin, and I felt like I was somehow repaying Misty by helping Saylor. Or maybe it was because Saylor was different than Misty... and I liked her.

I grunted as my Bowser car slid on a banana peel and gnawed my lip as I tried to compensate for the slipping and sliding. Saylor was laughing, her tone so light and melodic that it was like getting lost in a song. Then she threw a shell at me and my car flipped, and her song turned into a cacophony of snorts and wheezes as she rolled through the finish line, laughing hysterically at what must have been a heck of a look on my face as I lost.

"Boo-ya! Used your own tactic against you." She nudged me with her shoulder, then set her controller on the table and turned so that she was sideways on the couch, her back leaning against the armrest, legs curled up alongside Maggie's overtaking butt. "You officially owe me five answers to five questions."

I inwardly groaned and set the controller on the table to face her, my arms folded, which only served to make her laugh again.

"Relax. You look like you're waiting for a colonoscopy."

I stuck my tongue out at her, earning me another grin as I uncrossed one arm and absently stroked Maggie's head.

"Okay, question one..." Saylor tapped her lip as she considered, and I let out a long breath, wondering which terrible memory I was about to have to dredge up. "What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?"

I arched a brow, caught off guard by the unexpected question, then reached out and picked up my board, wiping it before writing. "Turmeric and lime."

Her whole face pinched into a sour lemon grimace. "Ew, really?" I nodded. "Where in the world have you had that?"

Beneath my answer, I wrote, "Mrs. Mullens makes it in the summer. She insists it wards off flu. Tastes better than it sounds."

She was still frowning. "I'll take your word for it." Smiling, I held a hand for her to continue. "Okay, question two... how long have you worked at Nina May's?"

Brows narrowing, I wiped my board, then wrote. "5 years." She nodded absently, tapping her lip as she seemed to think again. Letting out a breath, I wiped the board and wrote again. "Sailor... just ask me what you really want to ask me. It's a prime opportunity."

Her eyes flitted to the board then away. "S-A-Y."

Shaking my head, I met her with confusion.

"My name. "S-A-Y-L-O-R. Like Taylor with an S." I nodded my understanding. "And honestly... what I really want to ask you I have a good guess will ruin the night for both of us. That's not worth it to me." Her eyes turned to me again. "Besides, I promised not to ask, remember?" I pursed my lips but could only shrug in response. "So, question three, if the only food in the world that existed was steaks and hotdogs, and you were forced to live on one of them what would you choose? Lesser of two evils."