Tender (Book 1 - Complete)

Chapter 32 - Jamie

"How are you still alive?" she asks as she makes her way to the ladder. "I'll grab us something to eat. You just chill."

Ten minutes later, we're both nibbling on sandwiches in silence. The silence wouldn't be so bad but I can tell that Lynn's mulling something over and I'm just waiting for her to break the stillness with her thoughts.

"Are you still having pain in your missing leg?" she wonders aloud, glancing at my prosthesis as she takes a bite.

"Not much," I tell her. "If I do, it's not real bad anymore."

"That's good."

That wasn't the question she intended to ask me. I can tell because she continues to shoot quick side glances at me and eating too quickly. She's uncomfortable for some reason and I'm about ready to tell her to just let it out when she speaks.

"Are you happy?"

The question catches me off guard. Sure, I'd expected something deep, but maybe not that personal. Happiness is hard to grasp these days. I'm content, I've realized that. But happy? I'm not sure.

"I don't know," I tell her eventually, taking my last bite and leaning back into the softness of the couch. "Not like I used to be. There's not that sense of exhilarating freedom anymore. I feel pretty typical. My life is no longer special. I just go from one day to the next without anything to really look forward to."

Lynn watches me for a moment, her eyes squinted in sympathy as she processes my words. A tight smile lifts her lips and I find myself fascinated by the perfect symmetry of her face. When I smile, one side lifts just a hair higher than the other, but Lynn's lips are perfect.

The thought startles me and when I realize I've actually been staring at her mouth, my eyes flee upward to find her watching me. I want to facepalm because this moment just feels so cliche and stupid. It's that moment when the air changes and the guy shifts forward to test the girl's reaction to his nearness. But that's not going to happen. I can't let that happen. Not yet.

Lynn's eyes crinkle in the corner as she smiles back at me. I know she caught me staring, but she doesn't mention anything about it. Instead, she twists herself around in her seat and pulls her legs to her chest.

"I want to change that," she says softly, speaking into her knees where she has her chin rested.

"Change what?"

She cocks her head to the side, resting her left ear on her knees instead as she gazes over at me.

"I'd like to help bring a little light back into your life. Spice things up a bit and make it so that you actually look forward to tomorrow."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" I ask, curious.

Her face softens, lips tilted into a lazy grin as she lets her eyes slip past me and toward the window at the end of the room.

"I'm not sure yet."

We spend the rest of the day arranging the room to perfection and don't realize that a storm has rolled in until an earth-cracking roar of thunder vibrates the floors. It's then that we both stop, glancing toward the small window at the front of the room. It doesn't offer much light anyway, but now, the light that it did offer is completely shrouded by black clouds and sheets of rain.

"Guess you're stuck here for a bit," Lynn jokes, flopping down onto the couch.

She's taking up the entire thing, but I don't care. I'm too tired to be bothered with getting her to scooch, so I simply lift her legs and take a seat before placing her legs over my lap.