Invisible String

Chapter 34 - Everything Has Changed

"I don't know how to explain it." He looked away from me again. "But for some reason, I get this feeling around you. It's stupid, and I... I don't understand it. But when I'm around you, when I talk to you, it feels like things could actually be normal. Even if just for a minute. Because you're normal. You don't care who I am. You treat me like anyone else. And you don't seem to hate me." He looked back at me, "Sometimes, I think you even like me."

"I don't know how I feel about you." I shifted, so my back was against the tree again, and looked ahead of us. This was a relatively isolated section of the park. Trees were sparsely spread throughout, and only children playing games behind them were running around here, and they were a ways away from us. "I feel like I should hate you. Or be afraid of you. Or even just stay irritated by you." I shook my head and put my hands on my knees as if bracing myself for what I was going to say next. "But I don't hate you. I know that."

He nodded. "Well, that's nice to hear."

I snickered. "I'm sure it's not something you often hear anymore."

"No, it's really not."

I glanced at him. His head hung low as if the things that were going on in his life really affected him. I don't know why that surprised me, but it did. Because my opinion of him had always been solely based on articles I'd read or people I've spoken to. And well, they thought he was immature and trashy. And he sure seemed like he could be. And he'd even been rude and persistently annoying with me. But even then, there was always something innocent and honest about him. Something that made it impossible for me to hate him.

I put my hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry." He looked at me, surprised, and then he brushed off his hands and stood up. "Where are you going?" I asked as he turned back around to me.

"Let's get out of here," he said, a smile creeping onto his face.

"Where do you want to go?"

"I don't know. Anywhere?" He reached out his hand to help me up. I stared at it for a long moment, then reached back, and he pulled me to my feet. Our bodies touched briefly as mine swayed back and forth from the strength of the pull. He steadied me and looked down into my eyes again. "Where would you want to go?" he asked softly.

I shook my head, trying to get a thought to come back into it. But I was blank, like a white screen. His hand was still on my side, and I leaned against it, liking the way it felt. It was bigger than I'd expected, stronger, too. And it made me feel warm again.

"I don't know."

He stepped back and let go of me, and the air suddenly left my lungs.

"I have an idea, but you have to trust me, okay?"

"Why would I do that?" I asked without hesitation.

"Because..." He shrugged. "I don't know. Because you want to?"

His brown-eyed gaze was caught on my own, and I couldn't look away. I didn't want him to leave. I reached out for his hand and gripped it tightly in my own.

"Fine, I trust you," I said as I squeezed his hand. "Don't let me down."

He leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek quickly, then said into my ear, "Wouldn't dream of it."

He held on tightly to my hand as we raced through the park back to his waiting car. He whispered something to the driver before sitting back beside me. His arm maneuvered behind me at some point in the car ride, and by the time it stopped, it was completely around my shoulders, with his hand holding on to the shoulder furthest from him. I looked up at him, but my eyes stopped and glanced at his lips first. He was biting the bottom one, obviously excited for whatever he was taking me into.