Long wait, I know. I've been writing this forever haha just slow going. I have more. It'll be up soon. Like, really soon.
Thanks for reading guys!!! You are amazing!
Chapter 15
Corinna’s POV
I woke up holding Flynn’s hand.
I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn’t imagining it but his big, warm hand was definitely gripping mine lightly. My eyes shifted to where his head was resting on his forearm, leaning onto my bed from his position in the chair beside it. I could feel the soft brush of his deep breaths against my hand as he slept, his forehead wrinkled in a slight frown as if he were dreaming about something unpleasant.
I winced as I shifted further into consciousness, realizing that my head was pounding and my body ached. Memories from the night before drifted back to me and I winced again, thinking specifically of the moment outside of my house when I’d let my fingers run through Flynn’s silky hair and told him that I wanted to protect him.
A part of me wanted to quietly slip away, to untangle my hand from his and leave the room but a much larger part of me liked being there with him, liked having my hand in his, feeling his breath across my skin as the sun streaming through my window shone on his slightly wavy hair, bringing out golden tones that I hadn’t noticed before. My gaze traveled over his face, stopping briefly on his defined cheekbones that had seen their share of bruises at his father’s hands. His strong jaw was stiff even in sleep, the stubble on it giving him a darker appearance but I knew I’d never be afraid of him.
I stiffened when he shifted slightly, his grip on my hand tightening briefly before it loosened again and his breathing regulated once more. My muscles relaxed and my eyes were drawn to the strand of hair that had fallen across his forehead and before I realized what I was doing, I was reaching out and very lightly pushing the lock aside. I froze when I finally clued in to what I was doing and jerked my hand back, my eyes wide as I stared at my betraying fingers in utter confusion. What the hell was that?
Before I could answer myself, Flynn started to stir, sucking in a long breath and letting out a groan as the muscles in his back tensed and his shoulder’s popped from being in such an odd position for so long.
“Hey,” he croaked, his voice rusty and laden with sleep as he opened his light green eyes slightly, the sun making them water a bit as they roved over my features. “How are you feeling?”
I swallowed hard and nodded, wondering if my concussion had some effect on my heart because it was beating a whole lot faster than it usually did.
“Do you have a headache?”
“Not bad,” I said with a shrug, trying to make my voice nonchalant.
He narrowed his eyes at me and I looked away, pushing myself up to a sitting position using only one hand because for some reason, I couldn’t make myself let go of his. “You’re lying,” he said, his voice filled with certainty.
I felt my lips twitch even as my head continued to throb. “Maybe,” I said with a shrug, letting a genuine grin cross my mouth as I looked up at him.
His eyes widened and his lips parted slightly as he looked at me as if he’d seen me for the first time. “What?” I asked, my smile disappearing, replaced by a confused frown. “Do I have something on my face?” I swiped my hand over my mouth, wondering if maybe I’d drooled in my sleep.
“No,” he said, blinking and shaking his head firmly as if he was trying to clear it. “It’s just...nice to see you actually smile for once.”
I snorted and leaned back against my pillows, my grin widening a little further. “Don’t get used to it. I’m still a little delusional from the concussion.”
A vertical wrinkle appeared between his eyebrows as his lips tightened, turning down slightly at the corners. “So once the headache goes away, you’re going to go back to giving me the silent treatment?” he asked, a muscle in his cheek twitching.
I shrugged, getting an uncomfortable feeling in my chest as my fingers acted on their own accord and tightened slightly around his palm.
He didn’t seem to notice though because a second later, he slid his hand out from under mine, placing it on his lap and making it into a fist. “So that’s the plan then?” he asked, his eyes on the bedspread and his jaw clenched hard. “You’re just going to shut everyone out until you leave? Is that it?”
I frowned, staring down at my now empty hand, wondering why it felt like he’d taken all the heat in the room with him when he’d let me go.
“God damn it, Cory can’t you see that there are people here who care about you? Who want to help you if you’d just give them the chance?” He stood up quickly, his chair tipping back onto two legs before it righted itself. “Why do you always think you have to go through everything alone?” he asked more quietly and I could feel his gaze on me as he stood next to my bed, his breathing coming a little faster as the room fell into silence.
I carefully composed my expression, making sure that a flat smile was on my lips and my eyes were as cold as ice as I lifted my head to look at him. Tilting my head to the side, I let my smile widen as his eyes burned like cool green fire, anger written in every angle of his face and every tensed muscle in his body. “That was very dramatic, Flynn,” I said flatly, my voice giving nothing away. “Maybe you should be an actor.”
His breathing came even faster and the muscle in his cheek was ticking furiously as I listened to him grind his teeth together. With a sound of pure frustration that was somewhere between a growl and a shout, he spun on his feet and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him and leaving me alone.
An odd sense of panic crawled up my chest as I looked at my closed door, telling myself that I was doing the right thing, that I was getting too attached to him anyway and it was better if he was mad at me, if he hated me.
The thought made my headache even worse and with a groan, I stood from my bed, changing quickly into a t-shirt and jeans before heading downstairs. The house was oddly quiet as I made my way into the dining room but I didn’t have time to think about it because Flynn was sitting at the table with a glass of water and a bottle of Advil in front of him, his hands still fisted and his eyes staring straight ahead.
I must have made a noise because his head swung in my direction and his lips turned down in a scowl. “Why are you out of bed?” he asked as I moved to sit down.
“I have some homework to do,” I replied, keeping my tone nonchalant as I grabbed my notebook that had been sitting on the table. “Actually, I have a question about number four. How do you get the─”
“You’re not studying today,” he said through gritted teeth, his chair scraping across the linoleum as he stood up, his hands planted on the table as he glared down at me.
I gave him a half smile and shrugged. “Agree to disagree then.”
“The doctor said─”
“I feel fine,” I cut him off before focusing on my books once more. “If you don’t want to help me then suit yourself.”
“I’ll help you when you don’t have a concussion,” he growled, reaching across the table and flipping my notebook closed.
I narrowed my eyes at him as I flipped it open again, daring him to close it one more time.
His eyes lit with determination and he leaned so far over the table that his nose was nearly touching mine as he slowly flipped the book closed.
I gritted my teeth together, irritation making my heart rate pick up as I kept my eyes on his and slowly wrapped my fingers around the wrist of the hand that was planted firmly on the cover of my notebook. “Move your hand,” I said, keeping my voice low and flat.
“Go to bed.”
“I asked first.”
“I wasn’t asking.”
“Neither was I.”
For a second we were both quiet, locked in a staring contest both of us refused to lose.
After a moment, I winced, a stabbing pain in my head taking me by surprise and suddenly, I lost all my anger. I let go of his wrist and leaned back in my chair, feeling achy and tired but I had a test on Monday and whether Flynn agreed or not, I had some studying to do.
“You and I both know I’ll find a way to work on this with or without my notebook,” I said quietly, my voice sounding as tired as I felt. “I’m going to study so either you help me or you let me be. It’s up to you, Flynn,” I said, raising my hands to rub my fingers over my pounding temples.
His expression wavered and with a frustrated expulsion of breath, he removed his hand and sank into his seat, glaring at me. “Fine. I’ll help you so you can get it over with and get back to sleep.”
“Jessica’s coming over later to help me with chemistry and I have to work tonight.”
“Damn it, you need to rest!”
“I’ll rest when I graduate.”
“Yeah right,” he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair.
I cleared my throat, and opened my notebook again, flipping to the right page and examining the question I’d been stuck on. “I’m having trouble with this one,” I said, frowning down at the page, confused just looking at the jumble of letters and words with a few diagrams mixed in. “I don’t have enough information to figure out how fast it’s going, do I?”
Flynn leaned forward slightly, looking my work over briefly before saying, “You need to figure out the mass first. Here,” he said, reaching out and grabbing my pencil before scrawling something across the top of the page. “Use this formula first, then you can solve it.”
His voice was calm now with just a hint of the anger that it had held earlier but I could still hear it the way it had been last night when I’d collapsed and he’d asked me what was wrong. He’d been genuinely afraid for me, his concern shining in his eyes as he’d taken every corner slowly to ensure that I wasn’t hurt on the way to the hospital. Though the memory was a bit fuzzy, I recalled asking him not to leave me and I knew without a doubt that he hadn’t.
I barely glanced at the sheet and when he handed me the pencil back, I almost missed it because my gaze was locked on his face instead. “Thank you,” I said, my voice infused with sincerity the way it so rarely was.
“It’s on your formula sheet,” he said with a shrug, pushing the water and Advil across the table to me. “Here, I was just about to bring this up to you when you came down instead.”
I looked down at the tall class of water, not really focusing on it before looking back up at him, wondering if the concussion was responsible for the odd, dazed sensation I was feeling. “Thank you,” I said again, more softly this time and he just shrugged.
“No problem.”
“Not for the Advil,” I said, shaking my head lightly as his eyes met mine finally, a confused look in their light green depths. “Last night, you were pretty great. Thank you.”
His eyes widened as he mumbled, “No problem.”
I nodded and cleared my throat, focusing on my physics again but my mind wasn’t entirely in it. After a moment, I glanced up at him, seeing that his eyes were still focused on me, no longer irritated but filled with a softness that I didn’t understand. “What?”
He blinked and gave his head a small shake. “Nothing, just trying to figure out when you’re going to start giving me the silent treatment.”
I sent him a crooked smile and bent my head back to my notebook. “Not yet.” After a moment, something occurred to me and I jerked my head up to look at Flynn again. “What about Jesse and Aaron?” I asked, finally realizing that I’d abandoned them at the party the night before without sending a single text.
“I called Jesse when we left and told him we were going home. He stayed at Aaron’s house last night and isn’t back yet.”
“Oh,” I tilted my head to the side and listened for a moment but the house was silent. “Where’s everyone else? Did anyone notice that you were in my room last night?”
“I think they went shopping and they probably just thought I was in the guest room.”
“That’s good,” I mumbled, inwardly wincing at the thought of Donald discovering Flynn in my room no matter how innocent it had been.
A slight wry smile stretched my lips as I looked at Flynn and his eyebrow lowered in question. “What?”
I shrugged, my smile widening as the situation unfolded in my mind. “I’m just picturing my father finding you in my room in the middle of the night. The weird thing is, he’d probably be more worried for your virtue than mine.”
“It shouldn’t be like that,” Flynn said, his voice rock hard, his eyes going completely serious as he looked over at me. “I hate the way he acts with you, Sandra too. They treat you like the enemy.”
“It’s my own fault.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“C’mon Flynn, I burnt down a school, I got drunk, I did drugs, and you expect them to trust me?” I shook my head, twisting my lips humourlessly. “I don’t.”
“They should,” he said firmly, leaning forward in his chair, his eyes filled with conviction. “You’re their daughter. Maybe they don’t have to trust you completely but they should forgive you, give you another chance.”
I shrugged, feeling my heart lurch as it urged me to agree, to let myself feel that righteous anger against them but all I felt was tired and defeated by the wall I’d personally built, the wall that kept that distance between me and the world. “Let’s just do some work, okay?”
His eyes flashed with what looked like hurt and he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Fine,” he said, his voice laced with defeat and anger and yes, hurt and my heart lurched at the thought of me hurting him. How many times had I seen him with bruises on his face or his arms, that expression flashing across his eyes whenever he spoke of his father?
How many times had I vowed to keep him from looking like that ever again?
Yet here I was, shutting him out when clearly he was just trying to help, to be...my friend, I guess, and all I could do was hurt him.
Shame, hot and damning coursed through me as I tried to tell myself that I was doing the right thing, that by keeping him, and everyone else out, I was ultimately protecting them.
I cleared my throat, wishing it was so easy to clear my mind, the headache making it nearly impossible to concentrate but I forced myself to and I’d nearly gotten through an entire question when the doorbell rang.
“I’m here!” Jessica called out, not waiting for either of us to answer before she walked in. “Okay, I brought candy, chocolate and chemistry.” She stopped when she got to the entrance of the dining room, her eyes widening as her gaze shifted from me to Flynn. “You guys look like hell.”
My brain, still trying to comprehend the numbers in front of me totally failed when I tried to come up with a witty retort so I just shrugged.
“What happened?” she asked, setting a couple bags down on the table and taking her seat next to me. She leaned forward to peer into my face and I met her eyes squarely raising an eyebrow at her and keeping stubbornly silent. “Does it have to do with why you left the party so early last night?”
“I had a headache,” I said smoothly, pushing on her shoulder to get her to stop invading my personal space. “Still do, so please, take it down a couple notches.”
I felt her gaze on me as I grabbed my chemistry notebook. “Want to take a picture?” I asked, when she was still staring at me.
“It’s more than that,” she said quietly, her voice calm and understanding, making me wish that we were actually friends, that I could tell her everything about last night, about the sick fear that had climbed in my chest and threatened to choke me. “You can talk to me if you want.”
I gave myself a mental shake, wondering if the headache that was making me so emotional, so needy. Planting a derisive grin on my face, I turned to look at her and said, “Yeah sure, let’s talk about covalent bonds.”
She rolled her eyes and pulled out her textbook. “Fine, but the offer stands. Anytime you want to talk about anything, I’m here. Flynn too. Right, Flynn?”
Unable to stop myself, my gaze rose, landing on Flynn and at first, his eyes were hard, filled with irritation obviously directly towards me. But then, they softened, the light green liquefying and something like resignation filled their depths. “Yeah.”
I was silent for a moment as Jessica emptied the rest of her bags, pulling out snacks but I couldn’t tear my gaze from Flynn’s. “Perfect,” I finally managed to croak, inwardly wincing as I heard my own voice, wondering what had happened to the hard edge, the unaffected attitude. “You two are my very own help hotline. So does that mean I can call you at three am if I have a chemistry question?”
“No,” Jessica said firmly, narrowing her eyes at me. “You know what I meant.”
I just shrugged and tapped my pencil on the paper in front of me. “Let’s just focus on chemistry.”
“Fine,” she said on a sigh, quickly tying her hair up and getting down to business as she looked down at my work. “This one’s wrong.” She launched into a quick explanation that had my befuddled brain struggling hard to keep up.
I nodded and tried the next question.
“Still wrong,” Flynn said from over my right shoulder, making me jump.
I whipped my head towards him and jerked back, his face much closer to mine than I’d expected as he leaned over me, looking down at my work which I’d been too absorbed in to even notice him moving.
“Right here,” he said, his arm brushing mine as he reached forward and pointed out the part where I’d gone wrong. “You missed the two. It’s a simple mistake.” His chest brushed against my back as he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before turning to look at me. “You’re not concentrating.”
I blinked, whatever was left of my brain floating away as his eyes latched onto mine and for some reason, my heart was beating fast. “Concussion,” I mumbled after a moment. “Remember?”
His eyes flashed with anger. “Yeah, I remember. Do you?” Without taking his eyes from me, he flipped my book closed and took the pencil out of my hands. I let him because I couldn’t seem to move at the moment. “Just rest for today. You’re not making any progress anyway.”
After a beat, I nodded, giving in because he was right. My head was pounding and nothing was sticking. I was probably doing more harm than good by forcing it. “Okay,” I said softly, my lips stretching into a small smile, “you win.”
“Good,” he said, his eyes softening and his own lips quirking upwards.
My smile faded though and after a moment when he still hadn’t moved back from me, I swallowed hard and said, “Flynn?”
His smile disappeared too but instead of moving away, he shifted slightly closer, his hand moving from the table to brush his fingertips over my forehead, his eyes still locked on mine. “Does it hurt a lot?” he asked, his voice a low rumble originating from his wide chest.
Something was happening here. His face was close to mine and his fingers on my skin weren’t having their usual effect. Instead of calming my heart, they were making it race wildly and the way he was looking at me, that light in his eyes, it was almost as if...as if he was about to...
“Ahem.”
I flinched at the sound of Jessica clearing her throat loudly and I turned my head only to see that she’d packed all her books up. When had that happened?
“Should I leave?” she asked, her eyebrows raised as she looked from one of us to the other.
“No!” I half shouted, placing my hand on Flynn’s chest and shoving. After a moment where he didn’t budge, he straightened, giving me enough space to breathe again which I seemed to have forgotten to do for the past couple of minutes. I stood up quickly, sidestepping Flynn and avoiding his gaze as I tried to tell my heart to stop racing. “I mean, you can stay if you want I’m just a little...tired,” I finished lamely.
Her eyebrows raised even further, her dark brown eyes flashing with humour as she looked from Flynn to me. “Really? But if we’re not studying then what are we going to do?” she asked cheekily, leaning back in her chair and hooking her elbow over its back. “Paint each other’s nails?”
I blinked, realizing I’d just invited her to spend the day here, not doing homework.
“We could just hang out,” she continued, unbothered by my silence. “Like friends.”
I shrugged and placed a mild expression on my face. “Whatever you want, Jessica.”
She chuckled and shook her head but before she said anything, sounds of someone entering the house drew our attention.
“I swear Jake, you’re never coming shopping with us again.” Sandra’s voice, laced with irritation.
“Good!” Jake replied and I could practically hear him crossing his arms over his chest. “I didn’t want to go anyway! I wanted to stay here with Reena!”
My lips unconsciously spread into a wide smile as I took a step towards the entrance to the dining room, intent on seeing my little brother.
“We can’t leave you alone with her,” Sandra said, her voice soft, reasonable but it sent a painful stab into my heart and made my footsteps halt.
“Why not?” Jake half shouted.
“Because we said so, Jake,” Donald said sternly, using his Dad Voice that I remembered from my youth. It was the mixture of exasperation and love that sent a pang of longing through me, wishing I could go back to a time where he used that voice on me, where one tantrum didn’t make me a bad apple, it just made me a kid.
“But why?” Jake said again, tears in his voice now and I could tell that he was tired from the way it wavered. He was usually pretty calm for a six year old.
“Just because,” Donald said and I reached my hand out to plant it on the wall, hating the sinking feeling in my gut, their words making my head pound even harder.
Straightening my spine and carefully planting a blank look on my face, I stepped out of the dining room but before I made it into their line of vision, someone was holding my wrist and from the way my skin tingled, I knew it was Flynn. Slowly, gently he placed his other hand on my shoulder and spun me around to face him.
I looked up at him with blank eyes and one brow raised in question, pretending that I wasn’t hurt, that it didn’t matter what Donald and Sandra said.
His eyes blazed down into mine, fury making the muscle in his jaw jump and when he shifted as if to move around me, probably to defend me, I shifted with him, giving my head a slight shake.
His eyes narrowed and his grip on my wrist tightened slightly.
“Next time, I’m staying with Reena,” Jake said stubbornly.
“No,” Donald said. “This conversation is over, young man.”
“But I want to!” he shouted, on the verge of tears.
“Honey,” Sandra said in a soft voice. “Corinna’s not...”she trailed off, looking for the right word. “She just wouldn’t be a good babysitter.”
“Why not?” he shouted and this time I heard tears in his voice, my heart cracking at the sound of them.
“We just don’t trust her to take care of you,” Donald said softly.
I sucked in a sharp breath, the pain from his words cutting deep even though I’d already known how they felt. I mean, Sandra had practically hid the silver when I first got there. Clearly, they didn’t trust me.
But telling Jake...
It hurt.
An odd growling sound drew my attention back to Flynn who was staring down at me with so much concern and anger on my behalf that my heart tripped in my chest. When he shifted to the side again, obviously intent on getting past me, I mimicked the move once more, blocking him as I placed my free hand on his chest. My lips stretched into a cold smile as I ignored the way my heart was aching. “Don’t do it, Flynn. They still love you. I never had a chance.”
“They shouldn’t have said that.”
I shrugged, trying not to like the way he stood up for me but finding it impossible. He was on my side and it felt good.
Too good.
“I’ve heard worse,” I said quietly but I was off my game and my voice wavered a bit making his eyes sharpen on me.
“Cory,” Jessica said softly, her pretty brown eyes filled with concern as she stood from the table, coming towards me.
“Flynn?” Sandra called and I didn’t miss the tinge of foreboding in her voice, obviously hoping I wasn’t there.
Planting a humourless smile on my face, I wrenched my wrist from Flynn’s grip, and walked out of the dining room. “I’m here too,” I said easily, smiling brightly at Donald and Sandra, knowing it wasn’t reaching my eyes. Not even close. Not until I shifted my gaze to my little brother as he looked up at his parents, tears streaming down his cheeks and his little hands balled into fists in outrage.
My heart clenched as I looked at him, feeling like he was my own personal knight in shining armour.
“Reena!” he said, his lips spreading into a wobbly smile as he ran a hand under his nose, wiping the snot on the back of his sleeve. He took a step towards me, his chest rising and falling quickly as he cried. “I’m sorry I didn’t come see you this morning, Reena,” he said haltingly, his short strides bringing him closer to me. “I promised I would so you could try to win today but they made me go shopping and told me I couldn’t stay with you.” He sent an angry glare over his shoulder at his parents who looked a bit like a pair of deer caught in headlights.
“Don’t be sorry,” I said, sending him an easy grin, ignoring Sandra and Donald. “I used this morning to practice,” I kneeled down in front of him and gestured for him to come closer before whispering in his ear. “I beat Flynn really badly. Don’t mention it around him because he’s sort of embarrassed.” I leaned back as Jake giggled, sending a look in Flynn’s direction.
I followed his gaze, I spotted Flynn standing just outside of the dining room, his eyes still angry but when they connected with Jake’s they softened and his mouth tipped down into an exaggerated scowl. “Is she talking about me? You’re not going to keep a secret from me, are you, Jake? I thought you were on my side.”
Before he could reply, I gave an evil laugh and picked him up, hugging him close to me as I stood. “He’s mine!” I said, grinning from ear to ear as Jake giggled, wrapping his arms around my neck. “Jake loves me the best, don’t you, Jake?”
Jake bit his lip, still giggling, his tears totally forgotten now as he looked between me and Flynn. “I think it’s a tie,” he said after a moment.
“A tie!” I said in outrage, narrowing my eyes down at Jake who was looking up at me innocently. “How can it possibly be a tie? Clearly, I am superior in every way.”
Flynn snorted and walked towards us with his arms crossed over his chest. “You don’t agree with her, do you?”
“I don’t know,” Jake said, his eyes shifted from Flynn to me and back again. “What’s superior?”
“It means better,” I supplied, unable to wipe the grin off my face, even when I looked over at Donald and Sandra who were watching the scene with uncomfortable expressions on their faces.
“Well then...” Jake stalled. “It’s a tie,” he said after a moment.
“That does it,” I grumbled, setting him down so I could tickle him mercilessly, kneeling in front of him as he giggled and writhed. “Who’s the best?”
“You are!” he said, between giggles.
I let up and grinned at Flynn who’d been grinning back down at me. “I win,” I said smugly.
His smile disappeared and his eyes widened as he looked down at me, his eyes flashing with a mix of emotions that I didn’t understand before he shook his head and his smile returned. “You win round one. The next one’s mine.”
“Doubtful,” I said, still smiling as I helped Jake stand up. “Want to watch the Lion King?” I asked, still kneeling in front of him.
Jake nodded eagerly. “I’ll go get Freddy!” he said, racing towards the stairs and out of sight.
I laughed and stood up, my smile becoming plastic as I looked over at Donald and Sandra who were staring uncertainly back at me.
With a tired sigh, I let it go, feeling too out of sorts to get into any kind of fight right now.
“Need help with the groceries?” I asked, gesturing to the bags in their hands.
Donald walked into the kitchen without another word and Sandra blinked in surprise. “Um, sure that would be great. There’s more in the car.”
I nodded and Flynn, Jessica and I slipped our shoes on and grabbed the rest of the bags.
I was unloading some cans of soup when Sandra came up beside me and gripped my wrist, halting my movements.
I glanced up at Flynn who was stacking my notebooks into a neat pile on the dining room table. His eyes connected with mine and flashed with worry before I looked over at Sandra with an eyebrow raised.
“You understand, don’t you? It’s just that─”
“No need to explain,” I interrupted, my voice carefully bland as I pulled my wrist away from her, breaking our contact. “Can’t have a drugged up, alcoholic, pyromaniac looking after your children.”
“You’re not like that,” Jessica said, drawing my gaze to her but she was staring at Sandra, a disapproving expression on her face. “She’s nothing like that, Sandra and if you can’t see it, you’re blind.”
Sandra just shook her head and her eyes filled with pain as she looked at me. “I’m sorry but I─”
“Can’t,” I supplied, my hand shaking slightly as I placed the can of chicken noodle on the counter. “You can’t trust me with him.” I shrugged and for once, didn’t put a smirk on my face. “I get it. He’s your son.”
And I was your daughter once.
“Yeah,” she replied, her eyes lit with relief at my understanding.
Stepping around Sandra, I abandoned the rest of the groceries to her, feeling a bit too raw to stand in the same room especially when Donald joined us, looking at me as if he were expecting me to freak out.
I just nodded at him, walking towards the living room where Jake was waiting, ready to watch Lion King with us.
Suddenly I stopped, unable to just let it go for whatever reason. “You don’t have to trust me,” I said quietly, my eyes on the floor because I knew I couldn’t hide the vulnerability in them and Flynn was standing just in front of me. “But please, don’t tell Jake that again. He doesn’t look at me like a criminal and I’d like to keep it that way for as long as possible.” I took a step but froze at Donald’s next words.
“I’m not going to lie to him, Corinna.”
I closed my eyes and just nodded, knowing that if I kept talking to them, I wouldn’t be able to keep it together. I put a hand to my head as I pushed forward, moving past Flynn and Jessica, until I was in the living room, standing next to Jake who was sitting on the floor, holding Freddy and waiting for us.
“Ready, Reena?” he asked, looking up at me and grinning, his eyes filled with trust and excitement, no suspicion or anger there.
Every wall I had caved as I sank to the carpet next to him and pressed play on the remote. “Ready,” I said, leaning my back against the couch and letting everything go, feeling his small shoulder brush against my arm as he continued to play with Freddy.
“Cory,” Flynn said, frowning down at me as he walked into the room.
“Shh,” I said, shaking my head and sending him a disapproving look. “It’s starting.”
Jessica walked past Flynn, heading towards the comfortable chair next to the couch and sinking into it. I could tell that she was holding back, not saying anything even though she wanted to.
After a moment of staring down at me, Flynn finally stretched out on the couch behind me, his legs dangling over one of the arm rests while his head rested on the one closest to me.
About halfway through the movie, Jake was asleep with his head in my lap, Jessica was napping on the chair and when I glanced over my shoulder, Flynn’s eyes were closed, the dark shadows under his eyes mingling with his eyelashes which I just realized were long for a guy. Maybe that’s why his green eyes always looked so vibrant.
I leaned my head back against the couch, looking over at the clock on the wall and wincing. I had to go to work soon.
“I don’t want to go,” I mumbled, my fingers lightly sifting through Jake’s hair as he continued to sleep.
“Then don’t.”
I jumped slightly and whipped my head around to face Flynn whose eyes were open wide now, intent on me. I glanced down at Jake to make sure I didn’t wake him but he was still sleeping so I turned to face Flynn again. “I thought you were sleeping,” I whispered, feeling a little guilty for the exhaustion on his features, knowing he’d stayed up most of the night to take care of me.
He propped himself up on his elbows, shifting so that he could look at me more easily. “If you don’t want to leave, then stay, Cory,” he said, his voice hoarse.
“It’s only a five hour shift,” I said with a shrug, trying to figure out why his eyes were so intense and his mouth was set into a severe line.
He blinked, confusion clouding his features as he looked at me. “Shift?”
I nodded, my mouth tilting into a half smile. Clearly he was still half asleep. “Work, Flynn. I have to go to work.”
His breath left him in a whoosh and he closed his eyes as if in pain but not before I saw something like disappointment in their depths. “I thought...” he trailed off, sitting up straighter and running a hand over his face.
“What?” Then it clicked. Stay. Here. With Donald and Sandra, Jesse and Jake. Stay in this town that hated me, that never wanted me back in the first place. I gave a light laugh and his eyes flew to me, latching onto mine. “You thought I meant here?” I shook my head as the expression in his eyes told me I was right. “No, I’m not stupid enough to think I belong here, that I could have a life here.”
“Why not?” he asked, his voice strained and his eyes flashing with a mix of emotions. “Why is it so far out of the question? It’s not like you have anywhere else to go, Cory.”
“Stay here?” I turned my head to look at my little brother curled up on his side, his chest rising and falling steadily as he slept with his head on my lap, totally trusting.
How long would it take for that to change? Even now, there were probably whispers about his older sister, the convicted felon.
No, I wouldn’t put him through that.
I gave a nonchalant shrug, ignoring the way my heart panged at the thought of saying good bye. “I won’t.”
“So you’re just going to disappear again? No forwarding address, no contact information, just like last time?”
Flynn’s voice had risen and I frowned when Jake stirred slightly. “Shh,” I said, looking down at my brother before grabbing a pillow and as carefully as possibly, placed it under his head as I slipped to the side, free.
I stood and jerked my head in the direction of the stairs, telling Flynn to follow me as the other two slept.
We walked into my room and I closed the door behind us. “What are you doing?” I asked, giving him a cold look as he began to pace the length of my room. “Why are you getting so upset?”
“Because,” he snarled, glaring at me as he continued to pace. “It bothers me to think of you on your own with no one to depend on.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said easily.
“No you won’t.”
“Flynn─”
“No you won’t, Cory,” he said, stopping in front of me and wrapping his hands around my arms. “You weren’t okay last time you left. You won’t tell me anything but you went through hell and you have the scars to prove it. How many do you have, Cor?” he asked, his voice coming from somewhere deep in his chest, more of a rumble than an articulation. “Three here,” he said, a muscle jumping in his cheek as he gritted his teeth and reached down to hold my wrist lightly in his big hand.
I swallowed hard when he skimmed his hand up my arm and over my shoulder, laying his palm flat between my shoulder blades. “I couldn’t count all the ones here.”
“Stop,” I croaked, too tired to hide anything from him. What did he see in my eyes, written on my face? Cool indifference? Not likely.
Fear.
Panic.
Hurt.
Oh he probably saw a lot of hurt because I’d felt so much of it that it had become a part of me now. I was a perfect example of the walking wounded, using whatever bravado I could muster to cover it but it was all gone now, bravado forgotten, shattered by the touch of Flynn’s big, warm hands.
“What did they do to you?” he asked, his voice strained as his eyes searched mine, missing nothing.
I took a deep shuddering breath, trying to gather some semblance of control but there was none left. I’d tapped my source, forgetting to leave a reserve for when I’d need it most.
“You need to stop,” I said, my voice coming out more broken than brazen.
He shook his head, his warm hand on my back doing something to my insides, melting them, I think.
“Please,” I croaked, feeling my body start to shake and my knees weaken.
Gently, slowly, he applied pressure between my shoulder blades, forcing me to close the distance between us and I didn’t put up much of a fight. When his arms were wrapped firmly around me and my face was pressed into his chest, I tried to remain stiff, keeping one tiny semblance of my control which he’d so easily shattered.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his hand running lightly over my hair, avoiding the bump on my head as he bent closer to me, his chin brushing against the top of my head.
I didn’t know what he was apologizing for or even why he was holding me like this. I couldn’t figure out why he even bothered to ask me questions at all or why he seemed to care about my answers and most of all, I had no idea why he was shaking too.
“I want to help you.”
Oh. Well that made sense. He was a good guy and he treated me like a sister so of course he wanted to help me. I had to give him some credit, he hadn’t given up yet no matter how hard I’d pushed him or how many times I’d essentially told him to piss off, he was still right there.
I let out a shuddering chuckle and slid my hands up to his chest, applying pressure until he loosened his grip on me, giving me some space. “Are we about done with the heart to heart?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light.
His eyes flashed with hurt and anger as I took another step back, letting his arms fall away from me, landing limply at his sides.
“I need to get ready for work,” I said flatly, tilting my chin towards the door, silently telling him to leave because for some reason, I couldn’t tell him with words.
For a second we just stared at each other, his eyes going from blazing to flat as he met my uncompromising gaze. His shoulders seemed to slump forward slightly and the shadows under his eyes darkened as his expression blanked. “Fine.”
Fine. That one word. That was all he said but I heard so much more than that. He might as well have told me he was through, sick of looking out for me when all he got in return was snarky comments and plastic smiles. As he turned his back on me, there was a voice inside of my head, screaming at me to stop him, to tell him that I’d been fighting it but I needed him damn it.
When his hand was on the door knob, twisting it, my foot twitched as the voice in my head screamed that it was now or never, that if I didn’t do something, he’d walk out and never come back.
Good. That’s good, I told the voice, letting my heart go cold as he took one step out of my room. It’s better this way, no one to depend on but myself, no one to be disappointed, no one to hurt, no one to─
“Tyler.”
We both froze as his name, spoken in my own voice, drifted around the room, my ears hearing it but my brain refusing to understand why it had slipped through my lips.
He turned his head to look at me over his shoulder, his expression shuttered, closed off but he wasn’t leaving anymore. “What is it, Cory?” he asked when I didn’t say anything else.
He turned to face me fully, his eyes flat as he crossed his arms over his chest and just stared at me.
I opened and closed my mouth, trying to find the words to say but there was nothing. My mind had gone blank, my mouth dry as I locked my gaze with his, helpless.
He let out a long breath and glanced at the clock on my beside table. “Why don’t you tell me later? We need to hurry if you’re going to make it to work on time.”
I blinked. “We?”
He shrugged and raised an eyebrow at me. “Yeah, I’ll give you a ride.” His voice was stern as his eyes narrowed at me. “And don’t bother arguing, Cor. You’re still hurting and we both know it. For once, just concede and let me give you a ride, okay? You’ll be late if you don’t.”
“Okay,” I said, my voice breathless as triumph flickered in his beautiful green eyes.
“Good. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Then he was gone.
And for some stupid reason, as I got ready, washing up and changing my clothes, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.