by NM Facile
She asked if he had gone to college. He answered her with a “no” and steered the conversation away, hoping to distract her and get her talking about herself again. Ty loved learning everything he could about her. She fascinated him in a way no one ever had.
“So riddle me this: how does a small town girl, new to the city, find a place like Safe Works? You take a wrong turn and get lost and what, you end up at a needle exchange looking for directions and say ‘hey I should volunteer here.’ Or were you out looking for adventure and thought that would be a good place to start?” She liked the way one eyebrow rose as he spoke.
“It wasn’t like that. I never went looking for adventure.” She added almost to herself.
“Then tell me how someone from Quarry Springs – which I’m guessing doesn’t have a big drug problem – ends up volunteering there. I bet you haven’t even seen heroin before.” She shrugged. “So what’s the deal? Are you doing some kind of research project?” She shook her head. “I know it’s not community service. You couldn’t possibly have done anything against the law. Undercover cop?” She snorted at that. “Is it a guy?” Again she shook her head. That was a huge relief to Ty. “Let’s see, not community service, not a project, not a guy, not a cop. What? You have a junkie in your family?” He was just joking with her, but her face reddened and she looked away quickly.
Ty felt like a total ass. “I’m sorry, Mary. I was only kidding. I really didn’t mean anything by it.” He slid closer to her on the couch, so close that his leg pressed up against her knee. Ty reached out and brushed her hair out of her face as he lightly took her chin in his hand and turned her to face him.
“It’s okay, Mary. I get that. We can’t choose the paths our families take.”
She shook her head and he could see the remorse in her eyes. “It’s not like that.”
“What is it?”
“Complicated and long.” Her voice was down to a hushed level.
He matched her tone. “I’m not going anywhere.” Ty stroked his fingers over her cheek. He rested his hand on her knee. It was important to let her take the lead on this one. This was her story to tell, if she chose.
Mary licked her lips and looked around the room, fighting back tears. Ty reached out and took her hand, giving her what small amount of comfort he could. She grasped onto his hand tightly, reassured by his gentle squeeze.
She gained control of herself and started out slowly. “I’m not there because I have a family member that uses. But I am there because of a family member. I just want to help and it was the only thing I felt I could do.” Her voice took on a distant yet passionate tone as if she were selling it to herself.
“What did you want to help with, Mary?” She relaxed a little more as his thumbs rubbed her hand, still wrapped in his.
“I wanted to do something for my mother.”
Mary reached for her water glass, took a drink, and then focused on the glass in her hands. “My stepdad gave my mom Hepatitis C. He got it from a dirty needle using steroids.” Her tone was bitter and full of blame.
When she didn’t say anymore, Ty asked, “So how does volunteering at Safe Works help your mom? Aren’t there less dangerous ways for you to help her?”
Mary shrugged but still didn’t look up at him. “There isn’t anything I can do for my mom. She didn’t tell me until recently and now it’s too late for anything other than a liver transplant to help. That isn’t even a guarantee.” She looked up into his dark, questioning eyes. “I wanted to donate but it turns out I have high liver enzymes or something like that. It’s nothing serious, but it keeps me from being a viable donor. There’s really nothing I can do.” Her voice broke. “I can’t even be with her on a daily basis to help out. She moved to Florida when I went to college and I took the job here before I knew she was sick.”
Ty took the water glass from her hands and put it on the table before taking her hand in his. “So how does Safe Works play into that?”
“Just by being part of a group committed to keeping people as safe as they possibly can be. Maybe I can help keep someone else from going through what my mother is going through, or even what I’ve gone through.”
Ty was touched by Mary’s true selflessness. Most people would focus on what they could do for their loved one or for themselves, but Mary gave herself to the world. She gave herself to people who might never fully appreciate her or thank her. Ty hadn’t seen much in the way of altruism in his life.
There was no way he would ever be able to let her into his life. When she learned that he was selling heroin, she would be as disgusted with him as she was with her stepfather. She would see him as part of the problem she was trying to solve.
Ty pulled away from her, muttering his sympathy for her mom. He wanted to hold her in his arms and tell her it would all be fine. He wanted to be the man that could take on that burden for her, but he couldn’t. He needed to step away before he caused her even more pain.
Mary could have kicked herself for opening her big mouth, thinking his obvious discomfort had to do with her revelation. They sat in awkward, embarrassed silence for a moment, before Ty finally picked up the water glasses and retreated to the kitchen. As he took his time refilling them, Mary fled to the bathroom. He returned to the couch and wondered if he should follow her, but decided against it. Maybe it would be better if she thought he was a dick.
Mary eventually came back into the room. The cold water she’d splashed on her face to cool the heat of her cheeks and clear her eyes left the hair around her face damp. She looked at Ty guiltily, shyly. She looked down at the floor as she twisted her hair around her fingers.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to drop all that on you.” He caught her eye then and gave her a wink.
“Don’t worry about it, angel; we all need to get our crazy out sometimes.” He watched her smile, and reached up, tugging her hand to have her sit back down on the couch. She sat close, so close, too close.
“So I showed you mine, you show me yours.” She had the balls to grin suggestively at him. Ty would love nothing better than to show her his, but that would end it. “What’s your crazy, Ty?”
He deflected that one. “I’m twenty-six and a pizza driver. Enough said.”
“Why is that?” He waited for her to elaborate. Instead she asked, “What would you really like to do?” She rested her head back against the couch and yawned. “If you could do anything in the world you wanted, what would it be?” He liked the direction her questions had gone, but it was hard to answer.
“I don’t know. I’m not really good at anything.”
“Doesn’t matter what you can do. What would you want to do?” She continued to rest her head back as she waited for his answer.
“I don’t know…maybe open my own little secondhand music shop somewhere warm.” The words sounded good as they left his mouth. He had been focused on the plan for so long that he didn’t know what he would do once he left. Maybe he could set up a little place like that.
“What about you, Mary? What would you want to do?” Her eyes were closing and her breathing was slowing down. The doctor had said that – contrary to the old wives’ tale about concussions – it was perfectly safe for her to sleep, but Ty selfishly didn’t want her to. This moment between them would be over too soon, and he wanted it to last.
She sat up a bit and he settled back against the couch to wait for her answer. “Hmm, I love teaching.” He watched her lips as they moved. “But I guess my dream would be to read books and write reviews about them, maybe for a magazine or a blog or something.”
He could feel the heat from her leg against his. She shifted against him and rested her head back down on the couch. Ty mirrored her pose, bringing their noses to within touching range. Close enough that they could feel the warm breath of the other.
“What are you thinking, Ty?” She whispered softly.
Ty was wondering how she would taste. It would be so easy to lean in just a little… “Y
ou have the most interesting eyes. I’ve never seen anything like them.”
“Heterochromia. That’s what it’s called. It means the irises are different colors or have more than one color. It’s pretty common. Most people with hazel eyes don’t actually have hazel eyes, they just have different colors in the iris. For most it’s a central pattern, mine is vertical.” She stopped, self-conscious again. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go all scientific on you.”
Ty gave a quiet laugh. He liked her going all scientific on him.
Mary yawned, surprising them both.
“It’s all right if you need to sleep, Mary. I understand. You can rest.” She just shook her head.
“I’m afraid that if I do, you’ll be gone when I wake up and this will all have been a dream.” Her voice was breathy and quiet, as if she were already slipping into a dream. Her magical eyes were calling to him, begging him to make this real. He wanted it as much as she did.
He took a deep breath and brought his hand up to brush her cheek. He exhaled with a sigh. “This isn’t right, Mary. Not right now. You barely know me.” He knew the minute her shoulders dropped in defeat that she wouldn’t press the issue.
She sighed as well. “You’re right. We don’t know each other very well. Yet.” She didn’t have to finish her thought; he understood perfectly what she meant. It was the same pull he felt towards her. It just felt good, felt right, like she was the one to change everything.
The slowing sound of her breath filled the room. Her eyes grew heavy as he continued to brush his fingers over her cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed as he traced her delicate features. Her lashes were long against her cheeks, which were still slightly flushed from earlier. He ran the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip, wishing he could have taken a taste.
He pulled the blanket from the back of the couch, wrapped it around her and sat back watching his angel slumber, hoping her dreams were sweet and happy.
Ty awoke before Mary. The feeling of her body next to his was incredible. He thought about bringing his arms around her and pulling her in close to him, but the sun had already begun to peek through the skylight above. He checked his phone to find that it was already after seven. Faith would be home soon and he wouldn’t have any reason to stay with Mary anymore. He was saddened at the thought of leaving her. He felt like they had made a connection, a bond, and he wondered if she had felt it too.
He watched her for a few more seconds, absorbing the peaceful innocence of her face. She was exquisite. His heart and his body ached for her. This was just not the time or the place.
A wistful smile came to his lips as he brought their glasses and the ice pack back to the kitchen. He was just coming out when he heard the front door lock turn. Ty wasn’t sure what he was going to say to Faith. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen and watched her enter. The mandatory blue scrubs from the hospital were almost completely hidden by her big winter jacket. Her head was covered by a purple cap that looked just like the green one Mary wore.
She spotted Mary on the couch immediately and quietly stepped over to check on her. She still hadn’t noticed Ty standing by the kitchen. She looked Mary over carefully and Ty was happy to see that Mary was cared for. It wasn’t until she stepped back and started to slip her jacket off that she noticed him. She jumped and let out a little gasp.
“What are you doing here?” She hissed.
“I’m sorry. I was waiting here with Mary until you got home.” Her grey eyes narrowed as she looked him over. “Honestly. Didn’t she tell you?”
“She told me she me she was fine, and that someone from Safe Works brought her in. She didn’t say it was you. Wait, why is it you?” Ty could understand why she was suspicious. He was after all essentially a stranger to both of them.
“I saw Mary fall as she left Safe Works. She was alone and I recognized her from the other night at the bar. I couldn’t just leave her there.” He hoped that Faith wouldn’t cause trouble. He doubted she knew any more about him than Mary did.
“Why was Mary alone there?”
“She said she sent Nikki home with a headache.” Faith shook her head and muttered something about Mary being stupid.
“Look, I just helped her out. She’s going to be fine.” Faith was still glaring at him, but not as intensely as before. “Now that you’re home I’ll just take off.”
She stepped forward and held her hand out to him. “Ty, right?” He nodded and took her hand. “Thank you for being there for her.” Faith’s grey eyes were sincere.
“No problem. I was happy to help out.” He looked over at Mary’s sleeping form and wished like hell that he could stay longer. He wondered if he was doing the right thing by leaving without saying goodbye.
He grabbed his jacket and Faith walked him to the door, thanking him again. He heard the lock click behind him, and it sunk in that his time with Mary was now officially over. That had to have been the fastest five hours of his life.
As he walked to his car, he was already making plans to see her again. He decided then and there that if he was lucky enough to get the chance, he would be honest with her about his past. Maybe with a little luck she wouldn’t find out about it before he could tell her himself. There was no need to share his current situation. That was something she didn’t need to be drawn into. He could keep the two separate. If nothing else, it gave him added motivation to hurry and end the entire fucked up situation he called his life.
Chapter 8 - Unsettling Suspicion
Mary didn’t want to open her eyes. The red light bleeding in through her eyelids was too intense for the pounding in the back of her head. She squeezed them tighter and tried to snuggle into the pillow. She felt the couch cushions beneath her and realized she was not in her bed. Had she really fallen asleep on the couch sitting next to Ty? She smiled at the memory of it.
She sat up a little too quickly, and winced as the slamming in her head stopped her sudden movement. Ty had said he wouldn’t leave her alone, but he wasn’t in the living room and his coat was gone from the chair. She slumped back down onto the cushions. He didn’t stay. He probably saw her as some kind of hayseed.
“I know you’re awake. I can see you moving.”
Without opening her eyes, Mary answered, “I’m asleep. Go away.”
She felt Faith sit on the couch next to her feet. “You are not, so you might as well tell me why I came home to find a strange man in our living room.” Her voice was slightly indignant but mostly curious.
Mary peeked out at her friend, who was holding out a large glass of ice water.
“Oh, shit!” Mary raised herself up cautiously. “I have to get to work. What time is it?” She accepted the glass and washed down the two little white pills Faith proffered.
“It’s almost eight. Don’t worry; I called the school. They don’t expect you back for two days. Now, about Ty…”
Mary rested her head back against the couch and grinned; just hearing his name made her warm inside.
“What about him?” She was dragging it out, but couldn’t resist.
“First of all, why didn’t you tell me he was with you in the ER? I thought you were with Nikki. Weren’t you volunteering with her last night?”
“I sent her home early,” Mary mumbled.
“Was that before or after you hit your head?” Mary loathed a sarcastic Faith. “Why would you do that? Honestly, what were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that I was sick of hearing her whining about her migraine, and that being alone would be better than putting up with it.”
“How long were you there by yourself?”
“Just for a bit.”
“You should have called Jack.”
“I know, but really, I was fine.”
Faith arched a delicate eyebrow.
“The fall happened as I was leaving. I meant, I was fine while I was there.”
“No, you weren’t. What if it had been someone else who found you? What would you have done if Ty hadn’t been there?”
“I don’t know. Driven home?” In truth, that is exactly what Mary would have done.
“What am I going to do with you?” Faith sighed deeply and shook her head. “So… Ty, huh?” She smiled, but the concern in her eyes told Mary that she wasn’t completely comfortable with it. Mary nodded. “Well, what is he like? Other than having a voice smoother than chocolate silk.”
Mary sighed. She liked Faith’s description of Ty’s voice, but it didn’t quite do it justice. It had a rough texture to it, too, more like honey drizzled over burnt toast. Mary thought about the husky whispers from the night before. He had come so close to kissing her.
“Wow. That good, huh?” Faith’s voice snapped Mary out of her dreamy trance and back to reality. Faith had a cat-that-ate-the-canary smugness about her. “So who’s in the tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g now? But, Mary,” she continued quietly, “Why do you think Jack said he’s trouble?”
Mary didn’t have an answer. There was no way the generous man that had appeared out of nowhere last night and taken such thoughtful, tender care of her could ever be trouble.
The déjà vu feeling the sight of his car caused nagged at her. She was sure she had seen it before, but couldn’t think where. Was he there watching her? How would he even know she would be there? No, it couldn’t be the same. However, the seed of doubt had been planted. It warred with the memory of the strong yet gentle way he guided her to his car, the concern in his eyes as they waited in the hospital, the soft brush of his fingers over her face as she drifted off to sleep.
Faith pursed her lips skeptically, biting back whatever comment she had.
“Just say it, Faith.”
She shook her head. “I think that until we find out more about Ty, you should be very careful.”
“I will be. Now you need to get some sleep, and I’m going to my room.” Mary stood up, a little unsteady at first, but caught her balance quickly. Her head throbbed as she walked to her room.
Sleep didn’t come easily that night or the following one. Her mind was too busy trying to figure out just who Ty really was. She couldn’t completely dismiss Faith’s concern. He hadn’t told her much about himself, but that didn’t mean he was hiding something, did it? Maybe he was just a person who kept to himself. Google wasn’t much help. She dissected every minute she had shared with Ty, from the time their eyes had met while he was singing until now. She could have believed that the mysterious man at the bar with the hard, dark eyes could be trouble, but the man who spent the night with her? No, he couldn’t possibly be.
