by NM Facile
They stayed silently fused together in the wonderment of what had just taken place; the unrestrained fervor of their need having matched that of the storm that still raged around them. The sharp bite of the rain pierced through the bubble of desire that had protected them. Mary shivered in the chill of the air. Ty pulled away slightly, leaving her. His lips caressed her forehead briefly before he lifted her off the wall and set her on her feet. She gripped the edge of the wall to steady herself as he let go to retrieve their clothing, which was scattered around them.
Wordlessly, Ty pulled his shirt over Mary and slipped into his jeans. He picked her up, and carried both her and the extra clothes down to his apartment.
Their night was only just beginning.
Chapter 16 - Gravity Crashes
Ty walked down the block, practically whistling as the backpack swung in his hand. This was it, what he hoped would be the very last stop at a drop-off. The next call from Karl would be his last. He had been playing it through his mind over and over for the past thirty-six hours.
“The next shipment is yours, kid,” Karl announced, as he stared out the windshield with a tone of regret, “Mom’s not going to be long.”
Ty didn’t say anything; he intentionally kept his mind blank. He didn’t want to raise Karl’s suspicions.
Karl turned to look at the silent young man beside him. He knew Ty was shutting him out. It had been that way since Karl had told him that the bosses knew about the girl. They wanted Ty to get rid of her, even threatened to do it themselves. Karl had hated having to tell Ty that; this was the happiest he had ever seen the kid, and was pleased that he finally had someone that could make him feel that free. Yet he wondered how long it would be before the higher-ups took that freedom.
A fatherly feeling overcame him, “Don’t worry about it, kid. I’ve done this for years now. It’s going to be the easiest thing you’ll ever have to do. The next call you get, the bosses will meet with you and explain it all.”
Ty continued to look at him with a hint of unease in his eyes.
“Come on, don’t look at me like that. I can’t tell you any more. Hell, I don’t know any more. You’ll know when it’s time. Now get out of here with that,” he motioned to the bag at Ty’s feet.
Ty stepped out of the little hybrid with an eagerness he never had before. Since then, it had all been good. His deliveries were perfect, he was finally done, and it was a beautiful day. The late-September sun shone, and it was only mid morning; he could stop and get Mary and they could spend the day together.
They had spent many summer days together, exploring the metropolitan area. On their free nights, they went anywhere there was live music. On a few occasions, Ty had even played the open mic nights, with her in front of the stage, watching him with awe and pleasure. Today, Ty had the perfect place in mind. He had been saving it. It had been a special, wondrous place when he was a kid, and today was the perfect day to share it with Mary.
He stashed the backpack in the trunk, and headed to Mary’s. Ty left the top down, letting the wind blow by as he hummed along to whatever was on the radio. Everything was so damn perfect it was almost scary. He had finally persuaded Dylan to leave things alone, and things with Mary were beyond description. He drove to Mary’s with a light heart and a smile.
Mary and Faith were approaching their apartment on foot as Ty turned onto their street. He pulled up to the curb a half-block down. He stepped out of his car and leaned against the hood, watching his girl come towards him. If there was ever a time when the word ‘angel’ suited her, it was that moment. It was as if she had glided out of some other era. She had on a straw hat with the brim curled up. Her long, pale hair hung down across her back and shoulders, shining in the sun. The dress looked to be made of a soft, translucent fabric, hanging loosely to her waist where it then flowed to below her knees. She wore a thin, ivory wrap around her shoulders. As she got closer, Ty could see that the lace, like the material of the dress, was worn and appeared to be quite old. It was absolutely beautiful on Mary.
Her breath stopped when she caught sight of Ty, standing in front of his bright blue GTO in his black t-shirt and shades, with his hands tucked into the pockets of his worn-out jeans. He was the epitome of ‘rebel without a cause’ sex appeal, all windblown hair, strong shoulders, finely toned arms, and a smirk that would make the devil himself take notice. Mary couldn’t help but smile. They had been apart for the weekend while he worked at Dee’s. Faith brushed her hand, encouraging her to go to him as she went on to their building. Ty stepped towards her as she reached the curb.
“Hey there, beautiful.” He eyed her appreciatively from behind his shades as he reached for her hand.
“What are you doing here? I thought you’d be sleeping in this morning.” She leaned in to catch a quick kiss, after which he twirled her around.
“Where were you, all dressed up today?”
“Church, silly. I promised Faith I would go with her. Now why are you up so early on a Sunday?”
“It’s not that early. I want to take you somewhere.” Ty started to gently tug her to the car but Mary stopped him.
“I should go in and change first.”
Ty looked her over, admiring the way her dress was just worn and thin enough to show a glimpse of her skin. “Nope, I think you’re perfect as you are.”
“I should just go tell Faith, then. I don’t have my phone on me.” Ty noticed then that she wasn’t carrying a purse.
“You’ll be fine. She’ll know you’re with me. Come on. Please?”
How could she say no to him? She slid right past the passenger seat and into the middle. Ty shut her door and went around, joining her. Once they were on the road, she asked him where they were going.
“I’m taking you to one of my favorite places from when I was a kid.” She could only describe the look on his face as giddy. She giggled as she pushed her hat down and rested her head against his shoulders.
“Tell me!”
“Have you been to Como Park yet?”
“Nope, but I’ve wanted to go.”
Ty’s grin grew, and he squeezed her tighter to him. “Just wait. You’re going to love it.”
Mary eyed the passing scenery as Ty looked for a place to park. She could see a little pond surrounded by pathways and white columns. It was beautiful. In the other direction, she caught a glimpse of buildings and amusement park rides over the tops of the trees. She could hear the music of the midway. She didn’t know which way to look.
Ty parked the car and turned to her, “So what do you want to do first: the zoo, the carnival, the park, or the conservatory?”
“What’s in the conservatory?”
“Miss Scarlet with the lead pipe.”
“Is that wishful thinking, or your answer?”
“Both. Now where do you want to start?”
“Surprise me.”
“The zoo it is. I bet we’re still early enough for feeding time.” Ty’s childlike excitement was infectious, and Mary happily followed him to the zoo.
They strolled around the paths, watching the animals. Ty said that Como Park and the Minnesota State Zoo were the only zoos he had ever seen, and his mother had taken him to this one often. He pointed out the different buildings, telling her about them. She wondered if he was more interested in the architecture and the history of this place than he was in the animals, until they came to the polar bear exhibit.
“This is my favorite. I’ve saved it for last. They’ve changed it some since I was a kid; it’s bigger now.” Ty led her down a few steps and up to the glass of the exhibit. A small crowd of people watched as the bear swam on his back as far to one side as he could, and then flipped over and swam underwater on his front to the other side, before coming out of the water to swim another lap.
Ty touched the aquarium as the bear swam by. Mary watched his expression shift from the earlier boyish enthusiasm, to one of empathy. “He’s trapped in this little space, just swimming and swimming. May
be he’s doing it for our amusement, or maybe it’s boredom that drives him to do it. Maybe he’s looking for a way out, a crack in the system, something he can slip through. Whatever it is, he’s always swimming. Every time I’ve been here, just swimming…” Ty’s voice trailed off. She wrapped her arm around his waist while he watched the bear a few minutes more.
An eerie feeling came over her that something was not quite right about the day. It wasn’t something she could pin down; it was just something about Ty. There was a difference in his body language and in his voice. She wished he would remove the sunglasses, so she could see his eyes, but he kept them in place.
Even in the conservatory, he left them on. They went from one sunlit, flower-filled room to another. Ty watched her from behind his shades, becoming more aware that the time was coming. Mary was going to have to be told something. There would need to be answers. He’d been searching for them for weeks, but was still unable to come up with any. Some nights he couldn’t sleep, knowing she was sleeping next to him so trusting, so innocent. How would she handle what he had to tell her? There was no choice; he had to tell her, but would she leave with him once she knew what he was asking?
“Do you want to walk in the Japanese Garden?” Mary had felt Ty increasingly withdrawing from her, even as he held her tighter.
He smiled down at her, “Of course.” He kissed her head and ushered her outside.
Maybe it was the Zen of the garden, or maybe the fresh air. Whichever it was had Ty calmer than he had seemed to be in the conservatory. The mood lasted through to the amusement park, where Ty bought them a late lunch from a cart offering all the deep-fried fair favorites. After that, they walked the midway, arms around each other. There were a number of families there, but it was not overcrowded. They watched some of the kids on the rides.
“Do you remember your first carnival ride?” Mary asked, as she watched a timid six year-old with large eyes and curly pigtails hesitantly move up the line for the brightly colored teacups.
“I’m not sure. It could have been here or the State Fair, might even have been some parking lot thing. My mom took me when she could, and I always got to ride a few things. She never let me play the games, though. She said they were a waste of money. I always wanted to try them.” Ty turned to her with devilish delight. He took her hand and led her to a ring toss game.
“Come on, we’ll both play.” He paid for the rings and handed her half. “Ladies first.”
Mary sized it up and tossed her ring, bouncing it off the side of the square block. She shrugged and watched Ty line up his shot and land the ring perfectly around the peg.
“Wow. First try, even!” Ty shrugged and motioned for her to try. Mary missed again. She turned to watch Ty drop his second one right over, just like the first.
“Seriously?”
“Beginner’s luck,” Ty smirked.
“I doubt it. Let’s see you do it again.”
Ty easily tossed the ring right above the other two, but at least that ring had the grace to wobble a bit.
“How do you do it?” Mary asked, a little in awe.
“Just lucky, I guess.” Ty wore that cocky little lopsided smile that Mary loved to loathe. She always wanted to kiss it away.
The kid in charge of the booth walked over, removed the rings, and offered Mary her choice of prizes from the upper row. Mary pointed lower, to a little stuffed black bat.
“Are you sure? You can have one of the big bears or unicorns. Three rings gets top row.”
“Nope, just the bat please.” The kid looked towards Ty with a puzzled expression.
Ty shrugged, “If my girl wants a bat, she can have a bat.”
Mary hugged her bat as they walked away. “So how did you do it?”
“Do what?” Ty feigned ignorance.
“You know what. That ring toss. How did you get the rings to go on the squares so easily?”
Ty shrugged. It was a simple matter of math, but he wasn’t going to tell her that.
“Come on, tell me. Please?” She threw her arms around him, pleading.
“Will you run away with me if I show you?”
“Absolutely.”
Ty laughed and kissed her long and deep, with no regard for the families walking around them. He loved this girl, who would run away with him if he shared the secret to ring toss. Would she still run away with him when he shared his other secret?
His kiss erased all thoughts of carnival games. This kiss was different. It held more than passion, more than need. There was something in it that Mary couldn’t name, and it left her completely unsettled.
Ty brought his hands up to her face, and slowly ended the kiss. His thumbs stroked her cheeks softly as he rested his forehead against hers. His heart literally ached at that moment, his love for her was so vivid, so intense. How would he ever live without her?
He kissed the top of her head and stepped back. “Come on, it’s time to ride the carousel.” She handed him the bat and he tucked it into his pocket.
They walked hand in hand down the wide sidewalk to the pagoda-like building that housed the carousel. The sound of the calliope made a happy background to the sound of children’s laughter. The lights weren’t as brilliant in the sun as they would be at night, but the colors of the magical animals shimmered. Mary sighed when she saw it up close. It was a magical place.
Ty squeezed her hand, and went to buy them each a ticket. On the way back, he stopped to look at her, and it was like looking at a painting. Mary stood before the timeless carousel smiling serenely, the breeze ruffling the hem of her vintage dress while lifting little wisps of hair from her shoulders to float around her angelic face. She truly was from a different world than his. She was perfect, wonderful, and all that was good in life. Why she wanted him was beyond his imagination, but she did, and that made today beautiful.
She giggled as he handed the ticket to her, “I haven’t been on one of these in years.”
“Me either.”
Ty laughed as she sat sidesaddle on the gray dapple horse with the gold wings. She looked so prim and proper.
“Aren’t you going to ride one?” Mary asked, when he didn’t move.
“No, I think I’d better stay here and make sure you don’t slip off.” He gave her thigh a little pat and slid his hand up to her hip. His other hand traced little circles over her knee. Mary reached down and removed his sunglasses, just as the carousel started up with a little jerk. She lost her balance, and laughed as Ty’s hands tightened around her.
“I guess I’d better hold on.” She wrapped one hand around the golden pole and rested the other, still holding his shades, on his shoulder. She was finally able to see the dark eyes that watched her as if he were memorizing every detail of her face. She, too, was committing the moment to memory, willing life to stay this way. They were so happy and in love, or at least she thought he loved her. The words hadn’t been said yet, but there were so many other ways he told her. It was in his touch, in the sound of his voice as he whispered promises to her in the night. It was in the small things he did for her daily, like turning up the radio for a song she liked without her having to ask, or doing a little dance to get her to smile. It was in the first kiss of the morning and the goodnight at the end of the day. No, he hadn’t told her, but deep down she was sure it was there.
The ride ended, but Mary made no move to get down. “Do you have your phone with you?”
Ty’s brows creased as he nodded, wondering what she wanted it for.
“I want to freeze this moment. I want a picture of us here.”
Ty laughed and pulled his phone from his pocket. He held it at arm’s length as Mary rested her head against his, and he pressed the button. He held the display up for her to see, and she grinned and sent it to her own phone.
The man running the ride walked by, letting them know that it was time to get off.
Ty lifted Mary up, holding her slightly above him as he turned from the horse. He held her there just for a s
econd, before her body slid down the front of his suggestively. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in, and Mary stepped back with a little smirk of her own.
Once past the gate, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her through the group of children looking for parents, down the sidewalk and across the road to the edge of the park. The hills were turning from the bright green of summer to the tan and dull yellow of autumn. The trees, too, were beginning to turn, though most still had their leaves in various stages of change. The deep crimson of the sumac was the real sign of fall. Mary pointed it out as they strolled down the first hill.
Ty was quiet again as they walked. Mary could sense that he was distracted, and wished he would talk to her about it. She stopped when she came to a spot to rest. Mary pulled him to sit down with her. He stared off beyond the water to the conservatory, ablaze with the reflection of the late afternoon sun.
“Have you ever thought about leaving here?” he asked, his voice low. He turned to look at her and his eyes were filled with sadness.
“I don’t know. I mean, I’ve thought about moving closer to my mom when the time comes and she needs me. Beyond that, I hadn’t really given it any thought. I’ve only been here a little more than a year.”
Ty sighed, and lay back on the grass, still watching her.
“Would you leave with me?”
She didn’t say anything for a disturbing number of heartbeats, both hers and Ty’s. Something in the tone of his voice had her worried.
“Why?”
He closed his eyes for a few seconds, trying to piece together the reasons for his request.
“To live a new life. One where I’m not living some fucked-up version of a TV cop show. One where I don’t have to worry every time you’re with me, and worry more when you’re not.”
“Ty, what are you talking about?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. I just want to leave the city. My time will be done soon and there won’t be any reason I can’t leave.”
“But why do you want to?” Mary was still trying to puzzle through his earlier statement.
