Say Something

by Rodgers, Salice

  “Marshall?”

  He looks up at the sound of my voice and smiles. I stand behind my door, leaving it open. I didn't think I should be worried about him, but Frank and Tank have my nerves playing tricks on me.

  “Hey, Joslynn, can we talk?” He asks.

  “Uhm, why don't we start with how the hell you found my house?”

  “That would be your friend, Allyssa.”

  Of course it was her.

  “What do you want?”

  He holds his hands out showing me there is nothing in them and walks to my stairs sitting on the top step. Looking up at me, he gives me an innocent smile and pats the stair beside him. I sigh and walk over and sit down. All of these pep talks are starting to annoy me.

  “I hope you are feeling better?”

  “I am. I'm not trying to sound rude but why are you here you don't even know me that well.”

  When I look over at him, he is gritting his teeth. I let my eyes wander over his face and his strong cheekbones. The look in his eyes is determination like he came here for a reason other than to make sure I am okay. His breathing is slow.

  “Joslynn, you don't have any idea who I am do you?”

  “Well, seeing as I only met you recently, no.”

  He shakes his head and hands me a picture. My heart rate speeds up once again. There is Marshall as a little boy with a big smile on his face, and his arm is wrapped around a little girl with pigtails in her hair. I know who she is but how? When I look up at Marshall, he is watching me closely.

  “How?”

  “We used to live close to one another. I was the little boy that you and Taylor would follow around.”

  He smiles at the memory before he continues.

  “My mother got a new job offer in Chicago and took it. We moved away not long after and we never spoke again.”

  “But why don't I remember you? And why are you here now? How did you find me?”

  “One question at a time, Joslynn,” he says laughing. “To answer them all we moved away when I was ten. You would have been eight. I am here now because my mother is, uh, she's sick, and I wanted to be with her. Your last answer is I didn't come looking for you I just kind of found you. When I saw you in Frank's, I wasn't sure if it was you or not, but once you told me your name, well, I knew.”

  All of his answers make sense, of course. I wouldn't remember him at that young of an age.

  “I don't know what to say.”

  “It's not a big deal. I just wanted to stop by and check on you and let you know who I was. I found this picture at my mother’s after I left the restaurant.”

  “Why did you leave?”

  He gives me a questioning look.

  “Tank told me to. He said I was making you nervous showing up everyday.”

  “I never said that.”

  “Well, how about I take you out tomorrow and we can catch up more? It's getting late and I want to get back to my parents and check on my mom before she goes to bed.”

  I sit for a second and think about his words. They all seem to make sense he would remember me because he was older. I don't see what the harm would be in letting him take me to lunch tomorrow. At least I won't have to eat a frozen dinner before work.

  “Sure. Want me to meet you somewhere?”

  “I can come and pick you up. I don't mind.”

  “Okay, I will see you when you pick me up.”

  We stand, and he leans in and kisses my cheek. When he pulls back the feel of his lips is still on my cheek, and I know I will feel it for many hours to come. He smiles and walks off the porch. I turn and watch as he drives off. So, basically, the man who has filled many of my recent wet dreams is a kid I used to play with in the dirt.

  I smile and raise my hand to my cheek and walk inside. Maybe this long week is starting to look up after all. Walking inside I turn the lights on and scream. The room is a total mess and everything has been thrown around. The drawers in the kitchen are all pulled out and dumped on the floor. I walk in the living room and see that the sliding glass door is busted, and the couches have been cut.

  What the fuck have I done for someone to hate me this much? I may not have a lot, but everything in this house was all that I had. Someone came in and went through it all breaking what could be broken and what they couldn't break, they cut. I shut the door behind me and slide down it crying.

  I don't know how long I sat and cried, but I knew I had to get up and call the police. This would just add to the fuel for Frank and Tank. I would never hear the end of this.

  **

  The police go through every room and take pictures of everything. I feel like my whole life is on display for them to see. My heart hasn't slowed down, and my breathing is fast.

  “Do you have somewhere you can stay for the night?”

  I jump as the same police officer from Frank's walks up behind me and starts talking.

  “Yeah, I will get a hotel.”

  “Are you okay to drive?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Maybe you should take this a little more serious, ma'am. Someone clearly has it out for you. Any idea on who?”

  “No, sir, I have already told you I don't have enemies. I work and I come home that is the extent of my life.”

  “Have you had any issues with anyone at Frank's?”

  “No, sir?”

  I don't think that tossing insults with Allyssa is an issue. It was just typical shit a girl does that even when out of high school, she thinks she is better than the world around her. And, at any chance, she will cut them down to make her feel better about herself.

  “Well, if you think of anything here is my card. Feel free to call me anytime or come by the station.”

  “I will thank you.”

  He nods his head and walks out the door shutting it behind him. I go to my room and pack a bag for the night. I guess I will spend my day tomorrow cleaning all this up. So much for a lunch date with Mr. Sexy Tattooed Goodness. The tears come again as I think about Taylor and wish she was here to help me through this. Why would someone want to do this to me? And who?

  Chapter Seven

  I wake up in the hotel, and the feeling of dread is still with me. I have to go and clean the mess that was once my house and tell Marshall when he comes that I can't have lunch with him. I roll out of the bed and shower. I need to call and check on Taylor before I leave and find out how much it will cost for my window to be fixed. The rest will just have to wait. I bought most of my things at thrift shops anyway, so maybe with a few good nights at Frank's, I will have new things in no time.

  Once I am showered and clean I call the rehab center. They let me know that Taylor is doing well, and I won't be able to see her for a couple of weeks. They require the new patients to settle in before they start receiving visitors.

  The ride to my house seems to take forever. I go over my mental list as I head there and when I pull in the driveway, I am shocked to see Frank and Tank there waiting for me. They are in Tank's truck, and the back is full of wood and other things I have no idea what they are.

  “Uhm, hey, guys?” I say making it a question.

  “The cop called and let us know what happened. Again, why didn't you call one of us and let us know?” Tank says as he steps out of his truck.

  “Seriously, does the word privacy mean anything to the people of this Podunk town?”

  “Joslynn, you live in Alabama, do you actually think he wouldn't call and tell us?”

  “Well, yeah I did.”

  “Well, now you know different. Now are you going to let us help you or not?”

  “Fine... Come on.”

  I shake my head and walk in the house. They both stop in the doorway and look around with their mouths hanging open. I live in a little two bedroom house. As you walk in the front door, you enter the kitchen. The living room is attached to it and the only thing that separates them is an island. So they can see most of it just from standing in the front door.

  “Lyn
nie, who would want to do something like this?”

  “I don't know, Tank.”

  “Well, let's get this done.”

  **

  A knock on the door brings me back to reality. We got a lot of the work done with only a few small things left to do. I push a few stray blonde strands of hair out of my face with the back of my hand and open the door. Marshall is standing there with a smile on his face that makes me want to hit my knees and beg for him to take me.

  “Hey, Marshall.”

  I step outside and shut the door behind me. Hopefully, I can keep Frank and Tank from seeing him.

  “Why are you not ready? Am I early I thought we said lunch?”

  He pulls his cell phone from his pocket and looks back to me.

  “No, we did. Let me ask you something, when you came here last night waiting on me did you hear anyone in my house?”

  He shakes his head with a confused look on his face.

  “No, why?”

  “Well, after you left, I walked in to find someone had demolished my house. They busted in from the sliding glass doors in the living room and went through the house breaking everything that could be broken and messed anything else up to.”

  “Are you okay?”

  He raises his hand and runs it down the side of my face. I close my eyes and lean into his touch before I realize what I am doing. When I open my eyes and pull back he is looking at me with concern in his eyes.

  “Yeah. I am fine, but I have been working on my house all morning with the guys from work and lost track of time. I am so sorry, can we reschedule?”

  His eyes change from concern to something I am not sure of; jealousy maybe? He looks around the porch and then back to me.

  “Do you need help?”

  “No, we got most of it done already. We are waiting on a glass company to come and replace the doors now.”

  “Why don't you take a lunch break and we can go grab a quick bite. You have to be starving?”

  He's right. I didn't eat anything before I left earlier this morning. But I didn't want Frank and Tank to know he was here. They seemed to have some issues with him. Since they are helping me and Frank offered to pay for the doors until I could pay him back, I kind of didn't want to mess that up.

  “Wait here, okay?”

  “I take it your friends don't like me too much?”

  “Uhhh... no, not really. How about you meet me at Three Tacos?”

  He looks like he wants to say something but nods his head and walks off the porch to his car. I watch him pull away, and I turn and walk back in the house.

  “Hey, guys, I'm starving how about I go to Three Tacos and grab us something to eat?”

  “Sure,” they yell in unison.

  “Great. Be back soon.”

  I grab my keys and head out the door. I am excited to get to the restaurant and see Marshall again. I will have to tell Taylor about him when I get to talk to her again and see if she remembers him. I don't know how I could have forgotten someone that I was so close to, but I pushed a lot of my childhood out of my head. I wanted to forget my parents and make up this happy family. It made me feel more normal.

  I am excited to get to the restaurant and see Marshall again. When I get to Three Tacos, he is waiting for me in his car. He is on the phone, and it looks like it is a heated conversation. I can see the look in his face through his window, so I wave and walk into the restaurant. I feel sorry for whoever he is talking to.

  “Sorry about that. Family issues,” he says as he sits down in front of me.

  I love this place. It has wall to wall windows with the cutest little curtains hanging at the top. They are black with little tacos all over them. The server comes and takes our orders, and I also tell her the to go order as well so they will have it ready when I leave. She looks at Marshall and stares. It's like I'm not even sitting here.

  “That will be all,” he says as he hands her the menus.

  When she walks away he turns to me and smiles.

  “We used to have so much fun as kids. I found some more photos at my mother’s today maybe when you are not in a hurry we can look at them.”

  “I would love that.”

  I notice that he never asks me how my parents are and thank God. Maybe he knows that is not something I want to talk about.

  “So how much longer are you in town for?”

  “I am moving back actually. I want to be closer to my parents and my friend has offered me a job at his tattoo shop so it seems like a good time.”

  “That's great.”

  “Yeah, you should come get a tattoo once I get settled in.”

  I laugh. I hate needles… any kind of them.

  “I'll pass.”

  Our food shows up and I realize I am a lot hungrier than I thought.

  “Mmm, this is amazing.”

  “It looks like you got enough to feed an army.”

  His smile could light up the room. My body feels alive sitting in front of him. I couldn't imagine how it would feel to have him inside me and his hands moving all along my body as I moan his name.

  “Do you remember Taylor?” I ask trying to bring my thoughts from where they are.

  If I don't stop thinking about him naked I will never make it through lunch.

  “Hmm, short little girl with black hair and the mind of an author? She used to come up with some of the craziest fantasy worlds.”

  “That she did. She still does,” I say laughing.

  Maybe when she comes to live with me, I can get her a laptop and she can write. It would be something great for her to do to stay clean.

  “How is she?”

  “She is, uh, she's good.”

  I don't want to tell him where she is. That is her story to tell if she wants anyone to know it.

  “That's good.”

  We eat in silence for a while, and I take the time to admire his body from across the booth. He has his lip pierced something I hadn't noticed before and his eyes seem to draw you in. I want to get lost in them and never leave. In his eyes, no one wants to hurt me, and no one has tried to hit me with a car. It's just him, me and some amazing orgasms.

  “You want a to go plate?”

  I shake my head to clear my thoughts. He smiles like he knows what I was thinking about and my cheeks flush.

  “Yes, please.”

  We pay for our food and walk outside. I feel like this is the part of the day I have been dying for. I want his arms around me and his lips on mine.

  “We need to do this again, Joslynn, really soon. It was good seeing you.”

  “You too.”

  He leans in and kisses me gently on the lips. His lips are soft and everything I imagined they would be and so much more. I moan and lean in to deepen the kiss. He doesn't stop me. He wraps his arms around me and rubs my back as his tongue runs across my bottom lip asking to be let in. With my arms around his neck, I slowly open my lips and sigh as his tongue intertwines with mine.

  Someone honks their horn, and I jump breaking contact with Marshall. I feel the loss of his lips on mine and his arms around my body.

  “I am so sorry.”

  “Don't be.”

  His tongue licks his bottom lip, and I put my hand on my door to stay on my feet.

  “Here let me see your phone,” he says holding out his hand.

  I put my shaky hands in my pocket, grab my cell and hand it to him watching as he calls his number. When he is done he hands it back to me and leans in kissing my cheek.

  “If you need anything call me.”

  “I, uh, I... I will.”

  He laughs and turns to his car. I stand for the second time and watch as he pulls away. Holy shit that kiss almost brought me to my knees. I climb in the car and put the guys’ food on the seat and head home. I hope I wasn't gone too long. I don't want to have to play twenty questions.

  Chapter Eight

  Tank is sitting on the porch when I pull up. I get out and hand him the food. He looks to be deep
in thought. I hate what I am going through seems to be affecting other people around me. I want my life to go back to the quiet, boring life it was before all of this started.

  “Here you go.”