Ties That Bind

by Neeny Boucher

  “There’s only one bathroom out there too,” Riley joked. “It’ll be just like old times.”

  Christina pushed him and he pulled her into his arms, holding her close. “I thought I wasn’t allowed out there?” she mumbled into his chest.

  Riley knew that questions would be filling up her mind, with scenarios that had no basis in reality. “I’m changing the rules,” he grinned. “We can go and talk all this out together. Okay?”

  “I’d like that,” Christina smiled. He held her by the shoulders, pushing her back so he could see into her eyes. They were dark and glinting, her vixen smile playing around the corners of her wide mouth.

  He kissed her on the nose and grinned. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  Christina smiled enigmatically and nodded her head. “We need to stop by our house, so I can get some stuff, and we need to be back by Friday. I also need to take stuff from here.”

  She started rummaging around the room, throwing stuff in boxes. As they were ready to leave, she put on sunglasses, a large hat, and a scarf, as well as a bulky coat. Riley raised an eyebrow, but let it go.

  They’d just finished loading the last of her gear into his truck, standing by the door when curiosity got the better of him. She looked ridiculous and adorable. Part Jackie O, part homeless, part-paranoid-crazy-person.

  “What are you doing?” He asked, trying not to laugh. “Why have you got a detective’s outfit on? All you’re missing is a mustache.”

  “I’m hiding from cameras and cell-phones,” Christina muttered.

  He wanted to face palm, but resisted the urge. “Come here,” Riley ordered and when she didn’t move fast enough, he closed the distance between them. Despite her protests, he took off her hat, smoothing down her hair, and wrapping the scarf around her neck. He scanned around for people with cameras, but couldn’t see anyone and he didn’t care anyway.

  Pulling her sunglasses off, Riley cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. “I’m back now. We’re together, so let’s give them something to look at.”

  “Riley,” Christina protested, but he kissed her quiet. As soon as their lips met, what started off as gentle, suddenly, caught fire. Riley felt her arms go around his neck and he pushed her back against the truck door, opening her mouth up with his tongue.

  Their tongues danced and he moaned his approval, breaking the kiss to trace his lips down the side of her face to her neck. His hands began to roam her body and Christina grabbed him by the ass, pulling him closer so that he was flush against her. He locked lips with her again, lost in the taste and feel of her.

  Reluctantly, Riley broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers. She was breathless and her hands clutched his coat. He whispered, “I don’t want to be away from you. I wouldn’t have lasted without you. Let’s go somewhere we can be alone. Otherwise, we’re going to give someone the film to go with the audio.”

  Christina laughed shakily and he grinned. His beard had made her skin red and he rubbed his fingers along the burn. She turned and kissed his fingers, as he ran his thumb along her bottom lip. Their eyes met and no words were necessary. He loved this woman and she loved him. He could drown in her and there was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep her.

  **********

  Christina

  Christina kept looking at Riley out the corner of her eye and when he caught her, he grinned. “Like what you see?”

  “Always,” she laughed. She’d longed for this moment - to be with him again and without conflict. It was more than she had hoped for. Her gaze lingered on him and she saw the corner of his mouth turn up.

  Christina had always loved that she was one of the few people that could make him laugh out loud, even when it sometimes meant he was laughing at her and not with her. She could survive this place if Riley was with her because it was cold and unwelcoming without him. She looked out the window of the truck as the town passed by and when she saw people staring, she turned away.

  Her family had always been a curiosity here, but the real animosity had started when she and Riley became a couple. The name-calling, the bullying, the tarnishing of her reputation; all chipped away at her self-confidence. It had been a slow burn that culminated in the attack on her person and property when they broke up.

  Christina fled this town and her past in a state of shock, only revisiting when she had to. Usually, her stays were brief and she did not engage with the local wildlife unless she had to. This place and the man beside her had changed her from naïve, sheltered, and semi-rebellious to hardened.

  Sometimes, she felt like two different people and she slipped between the two depending on the circumstances. In her other life, away from Shanwick, Christina was not used to being of any interest. That Christina was ice-cool, private, and good at her job.

  In Shanwick, every unresolved issue came up. She felt part grown-up, part idiot-teenage girl and she found it difficult to maintain the balance. Christina felt like she was being forced to face her personal demons, but she didn’t feel ready. Probably, no one ever did.

  Chapter Three: The Working End

  Riley, The Present, Monday, November 5, 2102

  They arrived at the farmhouse, after a detour to the Martins’, where Tessa had packed them some food for their trip. Jed came out to meet them, smiling when he saw the two of them together. Christina went inside to speak to Johnny and LiLi, leaving the two men alone.

  Shaking his head in disbelief, Jed chuckled. “I’m going to start calling you Harry Potter. You’re a fecking magician. I thought for sure you were dead meat, but here you are – with her and you both look happy.”

  A ghost of a smile crossed Riley’s face. “It’s my magic wand. I’m pretty adept with it these days.” He didn’t usually do sexual innuendo, especially about Christina, but this time he couldn’t help himself.

  “We’ve all heard the audio,” Jed laughed, setting Riley off too. The two men were still chuckling when Christina came out with Johnny and LiLi. As soon as Christina climbed into the truck, Riley whistled for his dog.

  He looked at Christina and pursed his lips. This was going to be interesting. Cartman came bounding over, jumping in the truck, and straight onto Christina.

  “Aaagh,” Christina shrieked, making everyone laugh. “Nice doggy,” she cringed, trying to get away from Cartman’s exuberance. “Very… friendly.”

  Grabbing Cartman’s collar, Riley ordered the dog to sit. “Dina, this is Cartman. She’d been abandoned out near Lift and turned up at my door, starving and bleeding one night. I patched her up and decided to keep her.”

  Christina’s eyes softened and Riley grinned. She rubbed Cartman’s head and was rewarded with another round of licking. “He’s lovely,” Christina smiled.

  “He’s a she,” Riley laughed.

  “What?” Christina frowned. “Cartman is a girl.”

  “Uh-huh,” he grinned.

  “Why would you give a girl a boy’s name?”

  “Your cat’s got a girl’s name and it’s a boy.”

  “He does not,” Christina snorted. “Riot is a gender neutral name.”

  “Your cat is named after Pussy Riot, a Russian feminist protest group, that’s as female as you can get,” retorted Riley. “Besides, I always thought if I got a dog, I’d call it Cartman. I have a dog and she’s called Cartman.”

  Getting into the truck, Riley met Jed’s eyes. Johnny was smiling his lopsided grin and the men shared a knowing look. Looking over at Christina, who was sharing the passenger seat with Cartman, he couldn’t help himself.

  Riley flicked his head up saying to his friends, “Look at me, rolling with my bitches.” Jed and Johnny snorted, but LiLi looked upset for Christina.

  Christina slapped Riley’s arm, but he managed to block her second strike. Jed called out, “You have a death wish, brother.”

  “Get him, Dina,” Johnny grinned. “Martins for the win!” Brother and sister made eye contact, smiling at the same time. They’d always had a bond, one that
Riley had been slightly envious of. It was as if they spoke some language no one else understood.

  Riley raised his eyebrows, looking at Christina. She was still smiling at her brother and he sighed. She always wins.

  “And remember the party on Saturday night!” Johnny added. “She’s one of the guests of honor, so you better be back, or the Witches Coven will come for you.”

  “Jaysus,” Jed grimaced. “There’ll be hell to pay if you’re not back. Gabby’s been making their outfits. I’d take on Red, before I’d cross that one.”

  Riley frowned. Christina hadn’t mentioned a party and he wondered why. Her face was impassive and she appeared completely disinterested.

  **********

  Christina

  “So … there’s electricity out there, right?”

  Christina watched Riley out of the corner of her eye, trying to contain her nervous excitement. She didn’t want to be ‘Debbie Downer’, but she hoped it wasn’t like camping. She hated camping and she hoped Riley remembered this, too.

  The only time they’d been it had rained, virtually non-stop, trapping them inside a tent for days. They’d done little else, but argue and have angry sex. Good angry sex, but she hoped to avoid the fighting.

  “Yes,” Riley nodded. “There is electricity-”

  “But no internet?” Christina frowned.

  Riley’s mouth quirked up at the corners and the tone of his voice evidenced his amusement. “No internet, or cell-phone coverage, and no radio either.”

  “No radio?” Christina turned to him. “What do you do for music or the news?”

  Riley laughed and shrugged. “I didn’t say there was ‘no’ music and Steven brings me the newspaper when he visits. Besides, you’ll be there and you can sing for me.”

  Christina’s gaze lingered on Riley’s hands clasped on the steering wheel. His grip was tight enough to be in control, but relaxed enough to allow flexibility. She loved his hands and his long elegant fingers. He had a grace that she lacked, but always admired.

  Even the wild beard he was sporting didn’t detract from his overall appearance. Somehow, the facial hair enhanced it. There were obvious things about Riley that were appealing. His eyes, his strong jaw-line, and full lips, he was long limbed and lithe, with an irresistible charm, but this wasn’t what she loved about him.

  She loved the little things. Things that few other people got to witness. Christina loved his half-smile, the way his brow furrowed in concentration, the way he looked at her like no one else mattered, the tone he used when he murmured in her ear, the reverence in his touch, and his ability to make her feel like she was in their own private world. She loved his surety, humor and wit, and the way he challenged her, even when she fought him on it.

  Christina often wondered what he saw in her, not because she was insecure, but because she was a realist. She wasn’t unattractive, but she wasn’t model material either and in actuality, she had no interest in attempting to reach those superficial heights. He could have anyone he wanted and why he’d settled on her was a mystery.

  There had never been any shortage of women vying for his attention, especially in Shanwick. In the past, some of them had made moves on Riley right in front of her, openly challenging Christina for Riley’s affections. It was something Riley resolutely ignored or discouraged, making it clear that his heart belonged to Christina.

  Staring at Riley, Christina came to the same conclusion she always did when she compared herself to him. He was hotter than her. She sighed, shifting in her seat, drawing Riley’s attention. He was way hotter than her.

  Christina knew that whatever it was between them was ‘real’. It always had been ‘real’ and it always would be. He had even had their love memorialized on his arm as a large tribal tattoo with a nightingale in the middle, his symbol of her. She was a permanent fixture on him, even when she’d been absent from his life.

  She didn’t understand how he couldn’t get over her. She didn’t view herself as particularly special or noteworthy. She had been a proud resident of the ‘Freaks and Outsiders’ club. A role Shanwick had assigned her and she reveled in, but Riley had joined the group by choice.

  With his family connections and looks, Riley could have exercised any option he wanted. He could have been one of the popular crew, one of the beautiful people, but he had done more than reject that choice. He’d sneered at it.

  “You’re staring at me,” Riley said and when she went to deny it, he raised an eyebrow.

  “Okay,” she shrugged. “I am staring at you. Aren’t I allowed to stare at you?”

  “Stare all you want, but it’s kind of creepy.” Riley grinned, glancing at her and back at the road. “I’m just wondering what’s going on in that head of yours. You’ve been really quiet, which is unlike you.”

  Christina pursed her lips and did what she always did. She deflected. “Sometimes,” she joked, “I think you think I’m a lot more interesting than I actually am. You mistake my reticence for mystery when it might just be stupidity.”

  Riley’s laughed so hard that his shoulders shook. Christina glared at him, but he was undeterred. “You’re a lot of things, sweetheart,” he countered, “but stupid isn’t one of them.”

  Christina disagreed. In her experience, the lines between smart and stupid weren’t so clearly delineated. Some of her choices were proof positive of that statement. “Aren’t we all a combination of stupid and smart though? Some of the smartest people I know are stupid in certain situations. It depends on the context.”

  “Uh huh,” Riley countered. “You mean like smart people playing dumb, so they don’t have to answer uncomfortable questions? Like that?”

  Christina arched an eyebrow. Riley was amazing at double standards. “Speaking of questions-” she started, but he interrupted her.

  “Uh-uh,” he countered. “You first and then I’ll submit to your cross examination. Deal?”

  Christina was caught and she knew it. Scrunching her face up, she deliberated on her course of action, but decided to be honest. “I’m thinking you’re hotter than me,” she stated firmly.

  The laughter started all over again and Christina flushed. “Seriously?” Riley choked out. “You think I’m hotter than you. This - this is what you think about? Me? Being hotter than you? Believe me, I’m not hotter than you.”

  “It’s not all I think about,” Christina huffed. “But… Sometimes, yes. I think you are hotter than me.”

  “How am I hotter than you?” Riley chuckled. She heard him mutter uncomplimentary comments questioning her mental fitness under his breath, but chose to ignore them.

  Christina hadn’t planned on getting into this, but it was too late now. Her burbling had opened the door. “Well,” she declared, casting a glance in Riley’s direction, “look at you and look at me.”

  “I do nothing but look at you,” Riley laughed. “All I’m seeing is hotness.”

  Christina waved his comments away. “You’ve always had more women chasing you. Even when we were at high school… That equates to you,” she poked his arm for emphasis, “being hotter than me.”

  The corner of Riley’s mouth quirked up and he rolled his eyes. “That doesn’t count and it’s a bit revisionist,” he argued. “If you remember correctly, I was interested in you when you were a teenage woman-child. I think the only person that didn’t know I was after you was you… and maybe Johnny. I’m pretty sure it was all a surprise to Johnny. I would’ve beaten the crap out of anyone that went near you.”

  Christina’s heart lightened and she grinned back at him. She did know that. This was their ‘remember when’ game, where they got to tease each other about the events that led up to them getting together and sidestep the issues that tore them apart.

  “Besides,” Riley murmured. “You’re focusing on the wrong issue, as usual. How many girls have I loved? I can honestly say, with my hand on my heart, just one. It’s you, Dina, just you.”

  Christina’s eyes narrowed and she snor
ted derisively. “That is sooooo lame and cheesy.”

  “Really?” Riley chuckled. “I thought it was romantic, poetic almost…”

  “Sure,” Christina nodded. “If I had some kind of head injury.” Riley laughed out loud and Christina joined him. The noise startled Cartman, which made them laugh louder.

  “There’s my girl,” Riley teased. “And it may have been cheesy, but it’s true. I’ve only ever loved you.”

  “I’ve only ever loved you, too,” Christina smiled. “Lame and cheesy be damned.”

  “So, there’s a party on Saturday night?” Riley grinned, changing the subject. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Christina turned to stare at him. Apparently, she wasn’t the only revisionist in the truck. “I don’t know?” She deadpanned. “Maybe, I didn’t get the chance, because you made it impossible to contact you. Maybe, because you got out of Dodge so fast to avoid me, you left skid marks on the road, and I mean tire tracks, not the nasty kind. ”

  “Music,” Riley grinned, giving her his panty dropping-smile. “I think we need music.” Christina shook her head at him because he may as well have pointed and yelled ‘look over there’.

  Riley turned the radio on and a scratchy version of James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful” filled the silence. His displeasure at the song was instant, as was his annoyance when Christina insisted he leave it on. “We’re having a combined birthday thing for Gabby, Johnny and I,” she started.

  Her lack of enthusiasm was apparent, but she tried to keep her tone neutral. “It was Johnny’s 30th birthday this year and we didn’t get to celebrate it. Actually, after the year we’ve had, we didn’t get to celebrate much of anything, so we thought we’d do something together. I haven’t had much input into it. It’s LiLi, Tessa, Mandy, and Asha Robinson’s baby.”

  “You always liked parties,” Riley frowned. “I thought you would be into this?”

  “Mmmm,” Christina murmured. It was true, she had always liked parties, but under the current circumstances, she would prefer not to draw further attention to herself. “I’m looking forward to seeing Andy James and Bonnie,” she fudged. “Johnny’s invited people from all over. I’ve invited the bikers.”