Misery Loves Company by S.E. Rose

Author:S.E. Rose [Rose, S.E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: S.E. Rose Author

Chapter 7

Scarlett

His heartbeat calms me along with his hand stroking my hair. It’s almost as if he knows exactly what I need. It’s slightly…unnerving. This man I hated less than twenty-four hours ago has turned out to be…exceptional. I internally chastise myself for judging a book by its cover. I should know better.

“He liked to tell stories,” I blurt out and immediately press my lips together. Where did that come from? Why did I say that?

“Who?” Rexton asks, his breath tickles the hair over my ear.

“My dad. He used to tell us bedtime stories, really good ones. He told me a story the day we went to that castle.”

“Tell me the story,” he insists.

“It’s not very long,” I explain and then launch into the story as Rexton lies quietly.

When I finish, he asks me about my family. I don’t know why, maybe it’s because he’s a stranger or maybe because we’ll probably never see each other again, but I begin to confide in him. I tell him all about my family and the normal suburban life we led. I tell him about my parents’ perfect marriage that started to fall apart when I was nine. I tell him about the fighting and the breaking of dishes. I talk about how my sister and I would hide under our beds and how I would distract her with our walkie-talkies until I could sneak us out the front door. I explain how I would try to make my dad happy by picking topics for dinner conversations that were sure to make him pleased or how I would try to get all As in school. I tell him how my parents separated when I was thirteen and I lived with my dad.

“He died that summer,” I finish, unsure of telling him more.

“I’m sorry,” he says, not pressing me further. And it’s that simple acknowledgment without a question that has me continuing.

“I knew he was unhappy. I thought he wanted to run away. He was always going on about wanting to run a marina in another country. I never thought…I mean, I was just a kid. It was so quiet that morning. It was like…I just knew. You know when you sense another person is with you…I didn’t. I knew no one was there before I even found his body. There was so much blood and…I didn’t think it was real at first. I thought it was some elaborate joke, some cruel joke. But when I touched him…I knew.”

Rexton doesn’t speak but his arms tighten around me.

“I went to live with my mom after that. She got married when I was seventeen. Richard’s not a bad guy. Heck, he’s actually nice, but I just never really connected to him after…well, after everything that happened.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you, Scarlett,” Rexton’s deep voice says quietly. “I…” He trails off as if he is unsure if he wants to share something.

I pull back and look up at him.

“My mom died of cancer as I told you before.

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