Page 4 of Falling for the Mechanic

For a second, there’s nothing. Just the blare of the football game and the cheers from the fans over a touchdown. Then, it happens. The switch flips.

Her face, which was alight with manic planning, goes utterly blank.

I don’t realize I’m holding my breath until my lungs start burning.

“You got rid of it.” The words are toneless, devoid of the shrill excitement from moments before. She isn’t asking. She’s stating a profound, personal betrayal.

“It shrank, Mom. It didn’t fit. I couldn’t even—” I try to explain, the old urge to soothe her rising up instinctively.

“I spent good money on that dress.” Her voice is a low, cold whisper, a complete one-eighty from her clapping hands.

She’s not looking at me anymore; she’s staring at a point on the wall behind me, her jaw tight.

“I saw it and I thought of you. I thought, ‘Chelsea would look so beautiful in this.’ I wanted to do something nice.”

“It was nice, Mom, I appreciated it, it just—”

“No, you didn’t.” Her head turns slowly, her eyes finally focusing on me, and the hurt in them is raw and bottomless. It’s a canyon of pain I didn’t create but am always expected to fill. “You never appreciate anything I do. You just…get rid of it. You throw my love away like it’s trash.”

Tears well in her eyes, but they’re tears of a deep, sudden sorrow, not of anger. The anger will come later.

“Elaine, for heaven’s sake, it was a dress,” my dad mutters from his recliner, but he doesn’t move. He just sinks deeper into the leather, shaking his head instead of calming her.

“It wasn’t just a dress!” she cries, her voice cracking, the sound heartbreaking and suffocating all at once. She wraps her arms around herself, shrinking in on herself. “It was a gift and you got rid of it.”

“It was a shitty dress,” Finn adds from the side. “Who gets a dress that can only be worn on Halloween?”

I just stand there, stranded in the middle of their living room, feeling like a teenager again. Smothered. Invisible.

It’s suffocating in here.

I can’t breathe.

“I need some air,” I hear myself say, the words sounding distant and thin.

I don’t wait for a response. I don’t look at my crying mother, my resigned father, or my brooding brother. I just turn and walk, my legs moving on autopilot, carrying me right back toward the front door.

Trying to stay calm, panic continues to rise. My fingers start to tremble.

Couldn’t even take off my boots before I got overwhelmed. Guess it’s better this way.

“Chelsea.” Hearing my name, I see it’s Finn who has come after me. His brows are bunched together. How many times have we done this song and dance? “Where are you going?”

“I don’t know.” Trying not to pass my panic to him, I inhale slowly. “Seems like I last less and less every time.” Forcing a laugh, I don’t have the strength to make myself smile. “Let me just walk this off. Cool down before…”

Before I, what ? Finally cut them off like I’ve told myself I’d do a thousand times over? Ugh.

I just need Mom to calm down again. Then I can try again. Maybe…

“You’ll call me if you get lost.” It’s not a question, but a demand. “Don’t get in any unmarked vans.”

Even now, he can crack a joke. I should appreciate him more than I do. Visit him more often.

Nodding, I jerk at the sound of our mother cursing. Sighing under my breath, he doesn’t stop me from leaving.

“I’ll message you later. Don’t…don’t force yourself to stay here.” It’s ironic being the one to say the words, but I feel the need to.

He gives me a reassuring smile, and that’s what I leave behind before I’m out of the house and making my way to the street.

The sky is a mix of pretty pinks and purples, almost like a watercolor painting. Throw in the background of this town’s main attraction, the set of mountains, and I’m in complete awe.

It feels so rare that I get an eyeful of something so pretty that it hurts to look at.

Doing what I usually do when I’m feeling stressed, I let a few tears fall before I tell myself to get over this bump in the road.

Wiping my eyes, I let my feet carry me one at a time as I make as much distance from my parents’ house as I can.

I don’t really know where I’m going. Despite having grown up here, so much has changed. Everything feels fuzzy, like I can’t remember the fine details.

Then I see it. Steel Haven Auto . The lights are still on, and one of the garage doors is open.

I shouldn’t bother anyone else today, but my feet carry me forward. Before I know it, I hear the soft sound of rock. How has he not grown tired of such terrible music?

Why is he still working?

When I reach the opening, I catch half of his body pushed under a minivan.

I should leave before he notices me. Better yet, I should go back. By the time I return, things might’ve settled.

“Tires don’t get delivered that fast, if that’s what you’re here for.” Without a word, he wheels out to look at me. There’s a dark smudge on his cheek. Once he gets a good look at me, his brows furrow deep. “What’s wrong?”

Now those aren’t the words I expect to hear from him. I must look rough. Oh boy.

I don’t even know what to say. Can’t unload on a stranger. My parents won’t forgive me if talk gets around. So, I look over to the chair at the desk. Still empty as ever.

“Can I sit?”

If he says no, I’ll go back. If he says yes? I might see how long this guy will put up with me.