Page 52 of Kings Don't Break

“Yeah, but I’ve never been one to follow rules. You got something on your cheek.”

I go still as he comes closer, ensconcing me in his soapy masculine scent, and swipes at my cheek. His thumb rubs against the soft curve of it. Our gazes lock, and it’s as if the world slows down around us.

The night becomes stuck in time much like we are.

Stuck on each other. So in tune as my eyes meet the boundless blue of his that I’m able to read his mind.

We’re seventeen again, discovering something in each other that we’ve spent years hiding from…

I drop my gaze from his and seek out a way to break the tension. “Blake Cash, I forgot about your clubbed thumbs.”

The comment’s so random, so out of nowhere it makes him break out in a hearty laugh. His head tilts back and the once studious expression on his handsome face eases up. That flirtatious sort of playfulness about him returns as he slides fingers through his hair and gets his revenge.

“You’ll never let me forget about my thumbs.”

“It’s your one flaw. Of course I’ve got to bring it up every now and then to humble you.”

“Yeah? Well, at least I don’t got Flintstone toes, Miss Bedrock.”

My jaw drops open in offense and he roars with more laughter. He has enough sense to move far enough out of the way so I can’t smack him.

He throws an arm around me as we finally turn for the exit. “Kidding, Kori. You know I’ve got a thing for those Flintstone toes.”

I can’t even be mad. The sense of ease that fills me when with Blake makes it impossible to be.

* * *

The more settled I become with life away from Ken, working at the Chop Shop, and staying at Blake’s, the more freedoms I seek. It only feels natural as I try to figure myself out.

While I’ve been pulling shifts with Blake, Mama’s stayed home at the trailer. It worked out fine the first week because she didn’t have any medical appointments, but by the second week, it poses a real issue to our arrangement.

“I’ll have to drive to the shop,” I explain to Blake. His silence and steely expression tells me he doesn’t like the idea. “Then I can use my lunch hour to drive Mama. And… and if it’s okay, I can take a second break in the afternoon to pick her up. I’ll pull an extra hour.”

“I can drive you both.”

A small sigh puffs out of me. “Blake… I’d like to do it myself. You don’t understand what it was like not being able to go where I wanted. Sometimes… not even being allowed to drive at all. I need this.”

He agonizes over it for another second. His conflicted thoughts on the matter flit across his features before he nods. “Alright, take your car then. But promise me you won’t go anywhere near him.”

“That’s the easiest promise ever to make, you know that right?”

He grips my shoulder for his signature squeeze of affection. “I mean it, Kori. Be careful, alright?”

We still haven’t collected my things. I still haven’t officially filed for divorce.

I still haven’t taken care of a lot of things—including seeing Ken for the first time since that violent night.

Though I don’t dare mention it to Blake, my insides knot at the mere possibility. For as brave as I might seem venturing out in my car by myself to drop off and pick up Mama, I’m a bundle of nerves. The entire drive, it’s a constant on my mind.

I throw wild glances around at my surroundings. My eyes flick to my rearview mirror every other second to make sure nobody familiar’s behind me. I drive straight to and from and make sure Mama’s taken care of at the trailer when I do return to the garage.

The second day driving her to her medical appointments are little better. Blake offers again to drive, but I wave him off. Certain it’s something I’ve got to do. Agency I need.

…even if it scares me to death every second of the way.

By the third day that week, which happens to be Friday, I’m feeling marginally better. I pick up Mama with a smile and drop her off with a kiss to the cheek. The mood strikes me, so I dial up the music on the crappy FM radio of my Geo Metro.

The tiny car bumbles along the roads of Pulsboro, getting me where I need to be.