Page 32 of Threads That Bind Us
It’s not until I’m half way through my second cinnamon bagel that I get his response.
Charlie
I take care of what’s mine. That includes everyone they love.
Ana wakesup a few hours later, still a little fatigued but feeling better. She snuggles up with Kenzie and they talk about their favorite subject—reality television cooking shows—as I make Ana a plain bagel with butter. I’m happy her appetite hasn’t waned too much, though our meal schedule has beenindefinitely screwed by our regular four o’clock post-treatment dinners.
They turn on some show that requires contestants to bake under the most ridiculous conditions I’ve ever heard while I shower and get myself ready for her appointment. When I step out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, I hear Ana and Kenzie giggling together.
“Seriously, he’s obsessed with her. I’ve never seen someone pine so hard for someone they’re already dating,” Ana laughs, pulling her socks on.
I tap my phone and realize we’ve only got about fifteen minutes until Charlie will be here to pick us up.
“Ugh, jealous,” Kenzie groans, flopping her head back on the couch. I squeeze into the only corner of my bed nook that you can’t see from the couch and shimmy into my jeans.
“Is there a couples cooking show now? Because I thought you two had bled every streaming service dry of food-related reality TV,” I yell into the living room, throwing a sweater on and hunting for socks in the mess that is my nightstand drawer.
“I’m talking about you and Charlie,” Ana scoffs, getting up from the couch as I come back into view.
“What? Why?” I ask, finding my tennis shoes in the coat closet and slipping them on. “Also, can you grab your bag? I repacked it last night, it’s in your room.”
She stretches before throwing me a smile and heading into her bedroom while Kenzie packs up the leftovers from this morning, tucking them into the fridge.
“Because I haven’t met him yet, and I am begging for crumbs of information from your fifteen-year-old sister.” She bumps me with her hip, and I roll my eyes at her. I’ve told her a little about Charlie via text, but I’ve kept the details to a minimum. “You’re happy though, right?”
I don’t know how to answer that. Happiness really wasn’t aconsideration when this whole thing started, and now there are a lot of confusing emotions involved.
“He’s a good guy,” I hedge. Honestly, that’s not even completely true. But by conventional standards, I’m not a good person either.
“As long as he’s taking care of you two,” Kenzie says softly, her smile small and understanding. I grimace a bit, backing away from her touch.
“Kenzie, I…” I start, but she cuts me off with a wave.
“Gwen, you never have to explain yourself to me.” She takes a dish towel and wipes down the tiny counter of crumbs. “You’re always the person doing whatever you have to do to take care of the people around you. And you know what’s best for her,” she says, gesturing toward Ana’s room. “I just want you to be happy.”
We’re silent for a minute, and it’s a weighty feeling, knowing how honest Kenzie’s being.
I don’t think she knows what I did that night. She’s never mentioned anything about Bryan not coming back, about him never calling. But there are moments where I wonder if she suspects. Like when she told the cops who interviewed her at the hospital about her injuries that I was with her the entire time she was at the hospital, even though I know she remembers me leaving. Or when she talks to me like she’s doing now.
It’s that feeling that makes me whisper, “I’m not sure if I made the right choice here, Kenz. I don’t even know if a right choice exists.”
She swings her arm around my shoulder and kisses my temple like a sister would.
“I don’t know what your options are, but I do know this. You deserve a little peace, Gwen. So if this choice brings you peace, I think you’ve made the right one.”
Chapter 12
Charlie
I’m about to do something I definitely shouldnotdo.
I have a feeling, if it works, Gwen’s going to be pretty fucking pissed at me. But I’m coming to learn that I like her angry. Getting under her skin is the closest I can be to getting under her without going back on my word. And even if I didn’t enjoy the way fury tinted her skin, I’d push my luck just to get her in my home faster.
Ana’s packing up her bag after treatment, more exhausted than usual, hiding yawns behind her hands, and I seize my opportunity.
“How about I make you two dinner at my place tonight so we can all rest,” I suggest, holding my hand out for the backpack.
“Your place?” Gwen asks, her eyebrows raised.