Gravity (Free Falling) (48 page)

             
“I’m fine.”  I shifted the gear into reverse and backed out slowly.  He rested his hand on my back and tried to keep me calm.  On the main street I drove about five miles under the speed limit which was still faster than I wanted to go.  A car swerved in front of me and I tensed up.

             
“It’s alright.”  AJ said, trying to keep me from spazzing out.  “Do you want to pull over and I’ll drive back?”  He asked.

             
“No, I have to do this.  I can’t let that one incident keep me from living my life.”  I paused.  “Once I do it this once it’ll keep getting easier.  I just have to get through it.”

He seemed to understand my feelings, so he sat back and just tried to be supportive.  We drove a few miles further down the road and then I turned to go back toward
the house.  When we pulled into the driveway again, I felt a sense of accomplishment for conquering my fear and AJ was proud of me for not folding under the pressure.  This was the first step in getting past the tragedy that took place, and I knew that soon, things would be close to normal again.

*****

              “That’s everything.”  Daddy said as he loaded up the last of my boxes into the back of the moving truck.  He and mom turned to go back inside to check all the windows and doors before we left.  My throat tightened as I realized it was time for me to leave my home and my family behind.  Saying that I was afraid was an understatement, but it was time for me to grow up and embrace adulthood.  I heard AJ pulling up behind me on the street.  There was no way that I wasn’t going to miss him.  It would surprise me if I was able to function without him.  Letting go, even if only for a short time, was going to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.  He cut off the engine and stepped out; he couldn’t even look at me as he came in my direction. 

             
“I was starting to think you wouldn’t make it,” I said quietly.

“My dad insisted that we finish loading my things so we can get on the road in an hour
.” He smiled weakly, attempting to mask his true emotions.

“We’ll see each othe
r tomorrow.  Don’t be so down,” I said as I reached for his hand.  My words didn’t make the sadness fade in the least. AJ still looked like the world was coming to an end. 

             
  Behind me, I heard my parents coming from the front door and Daddy’s keys jingling as he turned them in the lock.  AJ straightened his posture when he saw them coming toward us. I think we were both shocked when my father greeted him with an embrace. “Good luck, son.  Hope to see you here on Thanksgiving.  You already know you have a standing invitation.”

He released
AJ and took a step back.  “Thank you, sir.  I’ll be here.”  AJ smiled and I could see that Daddy’s words meant a lot to him.

I walked toward daddy
and nearly knocked him down when I hugged him.  He could never know how much it meant to me that he’d laid his prejudices aside and gave AJ a chance.  In his arms I thought back to when I was a child, for a brief second it felt as though nothing had changed – I was still daddy’s little girl.  Leaving him and Mom was going to be harder than I thought it would be.  Of course I’d miss mom’s cooking and the sense of security I had there, but I’d also miss being surrounded by their love.  Mom always had the best advice and she’d become a friend in addition to being my mother, and I now had a better understanding of daddy’s overprotective nature.  He wanted nothing more than to protect me from the harsh realities of life while ushering me into being a well-rounded and productive adult.  I appreciated the way they loved me – even when it was tough love.

Daddy squeezed me tightly and kissed my
cheek – I saw him quickly wipe away a tear as he turned to walk toward the truck.  Mom was crying,
again
.  She squeezed me in her arms and turned to hug AJ briefly before turning to walk away. 

AJ
seemed to pick up on my growing sadness as I thought again about everything changing so quickly.  “You’re gonna be fine.  I promise,” he assured me.  I hugged him and kissed him once on the lips after checking to be sure that my parents weren’t watching.

             
“See you in New York,” I whispered into his ear before finally letting him go.

He smiled
halfheartedly and replied, “See you in New York.” 

I walked slowly to the car and
AJ moved aside, watching Daddy back the truck out with mom and I following closely behind in my new car.  She shifted gears and started down the street as I watched AJ through the back window.    This was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.  My heart felt like it was torn in two and the largest part of it remained there with AJ. 
Would we make it through the tests that were sure to come?  Was his father going to find some way so stop him from coming to Charleston to be with me?  Was there still a possibility that he’d find someone else?
  With so many unanswered questions I stared at AJ with tear-filled eyes as he mouthed the words “I love you” before disappearing in the distance.  With the very real challenges that we were sure to come against, I had to ask myself a question that I wasn’t quite sure how to answer:  Is our love
really
strong enough to survive this?

To be continued…..

Bonus Excerpt

Free Falling Book 2: Secrets

Rancid thoughts and sordid images pumped anger through my veins like venom racing toward my heart as I lunged, tackling him and narrowly missing the coffee table.  Over and over again, my fists struck his face with such force that the left side began to swell before I even finished with him.   The floor and wall were spattered with his blood and the stains grew each time I made contact.   Even when one of his teeth flew out of his mouth, I didn’t let up; I couldn’t. 

Desperately, he used his last bit of strength to try tossing me to the floor, but there was no way I was going to miss this opportunity to make him feel the same pain that he’d inflicted.  I clasped my blood-coated hands firmly around his throat and squeezed until I nearly lost feeling in my fingers.  The smell of fear was heavy in the air and I couldn’t get enough of it.  I was drunk with the need to make these his final breaths.  As his eyes dimmed I smiled as consciousness began to slip farther away from his grasp.  

              This was the first time that I’d actually seen red.  I’ve heard people say it before, but I didn’t fully understand what that meant until this moment.  My blood felt like ice flowing through my limbs as I brought him within inches of death.  As he stared up at me, I somehow managed to squeeze tighter as the blood vessels in his eyes burst and the last bit of air sputtered from his mouth.  It was such a rush knowing that in this instant I could end his life like he deserved.  I continued to stare at his lifeless body lying on the floor long after I’d let him go.  Watching him, I still felt like I hadn’t done enough compared to what
he’d
done.  My fists were clenched as another wave of rage rolled through me.  I couldn’t control it.  The feel of his slick, warm blood on my hands made me want to hurt him more; one hit was all it would take at this point and I could see to it that the only way he’d be leaving here would be in a body bag.