I hadn’t even realized Tristen had fallen asleep until I noticed the questions had completely stopped. Where at first they had been a bit distracting, especially considering there were so many, seeing her get sucked into my favorite show made it worth it. I liked seeing her eyes light up with excitement, her brows furrow with confusion, and her nose crinkle when she saw something grotesque. Everything about her fascinated me, and I just couldn’t get enough. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance. She was sound asleep, completely exhausted from a long day, and despite her interest in the show, she just couldn’t hold on any longer. I stood up and lifted her into my arms, cradling her close to my chest as I carried her down the hall to her room. She never woke as I laid her down on the bed and covered her with the blanket I found in a heap on the floor. Reluctantly, I left her and went to my own room to sleep.
We both slept late, and it was well after lunch before either of us got up. I was in the kitchen hunting for something to eat when she walked in. Her hair was wet from the shower, and she was wearing black leggings with a Seattle Seahawks t-shirt. She walked over and sat down at the counter while I continued to rummage for food. “Morning. You hungry?”
“Starving. What do you have?”
“Depends on what you’re wanting. I’ve got nothing…and I’ve got, um, nothing.”
“Surely there’s something up there.”
“I’ve got eggs, ramen noodles, bacon, garlic, cheese, and a rotisserie chicken.”
She stood up and started towards me. “I think I can work with that. Do you want lunch or breakfast?”
“What? You really think you can come up with something good using all this?”
“Well, sure,” she said as she propped her hand on her hip. “So, lunch or breakfast?”
“I’m gonna go with lunch. Show me what you got.”
She immediately set to work gathering pots and pans. “Grab the bacon.” While she boiled the noodles, she turned on the skillet. I handed the bacon to her and asked “What else you need?”
“Two eggs and some olive oil. And grab that cheese while you’re at it.”
I leaned back against the counter and watched in awe as she turned my largely unused kitchen into a four-star restaurant. I had a feeling this girl would never stop surprising me. In a matter of minutes, she’d made some kind of pasta that not only looked good, but smelled delicious. I grabbed the drinks, forks, and napkins, while she filled our bowls. My stomach growled as she brought them over to the table.
Looking rather proud she sat down and said, “Okay, we’re all set.”
“I’ve gotta say, I’m impressed.”
“Well, you haven’t tasted it yet.” She watched anxiously as I took a heaping forkful and shoved it in my mouth.
“So? What do you think?”
“Holy shit, this is the bomb,” I garbled through my mouthful of food.
“Glad you think so.” A light pink blush crossed her face as she took a bite.
“Where’d you learn to cook like this?”
“My parents worked a lot, so Josie and I tried to help out. We were always trying out different combinations. Over time, we figured out what worked together… but we had lots of fails. Lots.” She laughed, and I thought I’d never heard a more beautiful sound. “So, did you ever help out in the kitchen growing up?”
A rueful smile crossed my face as I remembered all the times my mother had tried to teach me in the kitchen. “Yeah, you could say that. I bet I had way more fails than you though.”
“I seriously doubt that. You don’t know Josie. That girl would put the most random things together… and some of it was just gross. I swear I had food poisoning at least four times as a kid.”
“Ha! That’s nothing. I used to trick my brother Colton into eating my concoctions after I’d screwed them up. There was nothing that boy wouldn’t eat…. Until he had my ‘Potted Meat Pie.’ I don’t think I’ve ever seen another human being turn that shade of green. I did it so often that my mother had to ban me from the kitchen and the garage.”
“The garage?” she asked incredulously.
“Hey, I never said what was in my meat pies. I got pretty creative during my teenage years,” I laughed. As I looked at her smiling, I realized it’d been a long time since I’d had a happy memory of my brother, and it wouldn’t have happened if it hadn’t been for her.
We bantered back and forth as we finished our Ramen Carbonara, as she dubbed it, and we were about to clear the table when Tristen suddenly said, “Nathan?”
“Yeah?”
“Something’s been on my mind and…” She paused for a moment before she continued. “You’d done what Cotton had asked you to do. Why didn’t you just leave it at that… Why didn’t you just send me back to the club?” Her eyes searched mine as she waited for my reply.
I took a deep breath. “That’s not an easy question to answer.”
“Try. It’s something I need to know.”
I paused and considered just how much I wanted her to know. I’d kept her for my own selfish reasons, and I didn’t want to drive her away. Trying to keep it simple, I said, “Being in the worst place I could have ever imagined being, I just wanted to get the hell out of there. I thought it would be easy to just get the girl and go… but then I saw you.”
“What do you mean?”
I didn’t know how to explain how one moment had changed me -- how I had known there was something special about her. Hell, I didn’t understand it myself. She’d captivated me in ways I couldn’t even comprehend. Knowing I was taking a risk, I laid it all out. “When I looked into your eyes, I saw a quiet strength, a fire burning deep inside, and even through all the drugs, it was still burning bright. It pulled me to you. Seeing you made me forget about the hell I was standing in. It made me forget the danger around us. There was never any choice. I was getting you out of there and getting you safe, even if it meant taking you away from the brothers.”
Her eyes never left mine as she let my words sink in. It was a lot. I knew it was, but she deserved to know. A tear trickled down her cheek as she said, “I’d never been so scared in my life. I saw those men and heard the awful things they were saying, but I was frozen with fear and dazed by the drugs. I thought my life as I’d always known it was over. I’d all but given up… until I saw you. I can’t explain what was going on in my mind, but I knew when I looked at you, there was hope. There’s no way I can ever repay you for saving me and Lauren from that hell.”
Trying to make light of our heavy conversation, I said, “You just did. That was one hell of a Ramen Carbonara. We’ll call it even.” I chuckled as I stood up and carried our dishes to the sink.
When I turned around, I saw her wiping her eyes before she said, “So, what did I miss last night? Any more dismemberment?”
“Oh, you have no idea, woman. Shit got real. Wanna see? I’ll restart it.”